Charlie's Angels by Tim Wick
 James Bond hasn't been this entertaining in years.
I have to admit that the toughest part about going to this movie was looking
around the theatre and noticing that almost half of the audience had not been
born when the original series went off the air. Worse, many of them had not
been born when the film's producer and star Drew Barrymore starred in E.T.
Had these kids even seen the original show at all or were they just here
because the special effects looked cool?
Probably the latter, but that's too bad for them.
Charlies Angels did not have to be a good movie and in most ways that a
critic would look at the film, it's not. The script is pretty choppy, the
acting is OK, but not exceptional and let's face it, the subject ain't
exactly earth shattering. But this is a popcorn film, not an Oscar
contender. The fact is, most Oscar contenders should look like they are
having this much fun.
What makes this film work is the exuberance with which it is done. Everyone
involved seems almost giddy with excitement. The fight scenes are absolutely
top notch (clearly taking inspiration from The Matrix) and still manage to
refrain from being forced or overly serious as they were in Mission:
Impossible 2. The whole film is filled with musical stings and hip 80's
tunes that serve as constant reminders that you shouldn't be taking this too
seriously.
An important factor in a film that is blatantly self referential and aware of
it's own inherent silliness is that the characters remember to take it
seriously. This they do and they do it well. Our three Angels, Barrymore,
Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu are earnestly trying to be the best Private Eye's
they can. When Diaz speaks on the phone to a potential boyfriend while she
is kicking some bad guy's asses, she never slips into self mocking behaviour
- to her this is the most natural thing to be doing.
I haven't read other reviews, but I wonder how much this film will get
hammered as sexist. It shouldn't. In my mind, a truly liberated woman is
one who can maintain power while never losing her sense of self. These
angels are perfect. The men in this film do not have the power that the
Angels possess. These girls manage to be powerful while maintaining their
private selves. Liu is trying to keep her life of espionage a secret from
her boyfriend, Diaz is a geek who doesn't really know how to relate to boys
and Barrymore keeps thinking that she should find somebody better than the
boy she already has.
That all three of them are concerned about their personal lives but never
ruled by them is the reason I think this film presents three of the best
female role models I've seen in a long time. It's OK to be a girl. It's OK
to be sexy. But don't let that get in the way of being who you want to be.
I could go on an on about this film. I feel guilty that I enjoyed this movie
far more than other, more serious fare like Gladiator, Pay it Forward or
Erin Brockovich. But not that guilty. I've said it before and I'll say it
again - a movie can just entertain you. That is one of the goals of film.
This movie never ceases to be entertaining. I had a smile on my face an hour
after I left the theatre.
I am waiting impatiently for a sequel.
Ishmael Williams also wrote a Charlie's Angels Review
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