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Seems
the United States government and the FBI "lost" some silver
rings and not just any silver rings; these are encrypted with every
scintilla of information on the Federal Witness Protection Program, and
provide the new identities and locations of every witness who has
testified on behalf of the government and then been placed into
protective custody. Word is out on the street the rings are up for
sale and every major crime lord and family is getting into the bidding
frenzy (that whole revenge thing and all), but not before bodies of
witnesses start dropping like flies. And of course, the government
needs help and who better to call upon than Charlie Townsend and his
Angels.
Under the spirited guidance of director McG, the Angels use their uber-talents
as mistresses of disguise, martial arts, espionage, giggling and
jiggling, to take the audience on the ride of its life as they play
everything from nuns to strippers to motocross mamas to car washers to
welders to surfers to CSI investigators to disco divas and yes, to even
being Daddy's little girl. Under the guise of a thin storyline and
by throwing out all sense of reality, McG gives himself free rein to
take this film from silly to ridiculous to absurd, but all as an
entertaining, thrill- seeking, stunt packed, over-the-top, joy ride
flitting from one scene to the next with the speed of a hummingbird's
wings and the noise of a pinball arcade.
As opposed to making "Full Throttle" a duplicate of the first
Angels film, McG - togther with executive producer and driving force
Barrymore - wanted to hit new heights, go to new levels of action,
taking the girls into seemingly male dominated territories, showing they
can hold their own on any playing field. He succeeded. Key
to this was the martial arts and wire training provided by Hong Kong
fight choreographer Cheung-Yan Yuen to not only the Angels, but to
the supporting cast as well. Added to that was a mix of different
genres of fight styling, i.e., kung fu meets street fighting, not to
mention the willingness and ability of the principles to do many
of their own stunts. (The girls, however, didn't do the motocross
stunts although Drew Barrymore is an avid motocross fan).
And with this much action, editing and photography played a crucial part
in achieving the final product, and what better team than Director of
Photography Russell Carpenter and editor Wayne Wahrman. Aiding the
spectacular action packed visuals is a soundtrack choreographed as
precisely as the stunts, pulsating with everything from disco diva Donna
Summer to Pink to Kid Rock to Loverboy to David Bowie.
But, what would the Angels be without the Angels, Drew Barrymore,
Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu, a group that exhibits a rarely seen
camaraderie and pure unadulterated joy for not only the work itself, but
for working with each other. Their chemistry carries through the
entire film. And for every good angel, you know there's got to be
bad, and here, Demi Moore pops up as "fallen" angel, Madison
Lee. At 40+ years old, she more than holds her own (in more
ways than one) against the "youngsters" in the film. Bernie
Mac steps in as Jimmy Bosley, brother to Bill Murray's Bosley from the
first film. Mac adds a new, almost paternal element to the
character more in keeping with David Doyle's portrayal in the television
series as opposed to Murray's much appreciated goofiness. (And
yes, we know that Murray is Caucasian and Mac is African-American.
But remember, all sensibility and reality is gone and everyone more or
less has free rein with story, direction and concept.)
And talk about a whose who list of supporting and cameo appearances!!
Covering every possible age grouping and film genre, "Full
Throttle" has someone for everyone, from returning vets, Matt
LeBlanc and Luke Wilson (who redeems himself here for "Alex &
Emma) to Pink, Carrie Fisher, John Cleese, Crispin Glover, Justin
Thoreux, Robert Patrick, Shia La Beouf, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, not
to mention John Forsythe (who else!) as the voice of Charlie and a real
angel, Jaclyn Smith, reprising her television role as angel Kelly
Garrett. (And hey, wasn't that Bruce Willis dropping in for a few
minutes, as well?)
Although screenwriters, John August and Marianne and Cormac Wibberley
have provided an adequate storyline complete with sub-plots that provide
snippets into the private lives of our Angels, give a few explanations
(like Bosley), and some excellent one-liners (don't miss the ongoing
play on words about Helen Zas), the story is not the priority.
This is a harmless film about giggling, wiggling and jiggling. A
carnival of colliding forces that explode into an extravaganza of
fantastic fun.
Natalie: Cameron Diaz
Dylan: Drew Barrymore
Alex: Lucy Liu
Madison Lee: Demi Moore
Jimmy Bosley: Bernie Mac
Pete: Luke Wilson
Jason: Matt LeBlanc
Columbia Pictures presents a film directed by McG. Written by John
August, Cormac Wibberley and Marianne Wibberley. Running time: 105
minutes. Rated PG-13 (for action violence, sensuality and
language/innuendo
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