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Plot – Seriously, you care about the plot?!
Ok, here goes. Natalie (Diaz), Dylan (Barrymore) and Alex (Liu) are the “Angels”. Working for a mysterious millionaire called Charlie, and assisted by Bosley (Murray), they're a trio of private investigators who are smart, sexy and tough as they come. On their latest assignment they are hired to recover stolen voice-recognition software. Despite a few obstacles which they must overcome, they are successful in their mission. Except that not everything is as it seems. And the lives of Charlie, and his Angels, are in danger.
A while back, after lots and lots of nagging Honeykid finally gave in and posted his top 100 films list. And it was going surprisingly well for the most part. Until it came to third position on the list...and Charlie's Angels appeared! People were left stunned, baffled and appalled by such a pick. People have already convicted him of insanity. Well I'm here to mount the case for HK's defence...to an extent.
The main purpose of this film is pretty much a showcase for pretty girls. And on that level it's pretty much perfect. The film presents us with three beautiful ladies and places them in a variety of different outfits and scenarios for us to delight in. And they even change the style and colour of their hair throughout the film so that everyone watching can get their perfect look. It kind of reminded me of the Ryan Gosling flick, Lars and the Real Girl, in that you can choose what you want for your own personal taste. I'd like to see Drew Barrymore with black hair in a kimono. Ok, now a blonde Lucy Liu dressed in lederhosen. Can I see Cameron Diaz dancing in her underwear? Oh I can? Awesome!!! And just like Honeykid, I do have to admit my love for Drew Barrymore. I just think she is f**king adorable!!! I love her so much!!! I also love redheads. So Drew Barrymore as a redhead? Heaven!
Outside of they eye candy there is other stuff to enjoy, mostly down to the fact that the film does not take itself seriously in any manner whatsoever. And they make that clear right from the opening scene where the girls jump out of planes and defuse a bomb in mid-air. Oh yeah and Drew Barrymore just happens to be wearing a mask that makes her look exactly like LL Cool J!!! The action scenes are gloriously over the top with our angelic trio able to pull of ridiculous feats of athleticism that not even the likes of Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan would ever have dreamed of. And the sense of fun permeates the whole film, right down to the playful soundtrack full of daft and catchy songs. So whether it be Diaz dancing to “Baby Got Back”, Lucy Liu being a sexy bad ass to “Barracuda”, a fight scene set to “Smack My Bitch Up” or pretty much every song ever written that features the word 'angel' in its title it's just enjoyable stuff.
When it comes to the story, all I can really say is plot schmot!!! I'm writing this just a day or two after watching the film and already I can barely remember anything about it. But that really doesn't matter. Honestly there's probably no other film I can think of which actually depends less on its plot. It's all pretty much nonsense but it matters very, very little. It's just a film to sit back and enjoy; it's a terrifically easy watch, just light and breezy fun.
Of course all of this silly fun wouldn't work if it weren't for a game cast. And Angels certainly has that. Drew is delightful as usual, and Cameron Diaz is rather adorable here. She really goes for it, whether it be wearing massive braces or dancing in her knickers, and her bumbling, slightly geeky character is really sweet. Of the three girls Lucy Liu is definitely the one given short thrift. It's not just about the angels however. The cast is rounded out with some talented and surprising individuals. Bill Murray is great as usual as Bosley, while Sam Rockwell and Crispin Glover deliver deliciously over the top menace as the nemeses for our Angels.
Conclusion – Fun. It's a word I've used frequently throughout this review, and this film is just a great example of it. You could argue that this film's main appeal is to horny 12 year old boys. Well if that is indeed the case I guess then that I'm still just a horny 12 year old at heart! At the start I said I'd be defending HK to an extent. I qualified with 'to an extent' because I still think he's rather insane to have it as his no.3 film. However I'm more behind that as a third pick than something like 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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Year of release
2000
2000
Directed by
McG
McG
Written by
Ryan Rowe
Ed Solomon
John August
Ryan Rowe
Ed Solomon
John August
Starring
Drew Barrymore
Cameron Diaz
Lucy Liu
Bill Murray
Sam Rockwell
Drew Barrymore
Cameron Diaz
Lucy Liu
Bill Murray
Sam Rockwell
Charlie's Angels
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Plot – Seriously, you care about the plot?!
Ok, here goes. Natalie (Diaz), Dylan (Barrymore) and Alex (Liu) are the “Angels”. Working for a mysterious millionaire called Charlie, and assisted by Bosley (Murray), they're a trio of private investigators who are smart, sexy and tough as they come. On their latest assignment they are hired to recover stolen voice-recognition software. Despite a few obstacles which they must overcome, they are successful in their mission. Except that not everything is as it seems. And the lives of Charlie, and his Angels, are in danger. A while back, after lots and lots of nagging Honeykid finally gave in and posted his top 100 films list. And it was going surprisingly well for the most part. Until it came to third position on the list...and Charlie's Angels appeared! People were left stunned, baffled and appalled by such a pick. People have already convicted him of insanity. Well I'm here to mount the case for HK's defence...to an extent.
Film trivia – The film was not without its problems. The script in particular was a huge task to overcome. The script was re-written at least 30 times until it was deemed acceptable by the producers and director. In total, a massive 18 writers worked on the script before the film made it to screen. Even when the script was set there were still problems, with an argument between Bill Murray and Lucy Liu forcing production to shut down for a day.
And just like Honeykid, I do have to admit my love for Drew Barrymore. I just think she is f**king adorable!!! I love her so much!!! I also love redheads. So Drew Barrymore as a redhead? Heaven!Outside of they eye candy there is other stuff to enjoy, mostly down to the fact that the film does not take itself seriously in any manner whatsoever. And they make that clear right from the opening scene where the girls jump out of planes and defuse a bomb in mid-air. Oh yeah and Drew Barrymore just happens to be wearing a mask that makes her look exactly like LL Cool J!!! The action scenes are gloriously over the top with our angelic trio able to pull of ridiculous feats of athleticism that not even the likes of Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan would ever have dreamed of. And the sense of fun permeates the whole film, right down to the playful soundtrack full of daft and catchy songs. So whether it be Diaz dancing to “Baby Got Back”, Lucy Liu being a sexy bad ass to “Barracuda”, a fight scene set to “Smack My Bitch Up” or pretty much every song ever written that features the word 'angel' in its title it's just enjoyable stuff.
When it comes to the story, all I can really say is plot schmot!!!
I'm writing this just a day or two after watching the film and already I can barely remember anything about it. But that really doesn't matter. Honestly there's probably no other film I can think of which actually depends less on its plot. It's all pretty much nonsense but it matters very, very little. It's just a film to sit back and enjoy; it's a terrifically easy watch, just light and breezy fun.
Film trivia – The Angels themselves could have taken on a much different look, with seemingly every actress in Hollywood linked with the film at one point. Jenny McCarthy and Penelope Cruz both auditioned, while Angelina Jolie and Jada Pinkett Smith turned down offers. Thandie Newton actually was cast but was later forced to drop out. And as for those who were considered, there was - Milla Jovovich, Alyssa Milano, Julia Roberts, Salma Hayek, Liv Tyler, Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah and Jordan Ladd.
Conclusion – Fun. It's a word I've used frequently throughout this review, and this film is just a great example of it. You could argue that this film's main appeal is to horny 12 year old boys. Well if that is indeed the case I guess then that I'm still just a horny 12 year old at heart!
At the start I said I'd be defending HK to an extent. I qualified with 'to an extent' because I still think he's rather insane to have it as his no.3 film. However I'm more behind that as a third pick than something like 2001: A Space Odyssey.