Charlie's Angels
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMcG
Written by
Based on
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRussell Carpenter
Edited by
Music byEdward Shearmur
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release dates
Running time
98 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$93 million[2]
Box office$264.1 million[2]

Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG in his feature film directorial debut, and written by Ryan Rowe, Ed Solomon, and John August. It is the first installment in the Charlie's Angels film series, a continuation of the television series of the same name created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, which is also a continuation of the series story. Unlike the original series, which had dramatic elements, the film features more comical elements.

It stars Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as three women working in a private detective agency in Los Angeles. John Forsythe reprised his role as the unseen Charlie's voice from the original series. Bill Murray also stars as John Bosley, replacing David Doyle who played the role in the original series. It also stars Sam Rockwell, Tim Curry and Kelly Lynch while Crispin Glover, Matt LeBlanc, Luke Wilson and Tom Green appear in supporting roles.

It was released on November 3, 2000, in the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing under its Columbia Pictures label, and has grossed $264.1 million worldwide. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with praise for the performances of Diaz, Barrymore, Liu and Murray as well as its action sequences and humor, but criticisms aimed at the plot and "lack of originality".[3]

Plot

Natalie Cook, Dylan Sanders, and Alex Munday are the "Angels", three talented, tough, attractive women who work as private investigators together for unseen millionaire Charlie Townsend. Charlie uses speakers in his offices to communicate with the Angels, and his assistant Bosley works with them directly when needed.

Charlie assigns the Angels to find Eric Knox, a software genius who created a revolutionary voice-recognition system and heads his own company, Knox Enterprises. He is believed to have been kidnapped by Roger Corwin, who runs a communications-satellite company called Redstar.

The Angels infiltrate a party held by Corwin and spot a suspicious-looking man that they had previously seen from surveillance videos of Knox's kidnapping. Dubbing him the "Thin Man", the Angels chase him down and fight him; he gets away, but the Angels find Knox, safely tied up nearby.

After the Angels reunite Knox with his business partner Vivian Wood, Charlie explains that they must determine whether the Thin Man has stolen Knox's voice-recognition software. The Angels infiltrate Redstar headquarters, fool the security system, and plant a device in the central computer that will enable them to explore it remotely. They retire for the night after giving Bosley the laptop computer that communicates with the Redstar computer.

Dylan takes up Knox's offer to spend the night with him, and they end up having sex. Afterwards, he betrays her; simultaneously, attacks are made on Natalie and Alex, Bosley is captured by Vivian, and Corwin is murdered by the Thin Man. Knox tells Dylan his kidnapping was all faked to get the Angels to help him access the Redstar satellite network. He plans to use it along with his voice recognition software to find and kill Charlie, who Knox asserts killed his father in the Vietnam War.

Dylan escapes and reunites with Natalie and Alex, who also survived their attacks. They approach Charlie's office just as the building explodes. They find a radio receiver that Bosley is able to communicate through via a tooth implanted radio transmitter. Bosley provides enough information of where he's captured to allow Natalie to deduce its location, an abandoned lighthouse. With help from Dylan's boyfriend Chad, the Angels stealthily approach it. Upon finding Knox, Dylan is captured by his henchmen, and is tied up and gagged.

The Angels are too late to stop Knox from determining Charlie's location, though they rescue Bosley while Dylan fights off her captors. They come together to defeat Vivian, the Thin Man, and other assorted henchmen, but Knox blows up the lighthouse and flies off in an attack helicopter towards Charlie's house. Bosley helps the Angels board it, where Alex reprograms the missile to have it shoot backwards; blowing up the helicopter and killing Knox while the Angels land safely.

Seeing the opportunity to finally meet Charlie in person, they enter the nearby beach house that Knox had targeted, but he has already left. He remotely congratulates the Angels on a job well done through another speaker, and treats them and Bosley to a vacation. Charlie also tells them that Knox's father was an undercover double agent; he was discovered and killed by the enemy, but not by Charlie.

When he speaks to the Angels by telephone on the beach, they ask if they could ever meet him in person. Dylan suspects she sees him nearby talking into a cell phone, but does not tell the group; opting to raise a toast to Charlie instead. Bosley playfully douses the Angels with his drink, and they chase him towards the ocean. From afar, a silhouetted Charlie watches them and walks off.

Cast

One of the most widely reproduced publicity images from Charlie's Angels features (L to R) Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz, and Drew Barrymore in defensive posture as they prepare to subdue The Thin Man.

Production

According to Thandiwe Newton, she was the original choice for Alex Munday, but declined as she did not want to be "objectified" or play racial stereotypes. The role ultimately went to Lucy Liu.[4]

Reception

Box office

The film opened on November 3, 2000, earning $13.7 million in its opening day, debuting at the top of the box office. For its first weekend, the film grossed $40.1 million, dethroning Meet the Parents, which had stayed at number-one for four weeks.[5] Eventually, Charlie's Angels grossed a total of $125,305,545 domestically.

