Charlie's Angels (2000) (PG-13) No Rating
The dumb '70s TV show about three female detectives is now a dumb action-comedy feature. You were expecting "American Beauty"?
Story
Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu update the butt-kicking babes that turned Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson into disco-era icons. In the tradition of the "Brady Bunch" and "Addams Family" flicks, the approach is to spoof the original with a series of self-referential gags about how impossibly tough, brilliant and sexy the three superheroines are. There's also a nominal plotline about some high-powered business types trying to take over world communications or something - don't bother to follow it.
Acting
There's little to speak of, though Bill Murray contributes some welcome comic bits as the Angels' bumbling supervisor, Bosley. Of the heavenly threesome, Liu (TV's "Ally McBeal") is the funniest and most convincing in action, though Diaz also scores most of the time with a winking parody of her own sunshiny image. Producer Barrymore, who can be painfully uneven in character comedy (see: "Never Been Kissed"), is more effective than usual essentially playing herself. The sharp pros filling out supporting roles include the terrific Sam Rockwell ("The Green Mile") and, in the film's most inspired bit of casting, the ever-eccentric Crispin Glover ("Back To the Future") as an intense, swordcane-wielding heavy.
Direction
Music video director McG packs virtually every frame of his feature debut with cranked-up stylistic flourishes -- swooping camerawork, sudden shifts from slow motion to regular speed, "Matrix"-style wire-fighting stunts. At times the showiness gets in the movie's way, but for the most part it works to distract the audience from the witless script (reportedly hashed together by a committee of 17 scribes). The filmmakers display no special touch for "Austin Powers"-ish campy humor, but the lighthearted battle scenes are executed with flair.
Bottom Line
"Charlie's Angels" is silly, unoriginal and lacking any socially redeeming value whatsoever. Audiences should love it!
To get the full Quicklook Films experience, uncheck "Enable on this Site" from Adblock Plus
box office top 10
Civil War Released: April 12, 2024 Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura 25.7M
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Released: March 29, 2024 Cast: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry 15.5M
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Released: March 22, 2024 Cast: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon 5.8M
Kung Fu Panda 4 Released: March 8, 2024 Cast: Jack Black, Viola Davis 5.5M
Dune: Part Two Released: March 1, 2024 Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson 4.3M
Monkey Man Released: April 5, 2024 Cast: Dev Patel, Sikandar Kher 4.1M
The First Omen Released: April 5, 2024 Cast: Nell Tiger Free, Bill Nighy 3.8M
The Long Game Released: April 12, 2024 Cast: Dennis Quaid, Gillian Vigman 1.4M
Shrek 2 Released: May 19, 2004 Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy 1.4M
Sting Released: April 12, 2024 Cast: Alyla Browne, Ryan Corr 1.2M