Who is Farrah Fawcett

Charlie's Angels (Special Edition)

Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 11/28/2009)

As much a tribute to pop culture as a big-screen version of the '70s series, 'Charlie's Angels' has so much energy and tongue-in-cheek charm that it DARES you NOT to root for its three young stars! And while the film won't erase the images of Farrah Fawcett in a thin tanktop on a very cold day, there is a wholesome sexiness and accessiblity in Barrymore, Diaz, and Liu that none of the various teamings of TV 'Angels' ever achieved!

The pre-title sequence is outrageous, and fabulous! ...

Each Angel has a unique backstory...Natalie (Diaz) is an ditzy, upbeat 'Soul Train'-dancing wannabe who 'shakes her booty' at home in Spider-Man undies, looks for 'Mr. Right', and is a crack driver; Alex (Liu) is a 'leg waxer'/extra on an action movie set, who is a lousy cook, sleeps with the film's star (Matt LeBlanc, in a funny cameo), and is an expert in technology and martial arts; Dylan (Barrymore) is an ex-high school 'bad girl'/free spirit involved with a seedy, insecure hippie living in a tugboat (humorously portrayed by Tom Green, Barrymore's real-life boyfriend), is a master of disguise, and leads the trio.

As in the TV series, the Angels work out of the Townsend Detective Agency (still
located in the famous colonial brick building), and communicate with the never-seen Charlie (voiced, as always, by John Forsythe) via the telephone. As the trio's liason, Bosley, Bill Murray is simply perfect, hilarious in his patented 'smarmy but lovable' persona!

The plot revolves around the kidnapping of a Bill Gates-type computer genius (Sam Rockwell, 'The Green Mile'), and a technology that can pinpoint any person's location, anywhere in the world. The prime suspects are competitor Roger Corwin (Tim Curry, in a delightfully wicked turn!), and his hitman, portrayed with kinky relish by Crispin Glover. Hired by Kelly Lynch (who has a ball in the role of Rockwell's partner!), the Angels embark on a case with all the
twists, betrayals, action, humor, and mayhem that a fan could ask for!

Loud, good-natured, and pulsating with a soundtrack of '70s-'80s Top Ten songs, the film combines 'Matrix'-style freeze-frames and slow-motion FX with a ton of Pop Culture references and a swashbuckling sense of derring-do! The film literally rocks, and never lets up!

Is this 'Great Cinema'? Certainly not! But in its sheer audacity, and sense of fun, no recent film can match it! And while the original series teased with a visual sex appeal that was was largely ignored in the storylines, the big-screen version has a 'if you got it, flaunt it' attitude that is both refreshing and empowering! This is a 'Girl Power' movie, in the BEST sense of the word!

I HIGHLY recommend it! -- Benjamin J Burgraff

Release Date: 03/27/2001

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