REEL CRITICS

Fluffy fun in ‘Charlie’s Angels’

When the Daily Pilot asked me to review the new feature film based on

the ‘70s television show “Charlie’s Angels,” well, it kinda felt like it

was meant to be. Kismet as it were.

You see, I have a personal connection to both the “Charlie’s Angels”

of old, as well as the new and improved 2000 version.

When I was 14, portions of an original “Charlie’s Angels” episode were

filmed at the home of a friend of mine. For several days during filming,

I got to hang out with the cast and crew.

Two of the Angels -- Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith -- and several of

the guest stars were very friendly and hung out with us locals between

takes. Cheryl even called me by name, and I have a picture with my arm

around her. It was quite an experience.

My connection to the “new” Angels is a bit more tenuous. One of my

close relatives went through a rehab clinic with Drew Barrymore as a teen

-- OK, so it’s a lot more tenuous.

Anyway, enough about me. How was the movie, you ask?

Well, these aren’t the Angels of old. They’re a hybrid. A kind of

“super breed” of Angel that gives new meaning to the words “girl power.”

These hotties can put the hurt on you in more ways than one.

“Charlie’s Angels” is a “Matrix” by way of “Mission Impossible” a la

Jackie Chan, MTV-stylized, movie-length music video. It comes complete

with a nonstop house music-dominated soundtrack, chock full of tunes in

which the lyrics include the word “angel.”

Basically, if you’re not familiar with the Angels premise, they are

three smokin’ hot chicks -- Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu --

who work for the Charles Townsend Detective Agency, the owner of which is

a mysterious millionaire, Charlie, who we never see. Charlie is voiced by

John Forsythe, who also played the role on the television series.

Charlie conference calls the Angels, along with the trusted and

somewhat dimwitted Bosley (Bill Murray), to discuss the details of, and

to assign, each case they take.

This assignment involves a computer software giant (Sam Rockwell) who

has been kidnapped, ostensibly by a rival media mogul (Tim Curry), whose

primary henchman, “the creepy thin man” played by Crispin Glover, has

several action-packed encounters with the Angels.

The rest of the plot doesn’t really matter because this film isn’t

plot-driven. It is driven by special effects and “T and A,” and there’s

plenty of both.

While Barrymore and Liu’s characters were only so-so, I did like

Diaz’s ditzy but irresistibly sweet character. But then, what’s not to

like about Cameron Diaz. She was kind of a butt-kickin’, Kung

Fu-fightin’, blond airhead.

The film was far more humorous and tongue-in-cheek than I expected it

to be. And that is truly where its strengths lay. The best parts in the

film were when they were making fun of themselves. When it tried to play

serious -- well, let’s just say it fell short.

But that’s what you have to expect when you go to see this film. It’s

kind of like a French pastry -- all tasty-looking and pleasing to the

eye. But when you take a bite, you mostly get a mouth full of air and

fluff.

I’ll forego my usual rating scale of “Pay Full Price” (highest rating)

down to “Wait for Cable TV” (lowest rating), and simply use the words of

an approximately 11-year-old girl who left the theater in front of me. As

she exited, I overheard her say, “that was the best movie I’ve ever

seen.”

If you’re 11, I’m guessing you’ll probably feel the same way.

o7 “Charlie’s Angels” is rated PG-13 for action and sexual innuendo.

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* RICHARD BRUNETTE, 36, is recreation supervisor for the city of Costa

Mesa and a Costa Mesa resident.

‘Bagger Vance’ adds intrigue to golf

“The Legend of Bagger Vance” heralds a return to the beauty, grace and

power that Robert Redford once created. It draws the director away from

his recent films and back to the greatness of “A River Runs Through It.”

In the middle of the Great Depression, Adele (Charlize Theron) is a

wealthy Savannah woman whose father dies and leaves her with a pile of

debt and a glamorous golf course. In order to keep her family’s holdings,

she must endure a golf exhibition on her course, showcasing her former

love -- a man who disappeared without a word years ago.

Rannulph Junuh (Matt Damon), the man in question, has lost his swing.

For him, the exhibition is just a chance to humiliate himself in front of

all Savannah, unless he can find that swing once again.

Then Bagger Vance (Will Smith) walks out of the darkness like a

guardian angel. He leads the way to glory. But even if Bagger has all the

answers, can Junuh listen to the advice and do the right thing?

Will Smith is astounding. He usually plays loud, confident men who are

big goofballs, and it was easy to think that Bagger Vance would be an

annoying know-it-all, rubbing poor Junuh’s face in all his troubles.

Instead, Smith proves that he can command an even bigger draw with his

subtleness and slow deliberate methods. It’s almost a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde

type transformation, but it’s worth the price of admission by itself.

It’s nearly hypnotic.

Damon and Theron were good as usual, but they had no chance to

outshine Smith. Yet, the ease with which they all interact is great. The

three found a way to take a wonderful, difficult story and make it both

alluring and powerful.

“The Legend of Bagger Vance” would be a classic in my book, except

that it revolves around the game of golf. That troubles me because I

don’t play the game and have found it extremely dull to deal with.

Given that, I was confused to find that I wanted to try the game

afterward. “The Legend of Bagger Vance” makes golf seem like the path to

the truth about yourself. Golf is central to the film, and amazingly

intriguing.

It’s not often that a movie leaves the audience thinking “Wow!” It

certainly hasn’t happened much lately.

“The Legend of Bagger Vance” is an amazing movie. It’s very

thought-provoking. So if you want pure entertainment, with no brain power

needed, “Charlie’s Angels” is tons of fun. “The Legend of Bagger Vance”

works the mind, which is a surprisingly nice change.

The story is beautiful and the cast captivating. It’s definitely a

treat that should not be missed.

o7 “The Legend of Bagger Vance” is rated PG-13 for some sexual

content.

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* MELISSA RICHARDSON, 19, is a Costa Mesa resident and attends UCI.