Against a budget of $93 million Charlie's Angels grossed $125.3 million in North America and $148.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $264.1 million, making it the 12th highest-grossing film of 2000.[2]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 68% approval rating based on 146 reviews, with an average rating of 6.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Mixing tongue-in-cheek cheesecake with glossy action set pieces, Charlie's Angels is slick and reasonably fun despite its lack of originality".[6] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score, it has a score of 52 out of 100 based on reviews from 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[3]

David Edelstein for Slate, wrote, despite expecting to hate the film, he found he loved it, calling it "a charming, hyper-energetic, and wittily self-aware action comedy about gorgeous girls".[7] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B grade, with particular praise for Cameron Diaz's performance, saying "not just an Angel – that's a star".[8] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called the film a "guilty pleasure" and praised the wire work and fight choreography of Cheung-Yan Yuen. Travers was critical of the thin plot but said it is "the film's quirky sense of mischief, which sets it apart" from lesser television to film adaptations.[9] Desson Howe of The Washington Post said "the gals are fab. And so's the movie". He expressed mild disappointment at the men, commenting that Murray is funnier than the role written for him, and that even though Tom Green "does his weirdest best" he is only mildly amusing.[10] In Variety, Todd McCarthy wrote of Diaz' performance, "Rarely has a performer conveyed the impression of being so happy to be in a particular movie."[11]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called it "a movie without a brain. Charlie's Angels is like the trailer for a video game movie, lacking only the video game, and the movie" and gave it half a star out of a possible 4 stars.[12] Manohla Dargis wrote: "Of course, it's terrible – but did it have to be this bad?"[13] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle called it "an utter debacle" and said the film "makes the show look like the height of creativity, imagination and restraint". LaSalle blames director McG comparing the film to a trailer or music video. He was also critical of the deliberate decision to make the three women very similar, and says "the Angels' goofiness is a big disappointment, second only to the shocking ineptitude of McG". [14]

Other responses

During the making of Blade II, Guillermo del Toro commented that while films like Charlie's Angels had helped to popularize the wire fu style of fighting choreography in Western films, they also served as a "nail in the coffin" and prompted many filmmakers to want to get back to more "hard-hitting" action.[15] In his commentary: "The moment you see Cameron Diaz flying in the air, and you know that she is incapable of flying in the air and kicking five guys... you realize that it is done using wires. [...] I mean, Charlie's Angels was great, but it[s fighting style] was almost satirical".[15]

Home media

Charlie's Angels was released on both VHS and DVD on March 27, 2001 and on Blu-ray on August 3, 2010.[16] A two-disc Superbit Deluxe DVD release premiered on May 27, 2003, coinciding with the release of its successor Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.[17] It was then released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on October 22, 2019.[18]

Soundtrack

Charlie's Angels is the soundtrack album from the film of the same name. The album was released on October 24, 2000, by Columbia Records and Sony Music Soundtrax.[19]

Charlie's Angels
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
ReleasedOctober 24, 2000 (2000-10-24)
Length58:22
Label
Charlie's Angels soundtracks chronology
Charlie's Angels
(2000)		 Charlie's Angels:
Full Throttle
(2003)
Singles from Charlie's Angels
  1. "Independent Women"
    Released: August 29, 2000[20]
  2. "Angel's Eye"
    Released: 2000
  3. "Charlie's Angels 2000"
    Released: November 27, 2000
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[21]
No.TitleWriter(s)Performed byLength
1."Independent Women"
Destiny's Child3:37
2."Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel"
Tavares3:32
3."You Make Me Feel Like Dancing"
Leo Sayer3:41
4."True"Gary KempSpandau Ballet5:33
5."Dot"
Destiny's Child3:50
6."Boom! Shake the Room"Will Smith, Danny G, Ray Hayden, Lee Haggard, Keith Mayberry, Walter Morrison, Wayne Williams, Marshall Jones, Norman Napier, Andrew NolandDJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince4:22
7."Angel's Eye"
Aerosmith3:22
8."Barracuda"
Heart4:22
9."Turning Japanese"David FentonThe Vapors3:41
10."Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)"Elliot LurieLooking Glass3:22
11."Got to Give It Up"Marvin GayeMarvin Gaye4:12
12."Ya Mama"Norman CookFatboy Slim4:29
13."Groove Is in the Heart"
Deee-Lite3:53
14."Charlie's Angels 2000"
Apollo 4403:54
15."Tangerine Speedo"Caviar and DominguezCaviar3:41
Total length:58:22
Other songs are not included in the soundtrack

Year-end charts

2000 year-end chart performance for Charlie's Angels
Chart (2000) Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[22] 58
2001 year-end chart performance for Charlie's Angels
Chart (2001) Position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[23] 165
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[24] 36

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[25] Platinum 70,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[26] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Silver 60,000*
United States (RIAA)[28] 2× Platinum 1,660,000[29]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Sequels

A sequel called Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle released in 2003. Diaz, Barrymore and Liu reprised their roles, as did John Forsythe as the voice of Charlie in his last film role. Following Murray's departure from the franchise, Bernie Mac joined the cast as Jimmy Bosley, John's adoptive brother, while Demi Moore had a major role, and Jaclyn Smith reprised her role as Kelly Garrett from the original television series. The franchise was confirmed for a third and fourth film, but in 2004, the ideas were cancelled.

