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CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With David Sterritt

Aired June 29, 2003 - 09:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's been impossible to miss over the past few weeks, the three stars of "Charlie's Angels" receiving a lot of attention. "Full Throttle" is the name of their newest movie. They've been on magazine covers , plastered all over TV talkshows, promoting, of course, the movie, the "Angels" sequel. But it is one of the stars who had no part in the first film who's getting the most attention. Janine Sharell reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANINE SHARELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): She's been dubbed "the comeback babe." It's Demi Moore, 40, mother of three, having a devil of a good time in "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle."

DEMI MOORE, ACTRESS: Just having a little fun.

DREW BARRYMORE, ACTRESS: We read the part for her and just, you know, talked to her until she was convinced it was the right thing to do.

MOORE: The camaraderie that everyone has seen or felt is so genuine. And I think that that really extends outward, you know, to everyone, not just me, but to everyone that was involved in a very family, you know, way.

SHARELL: She's splashed on magazine covers and in the tabloids, thanks to her much-talked about relationship with 25-year-old Ashton Kutcher.

MICHAEL FLEEMAN, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: She is a beautiful, glamorous woman. He's a good-looking guy on the way up, you know? Why not? And the irony here is if the genders were reversed, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

SHARELL: Kutcher escorted her to the L.A. "Full Throttle" premiere, as did her ex, Bruce Willis.

Moore left Hollywood about five years ago, following her divorce and a string of film flops, including "Striptease" and "G.I. Jane." Moore, who was the first actress to command $12 million for a film, didn't have to come back for the money.

FLEEMAN: She is richer than god. She's one of the producers of the "Austin Powers" series, so she gets a chunk of that change.

SHARELL (on-camera): Whether she was reluctantly recruited or it was a carefully orchestrated comeback, Demi Moore's sudden return to the spotlight puts her into a league of her own, the resurrected, semi-middle aged female superstar.

MCG, DIRECTOR, "CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE": I just think people are excited about Demi because she's a mother of three, she's a beautiful woman. She goes toe to toe with Cameron Diaz in a bikini, and that's saying something.

SHARELL (voice over): The body, the beau, and the box office aside, Demi says she's intent on keeping things in perspective.

MOORE: I think most importantly you have to live by what you know to be the truth, and your truth, and take it all with a grain of salt. And you know, like the film, you can't take it all too seriously.

SHARELL: Janine Sharell, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the "Charlie's Angel's" sequel is just one of the highly anticipated remakes coming to theaters. "Legally Blonde 2" and "Terminator 3," are due in theaters Wednesday.

Joining us to talk about the feature films, David Sterritt of the "Christian Science Monitor." Good morning, David.

DAVID STERRITT, "CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR": Hi there.

ARENA: Well, let's start with "Charlie's Angels." Is it as good as the first?

STERRITT: Oh, you know, the first was not exactly a cinematic masterpiece, and neither is the second one. But you know...

ARENA: It's fun, fun, summer fun.

STERRITT: Exactly. You don't go to any of these movies, or any of these sequels or spin-offs for high art, you go there just to have a good time. And certainly, you know, the women who are top-lining this movie, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu, are all -- they just know exactly what they're doing, they're fun to look at, they have a good time with the movie. There's all kinds of kung fu choreography and the outfits and hairdos are all sensational. And you have Demi Moore along for a little bit of extra star power. So it's just kind of fun. You'll forget this movie three seconds after it's over, but while you're watching you'll have a perfectly nice time.

ARENA: And another sequel, "Red, White and Blonde," is also due out. You're not as hot on this one, are you?

STERRITT: No, that for me is the disappointment of the bunch. The original "Legally Blonde" was not exactly a great film either. But it did have Reese Witherspoon, and she is so perky. And she's just fun to look at even when the movie around her isn't so great. This time I'm afraid the movie is really far-fetched. I mean, the first one expected you to believe that a total airhead was going to get into Harvard Law school and do very well there. This one's even more far-fetched. It starts off with her searching out her dog, Bruiser, searching out Bruiser's psychological - excuse me, biological mother. So she can send a wedding invitation. I mean, that's really hard to swallow.

I guess if you can get past that, you might enjoy the movie. I found the whole thing just a little bit too trying too hard to be quirky.

ARENA: Well, maybe for the younger audience.

STERRITT: Oh, teenage girls are going to have the time of their lives.

ARENA: You know what, David, we are going to have to leave it there. I'm sorry, there's so much more to talk about, and we can't do it. But thank you for your time this morning.

