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Judy Thorburn
Las Vegas Tribune
http://www.lasvegastribune.com
Las Vegas Round The Clock
http://www.lasvegasroundheclock.com
The Women Film Critics Circle
http://www.wfcc.wordpress.com
judyt@theflickchicks.com
kreatia@aol.com
 
“CHARLIE’S ANGELS – FULL THROTTLE”
IS OVER THE TOP
.
I’ll get right to the point. If you are a
heterosexual male who enjoys scenery that consists of three foxy ladies jiggling
and showing off their sexy bodies, than this follow up to the original Charlie’s
Angels blockbuster screen version from 2000 is right up your alley. Come to
think of it, that’s exactly what its TV counterpart was all about. That series
made poster queens and stars of its leading ladies, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn
Smith, and Kate Jackson, because they were hot chicks. But, at least each
episode had situations that were linked in some way to keep the story together.
That was the seventies. This is now. Don’t expect as much here. If you thought
the first Charlie’s Angel movie was high pumped fluff, the title Full Throttle
speaks for itself. The plot could not be more paper-thin. The focus is on the
sexy leading ladies, and how they use their sexual prowess and extraordinary
other abilities in one outlandish predicament after another. It’s all about
them having fun and camping it up at the expense of a decent script. Keep the
action going at a rapid pace; lace it with over the top stunts, numerous star
cameos and silly humor, and hope the audience goes along for the ride, no matter
how ludicrous.
Let’s talk girl power! Right from the
start, these angels are able to defy gravity and survive an amazing leap off a
Mongolian dam by flying through the air and landing in a helicopter, go head to
head (or bike to bike) with the best motor cross racers or use their incredible
martial art skills to fight off the villains. And, oh yes, as masters of
disguise, they impersonate ship welders and nuns. But, for a chance to see them
really shake their booty, the girls have a grand old time impersonating singing
and dancing strippers at the Pussycat Club.
Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu
are back as Charlie’s Angels, Dylan Sanders, Natalie Cook and Alex Munday
respectively. Their mission, this time, is to retrieve two stolen rings, that
when linked together unlock a code that unleash the identities of all the people
in the Federal Witness Protection Program. After they are stolen off the fingers
of two government agents (Robert Patrick and Bruce Willis), the girls are called
in to find out who is the mastermind behind the theft and track him down.
But, “he” turns out to be a “she” in the form of fallen “former angel”, Madison
Lee (a remarkably bodi-licious, Demi Moore, in her screen comeback) who has
moved on to the “dark side”, and has it out for her former boss, Charlie (voiced
by the original, John Forsythe). Demi is deliciously evil, but doesn’t get
enough screen time, which is too bad. She’s the highlight of this mess. Then
there’s this secret about Dylan’s past, her connection to the Government’s
Witness Protection Program and her former boyfriend, Irish thug and murderer,
Seamus O’Grady (Justin Theroux) who, newly released from prison, is seeking
revenge. If that isn’t enough, that very creepy “Thin Man” (Crispin Glover) is
back in the picture, if only for some brief scenes.
There are a few subplots with Matt LeBlanc
returning as Jason, Alex’s actor boyfriend (virtually the same role he plays in
Friends) interacting with Alex’s visiting father (John Cleese, totally wasted
playing the straight man here). Their conversation leads to double entendres
and a misunderstanding about Alex’s work. It’s a bit amusing, but not very
original. Also returning is Luke Wilson as Natalie’s boyfriend, and Bernie Mac
taking over where Bill Murray left off, as another Bosley. Poor Bernie is
relegated to a few jokes, and basically looks bewildered by his surroundings.
There is an eclectic list of cameos that
include Carrie Fisher (as a Mother Superior, no less), singers Pink and Eve,
Eric Bogosian, The Olsen Twins, (a disguised) Owen Wilson, and even original TV
Angel, Jaclyn Smith, who lends some words of wisdom to one of her younger
successors. Plus, there are situations that pay homage to all sorts of movies
such as the Indiana Jones series, Cape Fear and even Chicago.
Almost everyone appears to be having a
blast. And why shouldn’t they? Who wouldn’t mind getting a big fat paycheck for
just having fun? The question is will the audience fall for this far-fetched
silliness? I know it’s intended to be taken as pure entertainment, even though
it is goofy and brainless. It didn’t work for me. I see another overloaded piece
of cinema drivel and a waste of big Hollywood bucks!
Charlie’s Angels Full Throttle speeds past
the line and goes overboard. As far as I am concerned it’s full, all right– full
of itself. The Angels may be heavenly to look at. But, I think they need their
wings clipped and brought a little more down to earth.
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The Flick Chick 
