PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVES

"Charlies Angels"
A SURPRISING SUCCESS

• Fun,
• action packed,
• fast moving,
• light hearted
• and significant.

WHAT!! "CHARLIES ANGELS"!! You must be joking!!

This is certainly not a script to die for. It is a very conventional piece of action drama. Like the original television series there is little use of character relationships or intelligent plot to create drama. The drama is event driven. If there is danger of boredom then you can expect an explosion, a fight, a stunt or a car race…"Looks like it's off too the races, Angels!"

Sure it's tongue in cheek and energetically directed but are these ingredients going to make a satisfying film? The answer to that question is usually, "No".

So why is this film so user friendly?

The most significant reason for the films success lies in its actors and their choices. LUCY LIU, DREW BARRYMORE and CAMERON DIAZ bring such a positive energy to their performances that it is impossible to not share in their character's enthusiasm and success. And there is something unusual here in the world of film - three positive women who:

• can do anything they want;
• generally always succeed at their endeavours;
• are in control of their choices and their world;

and who:

• are carefree and happy;
• supportive of each other
• and multi-talented

These are rare creations in the world of modern cinema. Further more these elements are never spoken about in the script they are only revealed as performance textures.

Three High Status Women

So, because of the actor's positive choices for their characters the story carries a general sense of hope and optimism that makes very refreshing viewing. This is also why the film works so well for very young children, for the moments of high action drama are always imbued with the hope of a positive outcome. Thus the action sequences are never really scary.
Further more being super-heroes they carry their pro-active qualities in large quantities. This however does not make the characters one-dimensional clichés. CAMERON DIAZ for example has created an Angel who is idiosyncratic and eccentric. At times she is also a little naïve and consequently may make some dubious decisions but SHE IS DEFINITELY NOT A DUMB BLOND.

All the Angels are of course sexy and the movie exploits the female form constantly. There is cleavage everywhere. But again, because of the actors' choices this element does not become tawdry (unless it is deliberately so). These are three women who are in control of their bodies in both a physical and a sexual sense. What they do is for their own benefit and for good reason even if in the end it turns out to be a mistake. If it was an error of judgement then they recognise that fact and take responsibility for the consequences. These are three very high status characters.

Its Success Lies in its Sub-text
And the reason this high status element of story works is that it is never spoken about. It is always simply carried by the character's attitude, actions and reactions. If it had been in the text it would have failed miserably for the story is intentionally overstated and heightened by nature of its genre. This is not a problem but it is interesting that the element that in the end makes the film worthwhile is neither in the dialogue or the action but in the sub-text.

Despite many attempts to be funny the audience I shared my viewing with only laughed twice in the entire movie. This would seem to say that the storytellers' overt attempts at humour were not particularly successful. Yet the audience was still entertained. They were entertained by the constant activity of the story and the pleasing generosity of the three main characters.

It is great to see a film in which the three leading characters are women who have such positive, active, high status and successful roles. That stories are made on this basis is something that needs to be done more often and the view that women can live their lives in such ways is a statement that still needs to be trumpeted from the rooftops. So the significant achievements of this film are without doubt carried entirely in the sub-text generated by the performances.

August 2001

Something to Try
It's worthwhile to stop and think about what intentions or "needs" the actors might have been playing which ultimately have provide such an up-beat outcome whilst not generating aggression, dominance or maliciousness.

Try making a list of viable alternatives. It is very revealing.

Copyright © The Rehearsal Room 2001. All rights Reserved.