Cast: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Demi Moore, Bernie Mac, Justin Theroux, Robert Patrick, Luke Wilson, Matt LeBlanc, Crispin Glover, John Cleese, John Forsythe (voice)
Director: McG
Producers: Leonard Goldberg, Drew Barrymore, Nancy Juvonen
Screenplay: John August and Cormac Wibberley & Marianne Wibberley
Cinematography: Russell Carpenter
Music: Ed Shearmur
U.S. Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Yes, it's more of the same - and that's really the problem. The first Charlie's Angels movie was so deliciously, self-consciously cheesy that it was virtually impossible to dislike. There was a freshness and sassiness to the production - a sense that the filmmakers were thumbing their noses at serious action movies by juicing up the admittedly silly premise of a '70s girl-power TV show. It worked once, but the novelty factor is gone. The cheese is still there, but this time it's overlaid with a cynical sense that the only reason the movie exists is because the first one made so much money.
The subtitle, Full Throttle, pretty much declares the thrust of the film. It is designed to appeal to an audience with ADD - those who constantly need something new and loud every few seconds to capture their attention. Returning director McG, whose nom-de-cinema sounds like it belongs on a fast food restaurant menu, composes Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle the way he would a very long, very expensive music video. There are lots of cuts, lots of music, lots of T&A, and lots of ass-kicking. There's also what passes for a plot, but, as in most music videos, it's paper-thin.
Full Throttle is designed as an action-comedy - a parody of the James Bond genre. Once, that was a fun idea, but it has been done to death in everything from the seemingly-endless string of Austin Powers movies to XXX. Even the latest official 007 picture, Die Another Day, abandoned any pretense of seriousness and plunged full-out into the realm of self-parody. So forgive me if I'm not overwhelmed by all the jabs Full Throttle takes at superspy action movies. Been there, done that - over and over and over again. Then there are the Matrix-style fighting movies, which are used ad nauseam here (even more often than in the Matrix films or the first Charlie's Angels). A few years ago, it was the "in" thing to lampoon this kind of slow-mo contortionist action, but, by now, it's a tired approach. Yet Full Throttle keeps beating the dead horse until it's flatter than road kill.
So what is the movie about? A group of scary villains, including a badass named Seamus O'Grady (Justin Theroux), are out to get a secret decoder ring that will give them the secret identities of all the participants in the Witness Protection program. After investigating all the available Cracker Jacks boxes, they realize that the ring is currently the property of ex-Angel Madison Lee (Demi Moore) and her inconsequential partner, Ray Carter (Robert Patrick). She's willing to sell, and all the world's gangsters are anxious to buy. Enter the current Angels: Natalie (Cameron Diaz), Dylan (Drew Barrymore), and Alex (Lucy Liu), along with the new Bosley (Bernie Mac). Sans client, but still backed by Charlie (again voiced by John Forsythe), they're out to stop Madison and save the world.
Full Throttle may be overlong and repetitive with action sequences that are dull precisely because they're so loud and predictable, but it has its share of small pleasures. The first and foremost of these is Demi Moore, who exudes more sex appeal than Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu combined. One drawback is her limited screen time. Except for a brief interlude, she's not on for the first 45 minutes. The only one more underutilized than Moore is John Cleese, who has a small role as Alex's father. With a single reaction shot, Cleese generates the film's biggest laugh.
A couple of the parodies-within-the-overall-parody work. There's an amusing takeoff on the insanely popular "C.S.I." that's only missing a cameo from William Petersen. The film's opening credits include a subversively funny riff on the opening of the "Charlie's Angels" TV series. There's also a little, brief, discreet nudity (three naked Angels filmed from just the right angle so that nothing can be seen - call it the Austin Powers school of obfuscation). And the '70s music won't stop - Full Throttle the movie is like an advertisement for Full Throttle the soundtrack.
The movie is chock full of cameos - everyone from the Olsen Twins to Bruce Willis to one of the original Angels gets a walk-on. After a while, it becomes distracting - kind of like playing "spot the celebrity." As a whole, the movie is an irritating blend of little things that work and big things that don't. After seeing the first Charlie's Angels movie, I exited the theater feeling buoyed and almost giddy. After Full Throttle, I was vaguely dissatisfied and somewhat irritated. If you can stand the repetition and lack of inventiveness and don't care about anything beyond the "eye candy" value, I suppose this movie has the capacity to entertain. But, like most hollow, shallow entertainment of this sort, it's probably best seen (if it must be seen) cheaper and later.
© 2003 James Berardinelli