CHARLIE'S ANGELS

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: brief nudity, sexual content, innuendo

Rated:

A meaty black man makes his way through the narrow corridors of the airplane into First Class. Sitting down next to what is perceived to be his accomplice, he glances at the movie playing. "Another big-screen remake of an old TV show," he growls with distain. His partner shrugs and replies with similar reservations. This is the opening to Charlie's Angels, a film that mixes female brains and brawn along with high-flying action, hilarious one-liners, and wit galore. Still, with all the high-stakes adventure and unforgettable action scenes, I wouldn't expect to see this trio sprouting wings anytime soon.

The Angels have just barely finished a successful mission and returned to everyday life when the phone rings... they're wanted at the office. Bosley (Bill Murray), their supervisor, has received new information from Charlie. The Angels are needed to recover stolen computer plans and a kidnapped programmer before the stuff hits the illegal market. Eric Knox (Sam Rockwell), a low-profile genius, has developed software with the ability to track someone by the sound of their voice using dish satellite. With this software and a high-powered space station, anyone could be located within a matter of minutes merely by accessing their voice through their cell phone.

The prime suspect is Knox's arch-enemy, Roger Corwin (Tim Curry). The Angels successfully worm their way into his social life, and even his workplace, where they plant a bug in his mainframe computer. Without evidence, they are enable to press their case. Having located Knox, the trio is not satisfied. Someone else wants the Angels dead... but why is still a mystery. In the meantime, their personal lives are on the rocks. Alex (Lucy Liu) doesn't know whether to tell her boyfriend the truth. Dylan (Drew Barrymore) has feelings for Knox. And even Natalie (Cameron Diaz) has met the perfect guy.

Time is running out... and soon the Angels will be running for their lives. The film has a lot to like about it, but also some rocky points. I'll start with the bad and end with the good. There's a great deal of kick-boxing style violence. Each of the Angels use martial-arts type of fighting, which pushes the violent content up to extreme. Heeled boots fly as they defend themselves in dark alleys, on helicopters, and in castle dungeons. They're attacked each individually several times; one of the girls is nearly strangled. The violence is even more disconcerting because they're often battling men and get tossed around like rag dolls.

Sexual content is a concern, although most of it comes from immodest clothing. There are a few innuendoes, and the promiscuous Dylan wakes up twice in a man's bedroom. She also apparently takes a tumble out of a window wearing only a sheet, which she also loses. The end result is that she falls down a hill (nudity is implied from a distance), snatches up a pool toy that covers the essentials, and knocks on someone's door for help. Natalie dances around the house and answers the door in her underwear. Dylan also, to distract a chauffer, wears an extremely low-cut and revealing top and sensuously licks his steering wheel. The biggest problem is the way the Angels dress... it's more devilish than heavenly, with lots of tight pants, short skirts, and cleavage-revealing tops. For girl viewers, this shouldn't be a problem, but male eyes have no need to ogle the trio.

Language is minor, although Dylan flips a security camera the finger in the opening credits. There are a few suggestive lines in a song; one of which has the singer ogling women's rear ends. On the up side, part of the film's overall charm is the differences in the Angels' personalities. They have human characteristics and flaws that make them all the more personable. Alex is a would-be cook whose muffins could also be used in combat as heavy artillery. At one point, a life-threatening situation makes her soufflé fall... which gets a hilarious reaction. 

Dylan is the sort of rough-tumble girl who you have to respect despite her flaws. It takes guts to sock your loud-mouthed superior officer at boot camp in the jaw. Natalie, who is almost unbearably innocent in everything, is also a fun character... chatting with her boyfriend over the phone while dispatching bad guys. When her phone is smashed, she says in honest disbelief, "How could you do that? Do you KNOW how hard it is to find a quality guy in Los Angeles?" Bosley gets on your nerves eventually, but is also a fun side character with a few good lines. The action scenes are spectacular, mingling in some of the fighting style of The Matrix without the gore. It's the kind of girl-power, guilty pleasure that appeals to a wide range of individuals. The occasional innuendo and immodest clothing really are unfortunate, because otherwise it's an action-packed film that caters to please. If you do decide to take Charlie's Angels for a spin, leave the guys at home.