Hi,
Originally from Germany, I received my BA from the U of Washington (Seattle). I am a playwrig...
Hi,
Originally from Germany, I received my BA from the U of Washington (Seattle). I am a playwright, translator, and sometimes poet with a passion for movies and literature.
I love to travel, anything that isn't too mainstream (though there are s...
Member since:21.06.2000
Reviews:60
Members who trust:13
Remember the TV-show "Charlie's Angels"? It came on the air in the mid-70's and the original angelic cast included Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith. Charlie was a rich (and never on-screen) private investigator, who each week sent his angels off on some new and exciting assignment. The stars of the show were about as famous for their tight clothing as they were for their smarts. Fawcett, Jackson, and Smith were offered to appear in small roles in this new film, but no agreement could be reached. Too bad, they clearly missed out on a lot of fun.
What do I remember from the TV-show? Tight pants with flared legs, short shorts, Farrah's hairdo, and three very skinny and capable women. Jackson's character was sweet and naive, Farrah's was the sexpot, and Smith was a bit more sophisticated and classy, I think. Story lines? Specifics? Forget about it. Does anybody remember story lines from Baywatch? I think not.
McG's (Joseph McGinty Mitchell's handy dandy shorty) parody "Charlie's Angels" is as much
a comedy as it is an action movie. In fact, "Charlie's Angels" is a total blast and one of the funniest movies I've seen this year. It's popular with both men and women. Why? Because the men appreciate the eye-candy and the women appreciate seeing females as main characters in an action flick. Women furthermore are happy to see that the three Angels possess beauty and brains in equal measure, and that they are in control. It goes a step beyond Kusama's "Girlfight", in showing that women are already ready and able to fight, something we've also seen portrayed well in Demi Moore's powerful "G.I. Jane".
Though the Angels story isn't anything that you'll remember for a long time, it's kept alive not only by its twists and turns, but also by a ton of action. Townsend's new client Vivian Wood (Kelly Lynch, "Homegrown") reports the kidnapping of her boss and friend Knox (Sam Rockwell, "The Green Mile"), a software developer. The filthy rich young hipster soon is rescued, but getting his precious software back is another story. Dylan (Drew Barrymore, "Never Been Kissed") falls for the hipster temporarily. Thankfully, the clumsy Chad (the very funny Tom Green, aka Mr. Barrymore) doesn't witness his beloved's erring ways.
Bosley (Bill Murray, "Hamlet"), while trying to keep an eye on the operation for the physically never present Charlie Townsend (voice of John Forsythe), gets himself locked up in a tower. To his rescue comes angel Natalie (Cameron Diaz, "Being John Malkovich"), who reminds one at times on TV-"Friends"' character Phoebe Buffet. Cameron Diaz impresses with her incredible comedic talent in this film.
Natalie is a bit out there, and when she meets a barkeeper, her two angelic friends coach her as to how to deal with a prospective date. Luckily, the prospect "speaks Natalie", as Alex (Lucy Liu, "Shanghai Noon") points out. While Natalie is trying to rescue Bosley, she gets a phone-call from the prospect. Naturally (for her) she can't hang up, but stays on the phone while fighting off intruders and talking to Bosley at the same time.
Alex has an admirer as well, "Friends"'s Matt LeBlanc, who plays an actor. In his trailer she tries her hand at housewifery, but gunfire interrupts her efforts at cooking and baking. She's known in the office for her lethal blueberry muffins. Alex's big moment comes when she marches into the enemy's company, leather-clad and armed with a whip that she uses to her heart's content. The all-male staff is ready to eat out of her hand, while Natalie and Dylan (both cross-dressing and sporting a beard/mustache) wander off to break into the company's most sacred rooms.
McG's parody is a complete success. It doesn't only have hilarious dialogue, it also provides plenty of laughs with some of the plot and most of the action. The angels kick many a (male) butt and when they do, they remind one on martial arts movies and those hilarious Indian films, where the heroes fly through the air over great distances.
"Charlie's Angels" stays true to the original when it comes to the angels using their bodies for things other than fighting. Plunging necklines and see-through clothing are a given. Drew Barrymore (who also functioned as a producer for this film) falls out of a window wrapped only in a sheet, which she looses along the way, and all three show off their bare backs when they take off their wet suits. The film is rated PG-13, so the camera discreetly looks away when the suits are about half off.
The movie doesn't take itself seriously and that's part of its appeal. Be prepared to laugh a lot and you'll have just about as much fun as the cast seems to have had when filming.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
HappilyCharlie's Angelsis a surprisingly successful TV-into-movie update of the seminal ... more
1970s jiggle show. Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore (who also produced) and Lucy Liu star as the hair-tossing, fashion-setting, kung-fu fighting trio employed by the my...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
HappilyCharlie's Angelsis a surprisingly successful TV-into-movie update of the seminal ... more
1970s jiggle show. Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore (who also produced) and Lucy Liu star as the hair-tossing, fashion-setting, kung-fu fighting trio employed by the my...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu are Charlie's Angels - a trio of elite private ... more
investigators who, with the latest in high-tech gadgets, martial arts techniques and a vest array of disguises, unleash their state-of-the-art skills on land, sea ...
Advantages: drew and cameron nearly flashing their boobs about, nice lighweight, pacy lark Disadvantages: not much here for anyone wanting brain fodder
Advantages: Anything that has Cameron Diaz in it, wet and 'unzipped' to the waist has got to get 5 stars Disadvantages: not sure Lucy Liu was the right casting for the 3rd 'Angel'
flashpointz 27.08.2002 (27.08.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Charlie's Angels (DVD)
Advantages: Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz... Disadvantages: The most stupid film ever, even worse than The Avengers, possibly as bad as Batman and Robin
![Charlie's Angels [DVD] [2000]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78545971.jpg "Charlie's Angels [DVD] [2000]")
Dec 10th, 2000
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