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Caroline Nalumansi

Dr. Tabitha Clark

ENGW1111

28 March 2022

Final Draft of Compare/Contrast Essay

The Charlie’s Angels franchise came into existence through producer-writers Ivan Goff

and Ben Roberts. They are creators of the late seventies television series that follows three ex-

policewomen who fight baddies under the direction of their unseen boss Charlie (Bok). Two

decades after the discontinuation of the show, movies were creating to revive the franchise.

“’Good morning, Charlie!,’” exclaim Natalie, Dylan and Alex in unison (Nichols). In 2000,

director Joseph Nichol released the movie Charlie’s Angels that still focuses on three lady spies

who work for their anonymous boss Charlie underneath the supervision of Bosley, who is

another male authoritative figure. While the comedic, action-filled film grossed a total of $264.1

million worldwide, not everyone was too enthusiastic about what Nichols had brought to life

(Charlie’s). “[Charlie’s Angels] never pretends to be anything more than trashy, cheesy fun…

Sure it’s easy on the eyes, but would a little brains be too much to ask?” (Scott). Throughout the

movie, the three girls are constantly sexualized by everyone around them. In the latest version

released in 2019, producer Elizabeth Banks highlights the moments in which the new angels

Jane, Sabina, and ultimately Elena are continuously referred to as inferior by their male

colleagues. With a worldwide gross of $73.2 million, the newest version of Charlie’s Angels was

definitely not received as well as the original (Charlie’s). “A pointless, unfunny, brain-deadening

dud” (Bradshaw). Alongside the gender discrimination, the theme of ethics is subtly conveyed

within the franchise. In the original movie, Eric Knox played by Sam Rockwell wants to get
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revenge on Charlie for supposedly killing his father in war while in the newer version, Patrick

Stewart plays John Bosley who intends to steal and sell Calisto, which can ultimately be used to

anonymously assassinate anyone. In the Charlie’s Angels franchise, the producers focus on

conveying the themes of gender and race through a variety of aspects ranging from the

characters’ wardrobes to their dialogue.

In the original Charlie’s Angels movie, director Joseph Nichols conveys misogynistic

ideas and gender stereotypes surrounding women through the use of blocking, costuming, and

more. After investigating lead suspect Roger Corwin in the case of Eric Knox’s kidnapping,

Dylan, Alex, and Natalie drive together to a fast food drive-through. When they pull up to the

malfunctioning speaker, Alex gets up and reaches over the girls to fix the machine, but the

camera’s point of view is positioned for her butt to temporarily fill the screen (Nichols). While

this angle only lasts for a few seconds, it does not fail to subtly sexualize Alex. The cameras

ultimately end up focusing on Alex fixing the speaker, but the fact that the initial point of view

was of an extremely sexualized body part rather than from of the speaker reinforces the

objectification of her. To continue their investigation on Corwin, the angels and Bosley attend a

party he is at and enter with Bosley’s arms around Dylan and Alex who have their hands on his

chest (Nichols). A few moments later, they spot Roger Corwin who mirrors them since he is also

surrounded by an entourage of a few women (Nichols). Having women surrounding these men

enforces subtle objectification of women. Even though Alex and Dylan share a mentor-student

relationship with Bosley, when Corwin’s women leave too, their roles as his insignificant eye

candy seems to be solidified since they are not seen with him in the rest of the movie. Nichols

use of camera positioning as well as blocking communicates misogyny and gender stereotypes

concerning women.
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Not only are the women in the first movie constantly objectified, but there is also an

abundance of cultural appropriation and a multitude of racist references portrayed, especially

through the angels’ wardrobe. Within the first scene of the movie, Dylan Sanders played by

Drew Barrymore, a white woman, is dressed in a disguise as a black man wearing traditional

African wear on a commercial flight (Nichols). Impersonating a person of color as a white

woman is more than uncalled for even in this context where a simple hat, sunglasses, and other

inconspicuous clothing could act as an effective disguise. After jumping out of the plane with the

man concealing a bomb and landing in Natalie Cook’s speedboat along with Alex Munday,

Sanders proceeds to rip off her disguise revealing her real identity. Not only was the extent of the

disguise unnecessary, but it was also extremely insensitive to actual people of color who wear

the skin of their ancestors traumatic history every day and cannot just take it off to live in the

Eurocentric world as a white man or woman like Dylan did. When investigating Roger Corwin at

Madame Wong’s House of Blossoms, a lead suspect in the case regarding Eric Knox’s

“kidnapping”, Natalie and Dylan come out wearing Japanese clothing after Alex has put Corwin

to sleep (Nichols). Once again, the characters in the movie are ultimately wearing a race as a

costume without having to face the repercussions Japanese people face every day as a minority.

