# Charlie's Angels (2000)

### reviewed by
Dustin Putman

    Charlie's Angels
    2000 - 99 minutes - Rated PG-13
    DVD Released March 27, 2001
    DVD Review by Dustin Putman

After months of alleged production delays, casting and script problems, and endless rumors of on-set arguments, "Charlie's Angels," a big-screen adaptation of the cult '76-'81 television series (starring Jaclyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett, among others), seemed doomed for catastrophic failure. After all, when was the last time we saw a TV-show-turned-feature-film that was worthwhile, particularly when the budget was an overblown $90-million? Moreover, the terrible teaser trailer, with the three lead actresses performing their martial arts moves in front of a fiery background, was not exactly cause to break out the champagne glasses.

Imagine, then, the delightful surprise of watching the finished product and gradually realizing that I haven't had this much fun at the movies all year. In a nutshell, "Charlie's Angels" is an unequivocal success--a highly entertaining, funny, exciting, no-holds-barred, bubblegum triumph of the way to make a great action-comedy, as well as a rambunctious female empowerment fantasy.

Tough-girl Dylan (Drew Barrymore), sexy sweetheart Natalie (Cameron Diaz), and ultra-intelligent Alex (Lucy Liu) are Charlie's Angels: a trio of strong young women who work for mystery millionaire Charlie (voiced by John Forsythe and never seen) and his personal assistant Bosley (Bill Murray) to keep the world safe from nasty villains and megalomaniacs. Their latest mission is to rescue an electronics genius by the name of Knox (Sam Rockwell), who has been kidnapped by wealthy thief Roger Corwin (Tim Curry) and his silent henchman (Crispin Glover).

A comedic rendition of the countless James Bond flicks--only twenty times more fun and original--"Charlie's Angels" is not so much about its thin storyline as it is about the refreshingly lightweight style which feature film debut director McG (whose previous credits include several music videos) evokes. From the stunning opening sequence that begins on an airplane and ends on a sailboat, to the climax set around an ancient castle alongside the California coast, director McG clearly knows exactly how to balance all of his various genres, including action, comedy, and romance, for optimum effect. The movie is far-fetched, yet so shamelessly tongue-in-cheek as to never seem anything less than innocently believable.

If there was ever any on-set strife between the cast members, you won't find any signs of it here. Each actor finds just the perfect tone for their character, and they all elicit an overwhelming joy of performing. Actress-producer Drew Barrymore (1999's "Never Been Kissed") has found in her character of Dylan a chance to show off her comic flair to a greater effect than she ever has before. Cameron Diaz (1999's "Being John Malkovich"), as Natalie, is hilariously klutzy, yet smart, and has a smile so warm and beautiful that she sells every moment she appears here. Rounding out the angels is Lucy Liu (2000's "Shanghai Noon"), as streetwise Alex, who provides a welcome contrast to her tonally sunnier costars, and equips herself in her kung-fu-style action sequences quite nicely. Together, Barrymore, Diaz, and Liu are charismatic joys who obviously had just as much fun making the film as it is to watch it.

Adding an extra amount of amusement to the proceedings is the constant stream of costume changes the actresses goes through, as they head undercover posing in different disguises. There is particular entertainment to be had in a sequence in which Barrymore and Diaz crossdress, while the leather-clad, whip-striking Liu poses as a dominatrix-cum-efficiency-expert and bewitches every student in the class. The supporting cast is appropriately over-the-top, and all the more enjoyable because of it. Bill Murray (1998's "Rushmore") returns to his purely jokey roots with Bosley, and makes a big impression with a not-so-large role. Sam Rockwell (1999's "The Green Mile") is lively and magnetic as the kidnapped Knox; Tim Curry is at his slimy best as Roger Corwin; and Tom Green (2000's "Road Trip"), Matt LeBlanc (TV's "Friends"), and Luke Wilson (1999's "Blue Streak") are effective as the gals' love interests.

Special notice must be made to Crispin Glover (2000's "Nurse Betty"), whose brooding role as The Thin Man is one of the most memorably nasty and appropriately animated villains to come around in years. Watch Glover closely; he doesn't have one line of dialogue throughout, but simply by the drifty way in which he carries himself and smokes his cigarettes, as if he were a famed magician performing his most popular trick, does he create a wholly fresh and despicably enjoyable character.

With sunny, attractive cinematography; fast-paced editing; a sharply clever screenplay by Ryan Rowe, Ed Solomon, and John August; a standout soundtrack that wittily includes innumerable songs featuring the word, "angel," in them, as well as a nice mixture of music from the '70s, '80s, '90s, and the present day; and awesome stunts not matched since last summer's "Mission: Impossible 2," "Charlie's Angels" is a film that is unquestionably better than it has any right to be. The movie makes no halfhearted effort to be anything more than a happily diverting popcorn film, and by doing so, exceeds the viewer's highest expectations. By being unpretentious in the extreme, it is the most invigorating thing that has happened to the action genre in the last decade. "Charlie's Angels" is F-U-N, the type of movie the term, 'rollicking good time,' was invented for.

