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Parents' Guide to

Charlie's Angels

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Edgy girl-power fun; action violence, cursing.

Movie PG-13 2000 98 minutes
Charlie's Angels Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 14+

Based on 6 parent reviews

rediranch
rediranch Adult
June 7, 2011
age 18+

Not for teens

Good movie - but not for 12 year olds as the main review says. There are lots of female body parts being shaken and zoomed in on in this movie, and should be limited to 14+, 17+ for Christian families (such as ours). We don't subject our children to all the sex on TV and cable. If you do, 12 may be suitable. As far as the actual movie is, for adults it is entertaining - but we could also do without the sex. Foul language is not rampant, as is the case with most of the current action movies.
Lotty6
Lotty6 Parent of 6 and 12-year-old
August 2, 2021
age 13+

jump kick

very good karate moves some guns a girl is shot out a window and falls into two kids garden and is naked a building is exploded minimal blood and gore a girl is tied up and then knocks out several men some kissing a girl flirts and liks steering wheel a man is stabbed a girl smokes a cigarette very occasionally b t damm ass b t
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

CHARLIE'S ANGELS are three female detectives who solve cases brought to them by the mysterious Charlie, who communicates with them only by speakerphone. The Angels are fabulously gorgeous women who are as brilliant as they are beautiful, and who can kick-box five guys at a time: Dylan (co-producer Drew Barrymore), Alex (Lucy Liu), and Natalie (Cameron Diaz). They are so technologically adept that they can tug a few wires and make a fast food drive-through speaker sound like an MP3 track. They'll stop in the middle of tracking a suspect to give each other flirting pointers -- and stop in the middle of a life-or-death kickboxing fight to take a phone call from a boyfriend. Charlie's latest client is a software firm whose programming genius, Eric Knox (Sam Rockwell), has been kidnapped. His voice identification program, if combined with global positioning technology, could be used to track anyone, even Charlie. So the Angels are off to the rescue.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (24 ):

This reboot manages to fulfill the middle-school-age fantasies of both boys and girls and to make it clear that it doesn't take itself too seriously; the result is a lot of silly popcorn fun. Charlie's Angels is the kind of movie in which the action sequences may be sped up, but the heroines' hair is always in slow motion, a sort of Josie and the Pussycats crossed with Mission: Impossible. The Angels go undercover as belly dancers, a race car pit crew, corporate consultants, and lederhosen-clad messengers. It also involves placing the Angels in jeopardy every 17 minutes or so. But these Angels don't use guns. They take on bad guys with their wits and their feet.

The Angels have so much fun that it's impossible not to enjoy them. The fight scenes were staged by the same person who did The Matrix, and the Angels get a huge charge out of their suspended-air kicks and chops. A soundtrack of cheesy 1970s music ("Brandy," "You Make Me Feel Like Dancin'," "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel") and sly digs like an airline passenger disgusted by the prospect of watching T.J. Hooker: The Movie keep things lighthearted. The Angels are all terrific, especially Diaz, whose pure pleasure in doing horrible retro disco dances lights up an entire room. Bill Murray has some good moments as their sidekick, Bosley.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Dylan's absent father affected her life, especially her decision to work for a man who would never meet her. Knox, too, was affected by an absent father. Why don't the Angels want the men in their lives to know what they do? What would happen if they told them?

  • Even movies as silly as this one can provide good lessons in problem-solving and ethics. How do they break down the problem of getting access to the GPS software into solvable pieces? Why won't the Angels give Knox access to the GPS software?

  • How does violence play into the plot of Charlie's Angels? Does it seem excessive? If you've seen the original 1970s series, how does the level of violence compare?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: November 3, 2000
  • On DVD or streaming: March 27, 2001
  • Cast: Cameron Diaz , Drew Barrymore , Lucy Liu
  • Director: McG
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors, Latino actors, Bisexual actors, Asian actors
  • Studio: Columbia Tristar
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • Run time: 98 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG-13
  • MPAA explanation: action violence, innuendo and some sensuality/nudity
  • Last updated: November 3, 2023

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