Spy Girls - D.E.B.S.

DEBS is an entertaining, charming flick that does not try to to do too much more than put a smile on the audiences faces. It is hard to imagine how it can go wrong: beautiful young women, guns, and consistent jokes. Jordanna Brewster does a nice job of bringing a great deal of sizzling sexuality to the character of Lucy Diamond. Likewise, Sarah Foster, Devon Aoki, and Meagan Good are equally sensual and fun to watch. Jill Ritchie is terrific as the airhead who is striving vigorously to earn her stripes. While Jimmi Simpson displays strong comedic timing which adds to the diverting and catchy feel of the movie. Kudos to Angela Robinson and the cast for bringing the proper energy and creativeness to the this flick.

Beautiful lesbian criminal-mastermind inexplicably falls for a squad member of the D.E.B.S., a team of female collegiate crime fighters. High-tech spoofery on a low-income budget, expanded from a short film and overcooked with girlish cuteness, though it does have its canny moments following an excruciating build-up to the plot. The jokes are obvious, and most of the characters are caricatures, yet the movie actually improves and even becomes appealing. Some of the gag-lines are indeed stale, and I'm not sure how even a nefarious femme criminal could pull off such tricks as a booby-trapped bank safe, but the lead actresses try hard and their energy and nonchalance work well for satire. Whether anyone involved with "D.E.B.S." had any genuine hope for the finished returns isn't known, however it is professionally assembled. I liked the "dead end" tunnel (leading to a forbidden punk underworld), and the finale (despite sloppy staging) is well-written and manages to wrap everything up with charm. ** from ****

Well, M.A. Martinez is certainly entitled to his opinion, but I think a different point of view should also be represented on this page:

The way I see it, D.E.B.S. is not a re-hash of Charlie's Angels, nor is it trying to be an action movie. It is - more than anything - a parody of Charlie's Angels and it uses ironic exaggerations to point out the weaknesses in the original. Thus the skimpy schoolgirl skirts. They are definitely not meant "to win over male audiences", as male audiences aren't really the target audience for this movie. Of course the girls in D.E.B.S. are poor role-models. They aren't meant to be role-models - they are parodies of the kind of empty-headed heroines Hollywood usually serves us with. I didn't find the humour forced, but I guess it's a matter of personal taste. What I found remarkable, though, was that this film managed to be far more entertaining than Charlie's Angels, though it was produced with only a fraction of its budget. To sum it up: Very good fun if you like irony and can deal with a bit of silliness on the side!

I would like to extend major props for the actresses being able to portray the love expressed by Amy and Lucy. I can only imagine how strenuous it had to be working such long hours, but through it all they depicted a believable relationship. Everything from the body language between Sara and Jordana, to the way they interacted with each other fit perfectly. It never looked like they were uncomfortable. As for the rest of the actresses and actors in this movie, they blended together well. Whoever was in charge of choosing characters did a marvelous job. I liked how each individual D.E.B stood out from the next, so it didn't just seem like a blur of "wait which girl is that". All in all I think the love story was good and I would love to have the opportunity to watch another one of Angela Robinson's movies. She did a remarkable job orchestrating this film with the limited amount of time and funds.

I won't try to justify my liking of this film by making excuses for it. The fact remains is that D.E.B.S., both low-budget and low-key, was far more enjoyable than any major blockbuster or highly acclaimed movie I've seen in a while. Honestly, there are no major aspirations in this film and audiences should discard any major expectations too. Essentially, this is a movie that relies on a concept that has long been drained out of film-making - fun. The story itself, though weak in true substance, is hilarious and satirical. The characters are each interesting and worthy of further elaboration. Inevitably, the lesbian love story will always be the central point of D.E.B.S.'s popularity but somehow, it deserves to be. The romance between the hero and the villain, a concept that's a parody in itself, is especially charming.

So forget all your movie snobbery and just watch the damn movie. It's a beautiful way to spend 90 minutes.