Charlie’s Angels (Movie Monday)

I have no earthly idea what made me think I should watch “Charlie’s Angels” (2000), but it wasn’t at all what I expected.

When I watched the first few minutes, I almost hit the eject button. The movie is pretty much nothing like the ’70s series that I remember. (I grant you that my memories may be suspect, given that I was only 9 or 10 when it debuted.) Although Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore are all lovely in both appearance and acting ability, none has the magic of Farrah in her first big role. Moreover, rather than portraying smart women –like the capable and smooth Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson– in a traditionally male role, these Angels are insecure in their love lives and make a lot of mistakes in their crime-fighting venture. The jiggle factor is pretty much the same, as is John Forsythe’s voice as the mysterious Charlie, but Bosley as played by Bill Murray lacks the teddy bear appeal of David Doyle; in fact, like the whole movie, Bosley is played for laughs.

“Charlie’s Angels” isn’t supposed to be funny.

But I stuck with it, and it kind of grew on me. As with the originals, the mystery is simplistic and not really the point. The Angels turn out to be not only smart but butt-kicking martial arts experts. The special effects are definitely better than the TV series, and the more I thought about it the more I realized that a 2000 movie can’t try to replicate ’70s characters or context, and it was wise not to try to recreate Sabrina, Kelly and Jill (instead we have Natalie, Alex and Dylan).

In the end I had to sort of grudgingly admit that I liked the movie. It embraces the cheesiness of the series, poking fun only gently, and moves it, and me, into the new century.

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