movies
Feminist Remakes
in the Woke Age
ELIZABETH BANKS’ CHARLIE’S ANGELS IS LESS CRINGE, MORE FUN
By Taylor Griggs
C
onsider me a Charlie’s Angels fangirl. I
was captivated by the 2000 film, as much
for its bizarre self-aware camp and early-
aughts attempts at girl power as for the
fact that Drew Barrymore is in it. And
this Elizabeth Banks-directed remake
for 2019 is — good? Yeah, it’s pretty good.
The movie’s plot is less important than the one-liner
quips (usually coming from Kristen Stewart’s Sabina)
and the action scenes, which are primarily focused on
Jane (newcomer Ella Balinska, who is professionally
trained in combat).
One of the most intriguing fight scenes happens at a
rock quarry outside Istanbul, where the Angels are faced
with the men who want to use a new energy conservation
device for evil, invented by Angel recruit and brilliant
programmer Elena (Naomi Scott).
There are a few twists and turns, some of which are
actually surprising, mostly poking fun at an audience’s
ability to take a woman seriously. Banks, the quadruple
threat who wrote, directed, produced and starred in
this film, is fun as the enigmatic Rebekah Bosley, and
the ever-wonderful Patrick Stewart plays a minor role as
John Bosley (replacing Bill Murray). What’s not to like?
Here’s the breakdown of the basic problem, which
has little to do with the content of this particular film.
Capitalism — supposedly the system designed to encour-
age innovation — has forced 21st-century filmmakers to
churn out sequels and remakes to keep the studios alive.
In today’s more socially aware market, these studios
understand that the original movies — which were prob-
ably sexist and maybe homophobic and most likely racist
— won’t fly anymore. So they helped solidify a brand of
faux-feminism that’s so off base only a multimillionaire
could’ve thought it was a good idea.
While it’s good for girls and women to see themselves
on screen, especially when they’re not white and/or het-
erosexual, it’s also weird, because you’re pretty much
being swindled to make the studio happy. And guess
who these studio higher-ups typically are?
You guessed it — straight white men. Cool!
This conflict at the core of Charlie’s Angels has existed
since its conception. The original Angels television show
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was one of the first times women were prominently fea-
tured on TV, especially as cool, smart detectives.
The show has been dismissed for how it objectifies its
leading ladies, but it was still a step in a different, more
female-driven, direction. It’s obviously preferable for
pop culture to treat women like well-rounded people,
but how sacred are these original renditions of Angels
anyway? What’s the harm in redoing it a few times without
canceling the previous attempts?
I was sure this 2019 version would put a lot of emphasis
on reclaiming the previous Charlie’s Angels content, and
would reek of desperate false “wokeness” that exists
only to pander to the 2019 crowd. There is some of that.
Some might say that there’s a lot of it. An out-of-place
montage of multiracial womanhood around the world
at the beginning of the movie is pretty cringe-inducing,
and Elena’s “pretty girl programmer” persona misses
the mark, substituting stereotypically masculine tech
skills for an actual personality.
If, however, this remake strikes you as gag-inducing
and obvious feminist pandering, you might be overlooking
some of the cheeky self-awareness in the 2000 remake.
Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu are more scantily
clad than their 2019 counterparts, and their characters
seem more involved in pleasing men. But, ultimately,
they’re jumping out of airplanes and using their sexuality
to trick dumb, ogling men.
It’s not like this female-directed version doesn’t also
have the women showing skin. It caters to the demure-
yet-adventurous 2019 crowd — but it’s still hot chicks in
short skirts. And Stewart, leaving her Twilight days fully
behind her, does a really good job at suave comic relief.
So, while watching Charlie’s Angels, take a breath and
stop thinking about how terrible it is that feminism has
been co-opted to sell movies. Because, honestly, can the
common person, historically deprived of seeing really
cool women wearing amazing outfits and saving the day,
carry this societal burden on her shoulders?
As we joyously left the theater, high on Stewart’s sur-
prising charm, my friend commented that, regardless of
the cinematic masterpiece of this particular movie, don’t
women deserve a semi-cheesy, kind of stupid action flick
with badass chase sequences and a lot of killing?
Maybe I’m losing my cynicism, but after watching
this thoroughly entertaining movie, I’m beginning to
think we do. ■
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