| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this movie has non-stop "action violence," meaning that it is not very graphic. A character is impaled and several characters are killed. There is a brief graphic scene of a calf birth. As in the first movie, the Angels do not use guns. Characters use some strong language and make some naughty double-entendres. Alex's father believes she is a prostitute. Female and minority characters are brave, smart, loyal, and capable.
The three Angels -- Dylan (producer Drew Barrymore), Alex (Lucy Liu), and Natalie (Cameron Diaz) – are back for a new assignment. Two rings, which contain the names of people in the witness protection program, are missing. When some protected informants are killed, Charlie turns to the Angels. During their search, they meet Madison Lee (Demi Moore), a former Angel who now works for the bad guys, and Seamus (Justin Theroux), Dylan's former boyfriend whom she turned in to the police.
CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE is pretty much the same movie as the first one, except more of everything, and this movie has a lot of everything to have more of. More lovely heads shaking lovely hair in slow-mo as the Angels run away from more explosions. More lovely legs kicking more bad guys. More crazy get-ups (I know! Let's make them dress up like nuns! And strippers!). More surprise guest stars -- including one of the original Angels. More dancing. More booty shaking. More booty kicking. The only thing there's less of is plot, and does anyone who watches this movie really care about that? Certainly no one who made the movie did. Dylan, Alex, and Natalie behave as though they're at a slumber party where the girls blow stuff up and perform on-the-spot forensic analyses without any equipment in between setting each other's hair and short-sheeting each other's beds. This gives a bouncy, buoyant, bubbly feel to the story that keeps the energy level high enough to sail through the silly dialogue and story.
Problems include uninteresting villains and a dopey sidetrack as Alex's boyfriend (Matt LeBlanc) and father (John Cleese) have a pointless misunderstanding about what Alex really does on the job. Yes, Demi Moore looks sensational as an Angel turned bad, but her performance is weak. Justin Theroux is also wasted as Dylan's former boyfriend. Shia LeBeouf ("Holes") is in the movie for no particular reason. But Crispin Glover returns for a few nicely creepy moments as the mute Thin Man who has a thing about hair.
Families can talk about how (and why) people create their own families. They can talk about whether this movie is sexist and the mixed messages our society sends young women and about the enduring attraction of those messages as well. For example, while the Angels wear skimpy costumes, they are extraordinarily independent, capable, loyal, strong, honest, and highly educated.
| Studio: | Sony Pictures |
| Director: | McG |
| Cast: | Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 106 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | June 27, 2003 |
| DVD release date: | October 21, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | action violence, sensuality and language/innuendo |