    DVD Review

How Does It Look? Presented in its original anamorphic widescreen theatrical aspect ratio of 2:35:1, the picture quality on "Charlie's Angels" is a godsend. Filmed in brightly-chosen colors and hues, the clarity of the picture jumps off the screen from the first frame to the last. There are no artifacts, zero grain, nonexistent shimmering, and no bleeding of the colors. The treatment this "Special Edition" DVD got is, in one word, beautiful. Reference quality work.

How Does It Sound? In the audio department, you case choose from English 5.1 (Dolby Digital), 2-Channel (Dolby Digital), or a French track. Whichever way you play it, you will not be disappointed. Filled to the breaking point with music and action, you are sure to get a lot of groundbreaking play from your speakers. Dialogue is consistently clear, as well, making this DVD's audio treatment wonderfully alive.

Special Features? Columbia Pictures didn't title the "Charlie's Angels" DVD a "special edition" for nothing. With so many bonus attractions, it's admittedly difficult to decide what to explore first. I began with the Screen-Specific Audio Commentary By Director McG and Cinematographer Russell Carpenter. McG and Carpenter are obviously good friends who got along very well, and had a lot of fun, while making this motion picture. Their enthusiasm for the finished product, and everything that went into its making, definitely shows through on this fast-paced and entertaining track that has no empty space, nor does it ever grow boring. Behind-the-scenes stories and talk of the actors make up much of their discussion, as do their intentions for what they were trying to make (a FUN movie).

Also found within are no less than six Making-Of Featurettes, each running between 2 1/2 and 8 minutes in length. "Getting G'd Up" is a heartfelt, if too brief, tribute to the joyful personality and talent of director McG. "The Master and the Angels" shows the kung-fu-style training that stars Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu went through to prepare for their physically demanding roles. This is perhaps the most intriguing of the featurettes, as it gives a glimpse into the tough stuff that the stars went through to prepare for their roles. Most entertaining is a look at Barrymore screaming in agony after doing an umpteenth stomach crunch. "Welcome to Angel World" details the production design and set decoration of the film, while " Angelic Effects" takes a fascinating look at how all of the visual effects in the movie were brought to cinematic life. Major work was done on a blue screen, to be sure, but it was surprising to see that much of it was actually filmed (such as the girls, albeit stunt doubles) jumping off a cliff as the castle behind them explodes. "Angelic Attire: Dressing Cameron, Drew, and Lucy " is a relatively fluffy, brief piece that shows you how each of the actress' costumes were chosen, based on the realities of the characters they were playing. Finally, "Wired Angels" is a shot-for-shot replay of the fight scene between the three angels and Crispin Glover's Thin Man, but with all of the wires still prominently featured.

The special features aren't over quite yet, as there are three Deleted and Extended Scenes, preceded by an explanation from director McG on why they were excised. While none of the scenes are outright bad, it is easy to see why they were cut out, as they prove to not be vital to the film's tone or tight pacing. The bathroom scene, however, should be noted for being an exact replica of the bathroom in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 masterpiece, "The Shining."

There is an Outtakes and Bloopers section that is a mere repeat of the outtakes shown during the end credits of the film. There are also 2 Music Videos, for Destiny's Child's snappy "Independent Women Part 1" and Apollo Four Forty's "Charlie's Angels 2000," Talent Files, Production Notes on the inside booklet of the disc's box, and Theatrical Trailers. The trailers include the teaser and the full trailer for "Charlie's Angels," as well as trailers for "My Best Friend's Wedding," "Vertical Limit," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and two upcoming features: "The Adventures of Joe Dirt," with David Spade, and this summer's "Final Fantasy."

The Animated Menus boast great, dynamic showmanship, and like the film itself, are full of energy and originality.

The Bottom Line "Charlie's Angels" remains the most entertaining film I saw last year, and with this "Collector's Edition" DVD, it is a must-buy for all fans of the format and the movie. And as I have heard mentioned before, if you didn't like the movie, then you simply didn't "get" it. While I'm certainly open to all opinions and criticisms, it is honestly difficult to believe that anyone could watch "Charlie's Angels," and not find it 100% fun.

    Ratings
    Film: * * * 1/2 (out of * * * * )
    Picture: * * * * (out of * * * * )
    Sound: * * * * (out of * * * * )
    Features: * * * 1/2 (out of * * * * )

    Overall: * * * 1/2 / * * * * (out of * * * * ) .... Highly, Highly Recommended

- Copyright 2001 by Dustin Putman http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?Dustin+Putman http://www.dvdmix.net

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