charangels1

“Charlie’s Angels” was a film I did not want to see for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was yet
another film based on an old television show, spoofed and polished for an audience that did not
know the source material. Secondly, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu did not strike me
as the right combination for the feature film adaptation of the old television show. Thirdly, I never
really liked the original “Charlie’s Angels” anyway. I was a “Wonder Woman” kind of guy, myself.

Somehow, I always end up seeing the movies I promise myself I’ll never watch. Thankfully, “Charlie’
s Angels” wasn’t a disaster. It’s not a perfect film by any stretch, but if you don’t think too hard, you
will survive the experience and actually enjoy parts of it.

In this incarnation, Barrymore, Diaz and Liu are the latest group of Angels working for the
mysterious and faceless Charlie. A software engineering dude named Knox has been kidnapped
and they have to find him. From there, the film becomes one random location and episodic action
scene after the next. Director McG (what kind of name is that anyway?) infuses a high, high, high,
energy style into rapid and vapid storytelling to the point that impressions are almost all you get.

The action scenes are fun to look at, even if they aren’t particularly compelling. Without the
emotional weight of a good story, it’s all eye candy without any sense of threat. Watch as the
Angels survive being blasted off their feet by rocket explosions mere feet away, as they land on
cars after being thrown fifty feet in the air and brush themselves off when they get up. This film
makes the television show look realistic by comparison.

There’s no point in explaining the story. There isn’t much of one as I said. Acting-wise, the three
Angels all have distinct personalities, I guess, and do their butt-kicking thing. Sam Rockwell plays
Knox and just kind of drifts through this role. It isn’t a stretch. The highlights of the film are really
the background characters.

Bill Murray plays a hilarious Bosley, Crispin Glover is truly off-putting as the enemy henchman
“Creepy Thin Man,” Luke Wilson appears as Diaz’ boyfriend and robs the spotlight from everyone
around him, and Matt LeBlanc plays Liu’s boyfriend and once again plays an actor, but a really
funny one…just like in “Friends,” I think. Poor LeBlanc. Oh, and Tom Green appears as Barrymore’
s squeeze, and once again just does his weird schtick. What a maroon.

Watching “Charlie’s Angels” is like going to the three-ring circus. You’ll see a lot. Most of what you
see you’ll never be sure of exactly what it was, why they dressed that way and what the point was. It
didn’t change your life, and it didn’t inspire you. When you leave, likely you won’t want to go again
anytime soon, but you can’t say you didn’t have a good time. McG simply entertains and has
created the ultimate disposable movie.