CHARLIE'S ANGELS is based on the 1970s TV. This time the title roles go to Drew Barrymore, the bad girl, Cameron Diaz, the dumb blonde, and Lucy Liu, the techno-wiz. The story is pretty basic. The girls' boss, Bosley (Murray), informs them that someone — perhaps rival CEO Corwin (Tim Curry) — has kidnapped a young software innovator (Sam Rockwell, doing his best Kevin Bacon impression). However, all is not as it seems, like, who is that mysterious thin smoking man and what is his role?

The silly plot isn't the real focus of the movie. The movie revolves around Charlie's Angels. Within minutes of opening they explode onto the screen in elite crime-fighting mode — and someone's in a swimsuit. This movie is so silly, so over-the-top that it's easy to enjoy the host of implausible situations and zany schemes these women cook up. The movie is at its best when the women are on screen, using elaborate disguises, fictional technology, and their "assets" to foil agents of evil wherever they are.

Did I mention the Angels are kung fu masters? This is due to producer Barrymore's disdain for firearms, which she describes as cowardly. While the Angels are no threat to Michelle Yeoh, who is? Besides, their chopsocky techniques benefited from many wire effects and some slick photography.

This is a movie based on a TV show and everyone knows it. Not once does it ask to be taken seriously. The creators just ask that you have as much fun as they are. Despite rumors of on-set tension, everyone was at least acting like they were having a blast. The T&A element was easily negated by the overwhelming girl-power message. Whatever the task, from hooking Cameron Diaz up with a cute guy (Luke Wilson) to fighting crime, like the Powder Puff Girls, when the Angels work together, nothing can stop them. CHARLIE'S ANGELS is a guilty pleasure because it's so silly and so amusing. We know girls just wanna have fun, and so do we.

—Woodrow Bogucki

HYBRID Ratings Guide:

***** Take a pal and pay full price for both tickets.

**** It’s worth a full-price ticket.

*** It’s worth a matinee ticket.

** Wait for video rental.

* Check out the video from the library, if you must.

0 While I would never encourage anyone to destroy a video...