Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle Review
by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)June 26th, 2003
CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE (2003) Starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Bernie Mac, Crispin Glover, Justin Theroux, Robert Patrick and Demi Moore. Story by John August. Screenplay by John August and Cormac Wibberley & Marianne Wibberley. Directed by McG. Rated PG-13. Running time: 111 minutes.
As a movie, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle plays like the world's longest and most expensive music video.
You can't visualize it as a cohesive feature. Rather picture it as a series of silly poses, puns and spoofs wrapped together in a pretty ribbon of feminine flesh displayed in various guises to make you forget how superficial it is.
The feature's one nod to sanity is its realization not to take itself seriously.
Piffle best describes it. Voyeurism rules as Full Throttle expends much screen time ogling beautiful actresses who prance around in a variety of outfits and costumes and kick the heck out of each other — as well as various men.
The camera, reinforced by the overuse of slo-mo action sequences, lingers on female forms in various stages of flight and fight
The film has as much logic as a cartoon, which it thoroughly resembles. It shows a contempt for its audience because it does not even try to retain a modicum of intelligence.
Sorry, don't mean to sound as if I lack a sense of humor. But a product such as Full Throttle feels assembly line manufactured, not artistically created.
Yes, it's colorful, loud and explosive. At the same time it's as disposal as a paper plate. Angels overflows with juvenile innuendo and sophomoric jokes more akin to a high school locker room.
The main story deals with recovering two coded rings encrypted with the names of all the people in the government's witness protection program. Along the way director McG, along with writers John August, who wrote the story and co-authored the script with Cormac Wibberley and Marianne Wibberley, poke fun or pay humorous homage to films as diverse as 10, Cape Fear, The Sound of Music, Flashdance and Grease, as well as the current CSI TV craze.
Admittedly McG and his actors make it difficult to totally scorn Full Throttle. It's unapologetic and flamboyant goofiness can be contagious. At times, Full Throttle plays like a glorified home movie.
No great demands are made on Angels Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu except to keep their hair in place through various chases, bone-crunching brawls and explosions that would hospitalize lesser mortals for months.
Demi Moore in her first film in several years looks lean and sculpted as a fallen Angel who's more than a match for the trio of
trouble-shooters.
Bernie Mac, taking over as Bosley from Bill Murray, offers some laughs, even though at times some of the humor associated with his character edges toward racial stereotyping.
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle simply continues the cookie-cutter cycle of unnecessary sequels produced for the sole purpose of making overpaid performers richer. It will provide about 111 minutes of mindless diversion, but in the long run, it's as forgettable as fast food carryout.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Other reviews by Bloom can be found at www.jconline.com by clicking on movies.
Bloom's reviews also appear on the Web at the Rottentomatoes Web site, www.rottentomatoes.com and at the Internet Movie Database:
http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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