Furthermore the song “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors starts playing during this scene, subtly

suggesting that these two white women can become Japanese for a day by wearing traditional

clothing of Japan. Throughout the movie, Nichols uses racism and cultural appropriation as a

means for comedy.

In the newest movie of the Charlie’s Angels franchise, female director Elizabeth Banks

focuses on men’s inferior view of women as well as the male gaze to emphasize the true

capability of women. In the first scene of the movie, after naming male-dominated jobs such as
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taxi-drivers and car mechanics to his date Sabina Wilson sitting across the table, Johnny Smith

says, “trust me, a girl like you–you don’t really want this” (Banks). Smith assumes that Sabina’s

desires for the future should not consist of any form of labor, ultimately conveying that her

purpose is to look pretty. This conveys men’s inferior view of women especially because the two

have only just met and he already wants her to trust his idea of her future before even

considering her own input. While tying unsuspecting Johnny up with the curtains, Sabina says,

“Did you know that it takes men an additional seven seconds to perceive a woman as a threat

compared to a man?” and soon Jane Kano appears to help take down Johnny as well as his

henchmen (Banks). Sabina used the male gaze to trick and capture Johnny. In this scene, men are

portrayed as people who concentrate on objectifying women because Johnny was so

overwhelmed by Sabina’s physical beauty that the thought of her capturing him instead of only

performing foreplay never crossed his mind. Even though both movies of the franchise continue

to have the sexualization of women, Banks perspective of those who sexualize women is of the

male characters rather than Nichols who conveys with his camera angles that the viewers

sexualize the female characters.

In addition to the perspective shift of who is sexualizing women, the newer movie

succeeds in being significantly less offensive than the first one. Director Elizabeth Banks did not

add any cultural appropriation or racist references. Nearing the end of the film, Bosley played by

Banks herself takes out the other Bosley’s thirty henchmen (played by Patrick Stewart) revealing

her massive team of angels representing a variety of racial backgrounds (Banks). This is most

definitely a step forward from Nichols’s production because Banks includes representation in

this final scene and even throughout the entire movie since all three main cast members (Naomi

Scott, Kristen Stewart, and Ella Balinska) are of varying ethnicities.

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Although society has moved towards abandoning the objectification of women and

allowing for gender equality in the workforce, there still remains progress to be made. Today,

omen are consistently viewed as inferior to men in every aspect of life due to the stereotypes

engrained in people’s minds beginning during their childhoods. Currently, there are three movies

under the Charlie’s Angels franchise including Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003). However,

if a fourth were to be created, a step in the right direction could be a movie conveying more

gender equality in the workforce while continuing to include the representation of a range of

racial backgrounds.
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Works Cited

Bok. "Radio-Television: Television Reviews - CHARLIE'S ANGELS." Variety (Archive: 1905-

2000) Mar 24 1976: 54,54, 56. ProQuest. Web. 18 Apr. 2022.

Bradshaw, Peter. “Charlie’s Angels review – a pointless, unfunny, brain-deadening dud.” The

Guardian, 28 November 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/nov/28/charlies-

angels-review-naomi-scott-kristen-stewart-ella-balinska

Directed by Elizabeth Banks. Charlie’s Angels, Columbia Pictures, 2019.

Directed by Joseph Nichols. Charlie’s Angels, Columbia Pictures, 2000.

“Charlie’s Angels.” IMBD, November 2000, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160127/.

“Charlie’s Angels.” IMBD, November 2019,

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5033998/?ref_=tt_rvi_tt_i_2.

Scott, A.O. “Film Review; Sleek, Tough, Frosted? Must Be Empowerment.” The New York

Times, 3 November 2000, https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/03/movies/film-review-

sleek-tough-frosted-must-be-empowerment.html.