19 Comments

  1. Love this! When Charlie’s Angels first came out, I was about 9 years old and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. It’s still one of my greatest guilty pleasures — glad to see you highlight it and Drew’s performance. Great, great post!

  2. Hi, Leah! This is a great post, with nice coverage of a fun movie! You hit the nail on the head with this film she is certainly having a good time. Out of curiosity, when you said, “I don’t see much of her forebears, that famous acting dynasty whose members mesmerize audiences still today. Only in her youthful roles did I ever see traces of the Barrymore family’s skill with drama.” were you referring to all her performances or her performance in Charlie’s Angels?

    • Thank you! I meant in general. I think she’s OK as a dramatic actress, but she never stands out much to me. I always feel like someone else would be stronger in the role she’s in. The only exceptions are in her early dramas, like ET or Irreconcilable Differences, where I feel like the movie would be different with another actress.

  3. I’ve never really thought about it before reading your post, but Drew Barrymore is VERY likeable. I’ve only seen bits of Charlie’s Angels, but now I’ll watch the movie, with your post in mind.

  4. I also had never thought of the self-amusement this family has. Since I’m a bit more used to John Barrymore in silent film, I haven’t had th chance to see his funnier self in films such as Midnight. But you did a great comparison – and I do agree Drew Barrymore may have a lot of fun in her career as an actress and producer.
    Don’t forget to read my contribution to the blogathon! 🙂
    Cheers!
    Le

  5. Lovely post. The good thing is that Drew’s sense of fun does not border on the tragic self-parody of grandpa Jack. She is a credit to the troubled and talented family name.

  6. Hi Leah. Thanks so much for participating in the blogathon. I’ve only just got around to reading the entries now, and I must say that yours was highly worth the wait. I’ve never seen “Charlies Angles” in it’s entirety, but I must do so now.

    I’ve also just announced a new blogathon that you might be interested in participating in. The link is below with more details

    https://crystalkalyana.wordpress.com/2015/08/17/in-the-good-old-days-of-classic-hollywood-presents-the-lauren-bacall-blogathon/

  7. I confess, Leah. that I’ve always found both Ms. Barrymore and Charlie’s Angels to be acquired tastes, but you hit the nail on the head with your assessment of the (familial?) self-awareness in her work. She could have easily gone off the rails like her grandfather at an early age, but she’s managed to, by and large, keep things together over the years. The hostage scene you describe sounds a lot like Scarlet Johansson’s intro in the first Avengers film, where she’s tied up and calmly proceeds to escape and kick butt. Drew seems to be enjoying it more, though. Very nice article.

    • Thanks, Gary! Yes, I can see what you mean. She’s not my favorite actress, and Charlie’s Angels isn’t my favorite film by any stretch. But it, and she, are fun to watch. I haven’t seen Avengers yet, but am liking SJ less and less with every film (she always seems so flat to me, whether the role requires it or not). Perhaps I’ll just catch that scene…:) Leah

  8. I love John Barrymore – can’t see that much resemblance in Drew’s work, though I do think she looks a bit like him at some angles.Must confess I don’t really remember Charlie’s Angels (never watched the series), but I liked her with Hugh Grant in Music and Lyrics, which I thought was quite underrated, and she has a lot of fun in that too. Enjoyed reading this!

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