MOVIE REVIEW

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle  (2003)

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu
Director: McG

Rating: PG-13

Studio: Columbia Tristar

Release Date: 6.27.03

Review Posted: 7.10.03

Spoilers: None

By Christopher T. Bryan

"Roller Coaster Pornography—Barbie’s with Attitude"

Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle is soft porn on a big budget. Director McG knows how to use his leading ladies, and the ladies know how to use their assets. With that being said, I enjoyed every minute of the Angels.

Impossible as it may sound, Full Throttle actually has less of a plot than the original Angels film. All involved must have realized that the audience didn’t go to the theater for a deep story with an engaging plot; they went to see three gorgeous women kick the snot out of guys without smudging their makeup. Beauty and butt-kicking are revved up a notch in the sequel at the expense of story and plot; usually a travesty, but it works here. I couldn’t help but notice that I never stopped smiling or laughing throughout my critical analyses of the film.

Gender, race relations and simple laws of nature must all be disregarded in order to enjoy Full Throttle. In the Angel’s world gravity doesn’t exist, and women are at the same time intelligent, sexy, and athletic. Don’t get me wrong, men serve a purpose in Full Throttle; they are either the butt of the jokes, punching bags, or significant others who don’t mind never seeing their loved ones, much less knowing what they do for a career. What these men have in common is that they are all completely idiotic.

Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu play their roles to perfection, perhaps at least in Drew’s case because the casting is somewhat true to life. Barrymore is the bad-girl-gone-good, while Diaz struts cluelessly, unaware of her beauty. Liu is the brain in the group who loves to flash the camera little looks that make men fidget in their seats. Demi Moore makes her much publicized return to the big-screen after her self-inflicted hiatus. Her physique and screen presence amazingly balance that of the Angels who are half her age. I found it interesting that in one scene Moore (at one time the highest paid actress in Hollywood) was facing off against Diaz (one of the few women today who commands $20 million per picture). 

It was fun as a film geek to see two different generations of Hollywood facing off against one another, both figuratively and in a sense literally. If Moore takes on a leading role in another successful film, she’ll be right back in the saddle. Bernie Mac hilariously replaced Bill Murray as Bosley. Yes, there is the obvious race question, but it is unnecessarily answered in the film; it could have just as easily been passed off as more of the ridiculousness that exists in the Angel’s world. Mac acts out nearly every gender and racial stereotype possible. As the black man he speaks in jive and watches dumbfounded as the women figure out what will be the entire plot of the movie in nano-seconds before piping up with a “wait a minute, who’s the bad guy?”  To which the girls respond with a giggle and an “oh Bosley!”, as if to say you are so silly, but we keep you around because you are cute and cuddly. Cameos abound, I could have used a few more as most of them were quite amusing.

Full Throttle can be compared to many things: a roller coaster, pornography, Barbie with attitude, all of which are entertaining under the right circumstances, if you ask me. Whatever it is, it was the most fun I’ve had at the movies so far this summer.

Rating: 3 out of 4

TOP