In 2015, Sony began the development on new Charlie's Angels installment. Elizabeth Banks directed and produced the film with her producing partner and husband Max Handelman.[30][31] Initially developed as a reboot of the franchise, the film is a continuation of the original TV series and the McG-directed 2000s films.[32]

The 2019 follow-up film starred Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska as the new generation of Angels. Banks and Djimon Hounsou also starred as Charlie's assistants, known as Bosleys, while Patrick Stewart replaced Murray in the role of John Bosley. Jaclyn Smith reprised her role as Kelly Garrett for the second time for a cameo appearance. It was also the first installment to feature Robert Clotworthy as the voice of Charlie, replacing Forsythe following his death in 2010.

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipients Results Ref.
2001 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards Worst Picture Charlie's Angels (Columbia) Dishonourable Mention [33]
Worst Supporting Actor Tom Green Won
Worst On-Screen Group The Angels Nominated
Worst Song or Song Performance Featured in a Film or Its End Credits "Independent Women, Part 1" by Destiny's Child Nominated
Worst Resurrection of a TV Show Charlie's Angels (Columbia) Nominated
Most Unfunny Comic Relief Tom Green Won

References

  1. ↑ "Charlie's Angels (15)". British Board of Film Classification. November 8, 2000. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Charlie's Angels (2000) – Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Charlie's Angels". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Thandie Newton explains why she dropped out of 2000's Charlie's Angels". BBC News. July 8, 2020. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  5. ↑ Reese, Lori (November 5, 2000). "Charlie's Angels tops the box office". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Charlie's Angels (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Angel Cake – Charlie's Angels delivers Hong Kong action thrills without serving the bogus spirituality. Don't let Spike Lee see Bagger Vance, but catch The Yards before it departs. By David Edelstein". January 26, 2002. Archived from the original on January 26, 2002. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  8. ↑ "ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY MOVIE REVIEW – Charlie's Angels: Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz". Entertainment Weekly. November 10, 2000. Archived from the original on November 10, 2000. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  9. ↑ Travers, Peter (November 3, 2000). "Charlie's Angels". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Charlie's Angels Review". Washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  11. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (October 29, 2000). "Charlie's Angels". Variety. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  12. ↑ Ebert, Roger. "Charlie's Angels Movie Review (2000) – Roger Ebert". Rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  13. ↑ Dargis, Manohla (November 1, 2000). "Head Trips". L.A. Weekly. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  14. ↑ LaSalle, Mick (November 3, 2000). "FALLEN 'ANGELS' / Crime-fighting women play it goofy in disastrous updating of TV show". SFGate.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  15. 1 2 "Production Workshop" documentary. Blade II DVD. Roadshow Entertainment, 2002.
  16. ↑ "Charlie's Angels DVD Release Date". DVDs Release Dates. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  17. ↑ IGN DVD (April 2, 2003). "Charlie's Angels: Superbit Deluxe". IGN. Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  18. ↑ Charlie's Angels 4K Blu-ray, archived from the original on August 18, 2019, retrieved August 18, 2019
  19. ↑ "Charlie's Angels: Music from the Columbia Motion Picture". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Going for Adds / AddVance Notice". Radio & Records. No. 1365. August 25, 2000. pp. 57, 67.
  21. ↑ "Charlie's Angels – Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2000". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on November 6, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001". Jam!. January 8, 2002. Archived from the original on November 22, 2002. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  25. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  26. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Soundtrack – Charlie's Angels". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  27. ↑ "British album certifications – Original Soundtrack – Charlie's Angels". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  28. ↑ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Charlie's Angels". Recording Industry Association of America.
  29. ↑ Basham, David (February 7, 2002). "Got Charts?". Mtv. Archived from the original on January 21, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  30. ↑ Kit, Borys (September 15, 2015). "Elizabeth Banks in Talks to Direct New 'Charlie's Angels' Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  31. ↑ Franich, Darren (April 13, 2016). "Sony confirms Charlie's Angels reboot, Jump Street-Men in Black crossover". entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  32. ↑ Shirley Li (April 12, 2019). "Charlie's Angels first look: See Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska in Elizabeth Banks' update". ew.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  33. ↑ "Past Winners Database". The Envelope at LA Times. Archived from the original on January 5, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
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