Charlie's Angels

View Date: November 4th, 2000

Cast :

Writer: Ben Roberts

Director: McG

In the joyfully decadence that was the late 70’s and early 80s, the Charlie’s Angels television series was a beacon for Generation why not, and simplistic manna for the male ego.  Here was a television series about 3 women, controlled by a faceless man, fighting crime and cheesy plots, catching bad guys, playing shoot em up week after week to feed our simple and visually stimulated minds.  But alas came the politically correct 90’s and the Angels faded into cult status obscurity.  Now, into the next century, when our minds have expanded and our tightened morals have loosened slightly again, Hollywood, the bastion for not leaving well enough alone, and seeing the dollar signs in regurgitation, have dug them back up and given them a modern makeover.  As with most guilty pleasures, it is devoid of much intellectual value, and thusly spins into a near moronic abyss in its struggle for individuality, but the overall effect is still captured, and for at least 90 minutes, the spirit and fun is back, even if the brains aren’t.

The format isn’t tinkered with much, since recognizability is a key to success. Cellular phones replace pay ones, and karate kicks and slow motion forsake guns and bullets.  What hasn’t been lost is the smarmy charm and tongue in cheek spirit that made the show the guilty pleasure that it was.   An opening sequence, starring L.L. Cool J pokes fun at the continuous rehash of an era usually known a vapid void in the vast wasteland television of culture.  In typical series fashion, we are introduced to the new Angels, the rich girl (Liu), the nerd (Diaz), and the rebel (Barrymore), who are all brought together by Charlie (the voice of John Forsythe once again), to secretly battle the bad guys in the world.  This time around, modern technology threatens to destroy privacy as we know it, with a program and chip that allows a satellite to track anyone, based solely on their voice recognition.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, thankfully, to see where things are going from here.  The story is simplistic, a little outlandish, but completely fitting the mold and spirit of the series.  Helping things along are the supporting cast, led by Tim Curry, Sam Rockwell (the obnoxious one from The Green Mile) Crispin (Mr Density) Glover and Kelly Lynch along with sidekick Bill Murray as Bosley, who is more foil and hindrance and Charlie’s right hand man.   Even some well-placed cameos from Matt LeBlanc and Luke Wilson fit right into the gleeful brainless joy of the film. 

Contrary to popular belief, and a bit unfortunately, these new angels do not have the same broad sex appeal that the originals did.  Kate Jackson (the intellectual), Jaclyn Smith (the sophisticated one) and Farrah/Cheryl Ladd/Tanya Roberts etc (the sexy one) had a certain combined appeal that kept males satiated, and gave women someone to, sort of, look up to.  This time, the appeal and charm of the film comes in its realization that the appeal of the original was also in its simplicity, and slight lack of realism, allowing 60 minutes of escape and dreaming into another world.  Unfortunately, things drone towards inevitability a bit slowly, and the emptiness and repetitive nature of things becomes a little too much towards the end, but the overall effect is only slightly dampened, since fans don’t come to this movie for thoughtful plot twists and insightful dialogue.  They come for the eye candy, for the guilty pleasure, and to see women kick some butt.  The director uses his effects nicely, the martial arts scenes, while completely unrealistic, do provide a nice updated touch, and turn into a nice piece of visceral escapism.  He uses his music to near perfection, pulling out every angel song (from Juice Newton’s Angel of The Morning to Alan O’Day’s Undercover Angel) along with some well-placed classic, and current hits.  This is a director that focused more on what made the series appealing, and maintained that, rather than just capitalizing on the name.  Intellectuals take heed; you can park your brains and analyzation at the door, and sit back and enjoy the ride.

Ultimately, Charlie’s Angels captures the spirit of a decade gone by, and does, for the most part, provide a fun little cinematic vacation.  The movie never pretends to be anything more than a tribute to what was, simple, decadent, explosive, humorous, slightly sexist, but never to mocking fun.  Tongue planted firmly in cheek, Charlie’s Angels may surprise you not in where it goes, but how it makes you feel afterwards.  You may not remember much afterwards, but your time will not have been wasted either.  With just a tad more intelligence, this one could have headed straight for cult status as another guilty pleasure in a year desperately lacking.  As it is, mission is for the most part accomplished, hopefully though, it won’t promote the making of more.  Leave well enough alone, and let this be as far as the Angels fear to tread. ($$$ out of $$$$)

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