A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

Date Viewed: 7/4

Details:

Cameron Diaz

Drew Barrymore

Lucy Liu

Demi Moore

Bernie Mac

Crispin Glover

John Cleese

Director: McG

Score: 1/2

The Review: High camp strikes again, but better this time.

If you don't know the "Charlie's Angels" franchise, you've been under a rock for the past several decades: a trio of kick-ass cute chicks up against totally bad dudes. The gimmick is that we never see their employer, Charlie -- voiced by the original TV Charlie, John Forsythe -- only the speaker phone he uses to chat with the team. I never really watched the TV series, and I really did not like the first big-screen remake (Charlie's Angels, 2000, no review), so I was predisposed not to waste any time (or money) to see this entry. But, damn, the trailers (and the clever near-silhouette posters) were just too compelling. So I was a bit surprised to find myself amused and not at all disgusted -- and no, that's not intended as damnation by faint praise. This movie's gimmick is that "angels never die, they are retired" (which gives us the opportunity to ogle a buff Demi Moore), coupled with a lot of angst and whining about..., well, I'm not sure I know what it was all about. I guess it's a girl thing.

The script this time has a lot more word-play (some of it rather clever), and a lot more really far-out action special effects (with more than their fair share of Matrix-like slow motion combat), including at least one scene that stretches significantly the respect due gravity. There's a good more-than-a-cameo turn by John Cleese as Lucy Liu's character's father, along with a running joke about what it is she really does for a living.

(4-Jul-03)

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