By: debbie lynn elias
Once upon a time there were three little girls, angels if you will, – one, very very smart; one, very very pretty and one, very very bad. But now, they’re all grown up and they work for Charlie. (You know him – the man with the velvet voice, the man we’ve never seen, the man who looks like a telephone speaker-box.) And while these little angels are still smart, pretty and bad (in more ways than one), they now kick ass like you’ve never seen ass kicked before! Opening nationwide on June 27, “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” has the pedal to the metal as the adventures of Alex, Natalie and Dylan continue, taking from them outer Mongolia to the shores of Malibu as they fight the bad guys (and gals), kick some ass and save the world. Ya know, typical girl stuff.
Seems the United States government and the FBI “lost” some silver rings and not just any silver rings; these are encrypted with every scintilla of information on the Federal Witness Protection Program, and provide the new identities and locations of every witness who has testified on behalf of the government and then been placed into protective custody. Word is out on the street the rings are up for sale and every major crime lord and family is getting into the bidding frenzy (that whole revenge thing and all), but not before bodies of witnesses start dropping like flies. And of course, the government needs help and who better to call upon than Charlie Townsend and his Angels.
Under the spirited guidance of director McG, the Angels use their uber-talents as mistresses of disguise, martial arts, espionage, giggling and jiggling, to take the audience on the ride of its life as they play everything from nuns to strippers to motocross mamas to car washers to welders to surfers to CSI investigators to disco divas and yes, to even being Daddy’s little girl. Under the guise of a thin storyline and by throwing out all sense of reality, McG gives himself free rein to take this film from silly to ridiculous to absurd, but all as an entertaining, thrill- seeking, stunt packed, over-the-top, joy ride flitting from one scene to the next with the speed of a hummingbird’s wings and the noise of a pinball arcade.
As opposed to making “Full Throttle” a duplicate of the first Angels film, McG – togther with executive producer and driving force Barrymore – wanted to hit new heights, go to new levels of action, taking the girls into seemingly male dominated territories, showing they can hold their own on any playing field. He succeeded. Key to this was the martial arts and wire training provided by Hong Kong fight choreographer Cheung-Yan Yuen to not only the Angels, but to the supporting cast as well. Added to that was a mix of different genres of fight styling, i.e., kung fu meets street fighting, not to mention the willingness and ability of the principles to do many of their own stunts. (The girls, however, didn’t do the motocross stunts although Drew Barrymore is an avid motocross fan).
And with this much action, editing and photography played a crucial part in achieving the final product, and what better team than Director of Photography Russell Carpenter and editor Wayne Wahrman. Aiding the spectacular action packed visuals is a soundtrack choreographed as precisely as the stunts, pulsating with everything from disco diva Donna Summer to Pink to Kid Rock to Loverboy to David Bowie.
But, what would the Angels be without the Angels, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu, a group that exhibits a rarely seen camaraderie and pure unadulterated joy for not only the work itself, but for working with each other. Their chemistry carries through the entire film. And for every good angel, you know there’s got to be bad, and here, Demi Moore pops up as “fallen” angel, Madison Lee. At 40+ years old, she more than holds her own (in more ways than one) against the “youngsters” in the film. Bernie Mac steps in as Jimmy Bosley, brother to Bill Murray’s Bosley from the first film. Mac adds a new, almost paternal element to the character more in keeping with David Doyle’s portrayal in the television series as opposed to Murray’s much appreciated goofiness. (And yes, we know that Murray is Caucasian and Mac is African-American. But remember, all sensibility and reality is gone and everyone more or less has free rein with story, direction and concept.)
And talk about a whose who list of supporting and cameo appearances!! Covering every possible age grouping and film genre, “Full Throttle” has someone for everyone, from returning vets, Matt LeBlanc and Luke Wilson (who redeems himself here for “Alex & Emma) to Pink, Carrie Fisher, John Cleese, Crispin Glover, Justin Thoreux, Robert Patrick, Shia La Beouf, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, not to mention John Forsythe (who else!) as the voice of Charlie and a real angel, Jaclyn Smith, reprising her television role as angel Kelly Garrett. (And hey, wasn’t that Bruce Willis dropping in for a few minutes, as well?)
Although screenwriters, John August and Marianne and Cormac Wibberley have provided an adequate storyline complete with sub-plots that provide snippets into the private lives of our Angels, give a few explanations (like Bosley), and some excellent one-liners (don’t miss the ongoing play on words about Helen Zas), the story is not the priority.
This is a harmless film about giggling, wiggling and jiggling. A carnival of colliding forces that explode into an extravaganza of fantastic fun.
Natalie: Cameron Diaz
Dylan: Drew Barrymore
Alex: Lucy Liu
Madison Lee: Demi Moore
Jimmy Bosley: Bernie Mac
Pete: Luke Wilson
Jason: Matt LeBlanc
Columbia Pictures presents a film directed by McG. Written by John August, Cormac Wibberley and Marianne Wibberley. Running time: 105 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for action violence, sensuality and language/innuendo
