Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003)

Movie Info

This is how we ride!

Rings known as H.A.L.O. (Hidden Alias List Operation) have been stolen by a mysterious backer and are being prepared for sale on the black market.  If H.A.L.O. gets out, the lives of people on the Department of Justice’s witness protection program could be threatened.  The Angels have been called in with a new Bosley (Bernie Mac) who is the brother of their former handler, and the Angels are out to prevent the release of H.A.L.O.  When Natalie (Cameron Diaz) and Alex (Lucy Liu) learn that Dylan (Drew Barrymore) is on the list, the mission becomes personal as Dylan is targeted by an old love Seamus O’Grady (Justin Theroux)…but the return of a former Angel named Madison Lee (Demi Moore) could mean death for the Angels.

Oh Demi…you’re still an indecent proposal…

Directed by McG, Charlie’s Angels:  Full Throttle (sometimes called Charlie’s Angels 2:  Full Throttle) was the follow-up to the 2000 hit Charlie’s Angels.  The movie was much less well received than the original and was nominated for Golden Razzies for Worst Picture Worst Actress (Drew Barrymore& Cameron Diaz), Worst Screenplay, and Worst Excuse for an Actual Movie while winning Worst Remake or Sequel and Worst Supporting Actress (Demi Moore).

Despite the heckling, I kind of like Charlie’s Angels:  Full Throttle for a few reasons…while also hating it for many of the same reasons.  The movie suffers from a creative idea, that tries way, way too hard.

We’re no angels…wait, we are Angels just not that kind.

The story doesn’t have much substance and what little mystery there is in the film is so predictable.  It is obvious who the enemies are in the film and it is obvious where the story is going to go…though it takes sometimes strange paths to do it.  The ridiculous aspect of the story also is very cliché, but it is hard to judge since part of the film’s aspect is supposed to be cliché and ridiculous…it doesn’t necessarily make for clever writing, but sometimes I do feel that the writers understand the tongue-in-cheek nature of the script…but I also think that the public was a bit tired of the Lui-Barrymore-Diaz combo who always appeared so nauseatingly buddy-buddy in interviews.

We’re good girls…we’re just dressed bad!

I do rather like that the film helps evolve the Angels “mythology”.  The original Angels existed in the film (as seen by a cameo by Jaclyn Smith as Kelly Garrett) and the Angel supposedly existed into the ’80s and ’90s with Demi Moore’s character.  It is kind of amusing that the big action ’80s and early ’90s Angels used guns instead of karate and martial arts…something that is rather clever since both in comic books and films the ‘’80s and ‘’90s were often darker, edgier, and more violent.  The indication in the film is that the ’80s and early ’90s Angels were willing to kill or be killed…they were essentially action heroes of the time.

Love…exciting & new!

With Charlie’s Angels’ success, this movie does feel more crammed with celebrities.  Bernie Mac stepped in for Bill Murray after Murray clashed with some of the “Angels” of the first film.  Crispin Glover returned as the mysterious Thin Man and both Luke Wilson and Matt LeBlanc were back as boyfriends of Diaz and Liu…Tom Green who had been involved with Barrymore during the first film did not return as the Chad.  Justin Theroux, Robert Patrick, Shia LaBeouf, John Cleese, Bruce Willis, and Robert Forster had small parts in the film, and Demi Moore made a big splash by showing off her body which showed how fit she still was for “an older woman”.  The movie also featured cameos by Pink (who sang the title track), the Pussycat Dolls, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Carrie Fisher, Eve, Béla Károlyi, and Melissa McCarthy.

Charlie’s Angels:  Full Throttle isn’t a good movie, but I do find it to be a rather entertaining bad action film.  While many action films want to you take the explosions, technology, and visuals serious (when they are complete jokes), Charlie’s Angels tells you to just go with it and that despite being impossible, it will still happen.  The movie line was essentially finished with this film, but the Angels did return in another TV version in 2011 with a short run and a major motion in 2019.

Related Links:

Charlie’s Angels (2000)