【The Liar (2014)】

Charlie's Angelsbelongs to the same class of comedy as this year's The The Liar (2014)Hustle, Men in Black International, and Stuber— middling and messy but intermittently funny, good enough for passing some time on a plane, but not nearly good enough to be worth getting out of the house for.

Still, it does have one thing going for it that the others didn't, and that is Kristen Stewart as we've never seen her before. The actor who's built a career playing somber, sensitive souls is given a rare (for her) opportunity to play funny, and what she comes back with is an intriguing mix of flirty, goofy, and awkward.

Stewart may not be a natural comedian, exactly, but somehow that only makes her more interesting.

She may not be a natural comedian, exactly, but somehow that only makes her more interesting — first because it's unusual to see Stewart get silly, and then because you never know when she might do something else outrageous or adorable. When she's making wry faces at her co-stars or rambling adorably, she's funny enough to make you wonder where this side of Stewart has been hiding all these years.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

Otherwise, the movie around Stewart is only hit-or-miss. A relentlessly sunny tone makes Charlie's Angelshard to hate — it's hard to feel too grumpy when everyone involved looks like they're having so much fun, and especially when "everyone" includes faves like Patrick Stewart and Noah Centineo. But Elizabeth Banks, who wrote and directed and co-stars as Bosley, demonstrates a shaky grasp of pacing, which frequently makes Charlie's Angelsfeel draggier than it should, and no particular knack for filming action scenes, of which Charlie's Angelshas many.

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

The story involves Angels Sabina (Stewart) and Jane (Ella Balinska) trying to protect a corporate whistleblower, Elena (Naomi Scott), but the plot is so nonsensical that the only way to make heads or tails of it is to assume large swaths of it were reworked in editing and reshoots. Likewise, any emotional arcs are so underplayed as to be hardly worth mentioning. All three leads are likable enough, but never asked to be much more than that.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Charlie's Angelsdoes seem to have a strong idea of what it wants to be, which is feminist in a you-go-girl kind of way. The way it goes about this, though, is often so obvious as to feel borderline condescending. You can practically hear the "Am I right, ladies?" after a minor male character tells Elena to smile, or after Bosley quips that all women are always hungry. You know, because of socially mandated beauty standards and stuff.

More successful in conveying these notions are the film's fashion sense, which seems to have been chosen with a female perspective in mind. The costumes by Kym Barrett look like outfits these women might have chosen for themselves, rather than ones imposed upon them for the benefit of an imagined straight young male audience — still sexy and aspirational, but with more emphasis on personal style and less on undulating body parts.

They reflect a depth of character that the rest of Charlie's Angelscould have used more of. What is more empowering, after all, than treating women as individuals? Certainly not reducing them to vehicles for easy girl-power messaging, as this movie does. At least Stewart's irrepressible charisma makes it out unharmed — hopefully to resurface someday in some other, better comedy.

• Social Good
• Entertainment
• Games
• Digital Culture
• Shopping
• Science
• Deals
• Life

• Boeing's new VR simulator immerses astronauts in space training
• UPS to convert 1,500 diesel trucks to all
• GM unveils the latest and greatest Corvette, the 2019 ZR1
• Gymnast Aly Raisman reveals she was also sexually abused by Olympic doctor
• Whale Vomit Episode 5: Startup Monarchy
• China's Baidu just released the most sexist self
• Der Tagesspiegel names 33,000 refugees who died escaping to Europe
• New York's subway systems are switching to gender inclusive announcements
• SpaceX's Starlink will provide free satellite internet to families in Texas school district
• Bill Gates pledges $100 million to innovative Alzheimer's research

• Kendall Jenner, who is apparently a monster, was banned from Uber
• All the dazzling and questionable looks from the 2016 VMA red carpet
• 14 apps to help you shop, cook, and eat better
• Chance the Rapper wore cool overalls to the VMAs
• Zac Efron mourns the death of his dog, Puppy
• North Carolina students allowed to use restrooms matching their gender identity, judge rules
• Giant Poké Balls have been appearing in front of Target stores
• 9 tech gifts you shouldn't buy for anyone
• Facebook and Instagram struggle with major outage
• Man's kind Facebook post rallies community to save struggling restaurant

• The Baffler’s May Day Round Up
• George Takei, accused of 1981 sexual assault, responds with a denial
• Facebook update adds Stories from Instagram and events to News Feed
• Here's why it's a bad idea to put your phone's screen up on live TV
• 5 Ways to Access a Locked Windows Account
• Louis C.K. allegedly abused women while preaching progressive ideals
• Sean Hannity fans are right to destroy their Keurig machines. Sorta.
• The first 'Justice League' social media reactions are in
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 5, 2025
• Dunkin' Donuts will sell holiday cookie

• What cracked the Milky Way's giant cosmic bone? Scientists think they know.
• J.K. Rowling just tweeted the sweetest reply to a struggling writer
• FX cuts Louis C.K. following sexual misconduct reports
• China's Baidu just released the most sexist self
• Best speaker deal: Save $30 on the JBL Clip 5
• Is your iPhone X unresponsive in the cold? Apple is working on a fix
• Y'all, NYC has a real
• Twitter tests a redesign for Moments on iPhone and Android
• Watch how an old Venus spacecraft tumbled before crashing to Earth
• Lazada sells double volume on Singles' Day compared to 2016