STERRITT: It's been a pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired June 29, 2003 - 09:48   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's been impossible to miss over the past few weeks, the three stars of "Charlie's Angels" receiving a lot of attention. "Full Throttle" is the name of their newest movie. They've been on magazine covers , plastered all over TV talkshows, promoting, of course, the movie, the "Angels" sequel. But it is one of the stars who had no part in the first film who's getting the most attention. Janine Sharell reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANINE SHARELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): She's been dubbed "the comeback babe." It's Demi Moore, 40, mother of three, having a devil of a good time in "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle."

DEMI MOORE, ACTRESS: Just having a little fun.

DREW BARRYMORE, ACTRESS: We read the part for her and just, you know, talked to her until she was convinced it was the right thing to do.

MOORE: The camaraderie that everyone has seen or felt is so genuine. And I think that that really extends outward, you know, to everyone, not just me, but to everyone that was involved in a very family, you know, way.

SHARELL: She's splashed on magazine covers and in the tabloids, thanks to her much-talked about relationship with 25-year-old Ashton Kutcher.

MICHAEL FLEEMAN, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE: She is a beautiful, glamorous woman. He's a good-looking guy on the way up, you know? Why not? And the irony here is if the genders were reversed, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

SHARELL: Kutcher escorted her to the L.A. "Full Throttle" premiere, as did her ex, Bruce Willis.

Moore left Hollywood about five years ago, following her divorce and a string of film flops, including "Striptease" and "G.I. Jane." Moore, who was the first actress to command $12 million for a film, didn't have to come back for the money.

FLEEMAN: She is richer than god. She's one of the producers of the "Austin Powers" series, so she gets a chunk of that change.

SHARELL (on-camera): Whether she was reluctantly recruited or it was a carefully orchestrated comeback, Demi Moore's sudden return to the spotlight puts her into a league of her own, the resurrected, semi-middle aged female superstar.

MCG, DIRECTOR, "CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE": I just think people are excited about Demi because she's a mother of three, she's a beautiful woman. She goes toe to toe with Cameron Diaz in a bikini, and that's saying something.

SHARELL (voice over): The body, the beau, and the box office aside, Demi says she's intent on keeping things in perspective.

MOORE: I think most importantly you have to live by what you know to be the truth, and your truth, and take it all with a grain of salt. And you know, like the film, you can't take it all too seriously.

SHARELL: Janine Sharell, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the "Charlie's Angel's" sequel is just one of the highly anticipated remakes coming to theaters. "Legally Blonde 2" and "Terminator 3," are due in theaters Wednesday.

Joining us to talk about the feature films, David Sterritt of the "Christian Science Monitor." Good morning, David.

DAVID STERRITT, "CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR": Hi there.

ARENA: Well, let's start with "Charlie's Angels." Is it as good as the first?

STERRITT: Oh, you know, the first was not exactly a cinematic masterpiece, and neither is the second one. But you know...

ARENA: It's fun, fun, summer fun.

STERRITT: Exactly. You don't go to any of these movies, or any of these sequels or spin-offs for high art, you go there just to have a good time. And certainly, you know, the women who are top-lining this movie, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu, are all -- they just know exactly what they're doing, they're fun to look at, they have a good time with the movie. There's all kinds of kung fu choreography and the outfits and hairdos are all sensational. And you have Demi Moore along for a little bit of extra star power. So it's just kind of fun. You'll forget this movie three seconds after it's over, but while you're watching you'll have a perfectly nice time.

ARENA: And another sequel, "Red, White and Blonde," is also due out. You're not as hot on this one, are you?

STERRITT: No, that for me is the disappointment of the bunch. The original "Legally Blonde" was not exactly a great film either. But it did have Reese Witherspoon, and she is so perky. And she's just fun to look at even when the movie around her isn't so great. This time I'm afraid the movie is really far-fetched. I mean, the first one expected you to believe that a total airhead was going to get into Harvard Law school and do very well there. This one's even more far-fetched. It starts off with her searching out her dog, Bruiser, searching out Bruiser's psychological - excuse me, biological mother. So she can send a wedding invitation. I mean, that's really hard to swallow.

I guess if you can get past that, you might enjoy the movie. I found the whole thing just a little bit too trying too hard to be quirky.

ARENA: Well, maybe for the younger audience.

STERRITT: Oh, teenage girls are going to have the time of their lives.

ARENA: You know what, David, we are going to have to leave it there. I'm sorry, there's so much more to talk about, and we can't do it. But thank you for your time this morning.

STERRITT: It's been a pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com