CHARLIE'S ANGELS ----------------
With so many big screen adaptations of old television shows falling flat, the "Charlie's Angels" project sounded dubious except for one important factor - Drew Barrymore. Barrymore is a likeable young actress and a proven producer ("Never Been Kissed") and she succeeds once again with this project.
Written by Ryan Rowe ("Tapeheads"), Ed Solomon ("Men In Black") and John August ("Go"), this "Charlie's Angels" keeps the TV show basics intact while tweaking it with good-natured tongues in cheeks. The film kicks off parodying "Mission Impossible 2" in as high-flying a manner as any Bond opening, while getting a joke in at the expense of "T.J. Hooker: the Movie." Then we're introduced to the three angels as widely different children. Natalie's (Cameron Diaz) a brace wearing, girlie girl who loves Soul Train. Alex (Lucy Liu) is a silver-spooned equestrian. Dylan (Barrymore) is a smoking-in-the-girls'-room rebellious orphanned teen.
Back in current times, the three are assembled by Bosley (Bill Murray) to get their assignment from Charlie (uncreditted voice of John Forsythe, the original Charlie). Eric Knox (Sam Rockwell, "Galaxy Quest"), a nerdy software magnate, has been kidnapped. His partner Vivian Wood (Kelly Lynch, "Drugstore Cowboy"), fingers Roger Corwin (Tim Curry) as an enemy while the Angels identify a slick flunky in the kidnapping tape as the Thin Man (Crispen Glover, "Nurse Betty"). They then begin their pursuit of the bad guy(s) masquerading as beautiful party women, belly dancers, Bavarian yodellers and office efficiency experts. They also all pursue romance - Natalie with bartender Pete (Luke Wilson, a Barrymore ex and former costar "Home Fries"), Alex with action star Jason (Matt LeBlanc, TV's "Friends") and Dylan with Knox himself (while flirting with Chad, Barrymore's new husband Tom Green) - while maintaining their covers.
The story is lightweight, but features plenty of action (all Matrix style and well exaggerated) and lots of goofy humor (slo-mo shots of hair being 'flipped'). Only Alex' romance with LeBlanc and Barrymore's indulgent inclusion of Tom Green bog the film down.
Acting is fun all around with Diaz shining brightest as the excessively cheerful, completely ditzy Natalie. Liu struts her femme fatale stuff. Barrymore keeps her costars more front-and-center, yet still makes her own mark playing a woman scorned. Sam Rockwell hits broad comedic high notes in two very different modes while the ever reliable Murray settles for slapstick (and a great prison parody sequence). Tim Curry is underutilized, but fine while he's on screen. Crispen Glover resembles a deranged Steed from "The Avengers."
Costume and art direction harkens back to the mod 70's time period while still being current while effects are sometimes given a little appropriate cheese factor. The soundtrack is stuffed with everything from oldies from Jimi Hendrix to more recent tunes from Pizzicato Five. "Charlie's Angels" may seem a tad overlong at 92 minutes, but it mostly flies across the screen with good-natured giddiness.
B-
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