Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle Review

by Terri Clark (TerriClark4 AT aol DOT com)
August 15th, 2003

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle - A sinful sequel.
West Life News (7/9/03)
Review by: Terri Clark

It was 1976 when the world was first introduced to Charlie's Angels, what critic's scathingly called "jiggle TV." Can you imagine? Those "three little girls" merely jiggled back then, today's Angels are downright sinful. Dylan Sanders (Drew Barrymore), Natalie Cook (Cameron Diaz) and Alex Munday (Lucy Liu) return in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, the follow-up to 2000's successful film update of the TV series about three beautiful ladies who work undercover as investigators for their anonymous boss, Charlie.

Full Throttle doesn't refer to the movie so much as it implies this sequel is supercharged. Thanks to hyperkinetic director McG, there's more action, more butt kicking, more skin, more dancing, more camp, and more Moore. Speaking of Mrs. Robinson… er…that is…Ms. Moore, Demi returns to film after a three-year absence. The part of fallen angel Madison Lee was created specifically for her and she dons her black string bikini and gold guns with sexy grit. Is it any wonder that Ashton Kutcher (That '70s Show) is smitten with her despite a 15-year age difference?

Madison is the mastermind behind a plot to steal the Halo rings, a set of encoded silver bands that, when placed together, can reveal the new identities of people under the Federal Witness Protection Program. It's up to the Angels to recover the rings, but when a secret from Dylan's past is revealed it may break up this celestial trio.

Full Throttle starts out strong enough with an outrageous action sequence that sets an over-the-top tone, which has audiences laughing. Charlie's Angels knows
exactly what it is - sexy silliness - and it's not afraid to play to that direction. Unfortunately, half way through the movie, it shifts its mood. When Dylan's bad boy ex (Justin Theroux) gets out of jail the film takes a surprisingly serious tone that deflates the fun, the result is an uneven movie that wobbles between action-packed humor and uncomfortable turmoil. No one wants to see one of our angels scared. The story also gets a bit murky and cumbersome as it becomes unclear who is tied to whom, and what each person's involvement is in the case.

Weaknesses aside, there's a lot to be enjoyed including Bernie Mac as the new Bosley, a string of cameos-Pink, Eve, the Olsen Twins, Carrie Fisher, original Angel Jaclyn Smith and Bruce Willis-and a number of humorous riffs, including a
spoof of CSI, a nod to the Sound of Music and even a roller derby sequence that
pays tribute to the TV show. Without question though, the best thing about Full
Throttle is the return of The Thin Man (Crispin Glover) and his heated exchange
with Dylan. All in all, the Angels wings are a bit clipped, but Full Throttle still delivers some devilish fun.

MOVIE FACTS

Title: Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

Grade: C+

Rating: PG-13 for action violence, sensuality and language/innuendo

Distributor: Columbia Pictures

Director: McG

Screenplay: John August, Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley

Cast: Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz, Bernie Mac

Time: 103 minutes

Genre: Action/Comedy/Adventure
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Terri Clark ([email protected]) is a freelance movie critic. She writes reviews for West Life News, Moviefone.com and the Apollo Guide.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/author-5505/

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