Charlie's Angels Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)November 10th, 2000
"Charlie's Angels" - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (And You Will Too)
by Homer Yen
(c) 2000
Incredibly, Hollywood has the courage to create yet again another feature-length film based on a classic TV show. You may remember a recent handful of similar attempts that have made disastrous transitions from the small screen to the silver screen. These forgettable projects included "The Avengers," "The Mod Squad," and "Shaft." Received poorly by audiences and critics alike, all were money-losing debacles.
This time around, the latest attempt is the resurrection of "Charlie's Angels," the jiggly and feathery-haired 70's detective show. Would this update suffer the same fate as those other fiascoes? The project certainly had many studio executives scratching their heads in doubt as the film underwent massive rewrites and last-minute reshoots. Gossip also surfaced that there were severe creative differences among the stars, and in particular, between Lucy Liu (who plays Alex, the techno-whiz Angel) and Bill Murray (who plays Bosley, Charlie's avuncular assistant). Meanwhile, production costs skyrocketed to $90 million while people began to wonder about the viability of a film that was taken from a show that had scripts that were so light. Original Angel, Kate Jackson, once mused that "it would take a week to get to the floor if you dropped it from the ceiling."
Happily, reports of its demise are greatly exaggerated. The new "Charlie's Angels," as it turns out, is an unabashed romp. It's a fine mix of action, camp and self-parody. I'm surprised to say this, but this is the most fun that I've had at the movies in
weeks!
If you've seen the television show, then you're familiar with the setup. Three beautiful women (Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu) work together as an elite trio of detectives who receive their assignment over speakerphone from the disembodied voice of Charlie (spoken, as in the original show, by Baritone-voiced John Forsythe). Of course, they're still glamorous and great to look at. But these new Angels have powered up. They aren't shy about employing their saucy feminine wiles. Their impressive skill sets range widely from speaking Japanese to Indy Car racing. And, thanks to Matrix-like effects, they can really kick some butt.
Their latest case involves thwarting a scheme that threatens to end privacy. The film's elements borrow heavily from any number of James Bond films. There are high-tech gadgets, a notable henchman (a silent, sword-wielding, thin man played by Crispin Glover), a host of enjoyable action sequences and a final showdown at the villain's stronghold.
While the plot is serviceable, the film is more about flash, style, and good-looking babes. The filmmakers know that this isn't matter to be taken seriously. Consequently, they have great fun with this film. Guest stars include comedic lightweights Luke Wilson, Matthew Perry and Tom Green as the Angels' love interests. Diaz energetically wiggles her booty while dancing on Soul Train as Sir Mix-A-Lot's anthem, "I Like Big Butts," plays in the background. Barrymore enjoys a victory moonwalk after dispatching a group of thugs. Liu dons a dominatrix outfit as she trains a group of gawking, bespectacled engineers. What's not to like? Completely watchable, this is the kind of playful material that attracts people to magazines like Maxim or FHM. For this Maxim-reading guy, "Charlie's Angels" was more entertaining than I ever thought possible.
Grade: B+ (yes, really)
S: 1 out of 3 cleavage shots and body hugging suits L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3 bloodless Matrix-style fight sequences
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