It was maybe, if I'm generous, half as good as the first. Bummer. It felt forced, the plot was incoherent, and Demi Moore has all the negative charisma of...I can't even think what of. Window blinds. A rubber eraser. Corn starch. Something so bland, it defies ad copy. Besides these things:
Also: Kid--fifteen and a half--nerdish--witness protection program--meaningless waste of screen time--excuse me, why the fuck was he there?
Also: Given the various reviews I've seen of sitcoms, stand-up, this movie, etc etc, I think I must be the only person on earth who doesn't get the appeal of Bernie Mac.
On the upside, Cameron Diaz in Spidey briefs. The charm--the running joke--of her sexpot dorkiness is hanging on by a thread, but it's there.
Otherwise, there were only occasional funny moments. I was on board for the first movie. I like the actresses and the high-concept of retro 70s kitsch. Yay cleavage and explosions. Big, show-offy, smashmouth summer flicks can be great. But in that genre, it actually takes brains to look shallow and ditzy. The last movie was polished; this one has waxy build-up.
It also takes a hit in comparison with Bull Durham, which is on cable tonight. Five minutes watching Susan Sarandon play Annie and I'm hooked--hey look, it's a real woman, with a real personality and the kind of sexiness that comes from having character and brains. Bull Durham is also one of maybe three movies that I actually liked Kevin Costner in.
I'm tempted to go rent the first Charlie's Angels movie, so I can see the strangely hot Sam Rockwell dancing to Marvin Gaye....