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D.E.B.S. (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:21
Fresh:8
Rotten:13
Average Rating:4.7/10
Consensus: Lacking enough material for a full-length movie, D.E.B.S. is short on both plot and laughs.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sexual content and language
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Mar 25, 2005 Limited
Synopsis: Writer-director Angela Robinson expands a short film she showed at Sundance into this tongue-in-cheek feature, which is a satire of female spy flicks like CHARLIE'S ANGELS. The plot revolves around... Writer-director Angela Robinson expands a short film she showed at Sundance into this tongue-in-cheek feature, which is a satire of female spy flicks like CHARLIE'S ANGELS. The plot revolves around four sexy coeds handpicked to work at an exclusive spy academy on the basis of their S.A.T. scores and their superior ability to lie, cheat, steal, and kill. The squad consists of feisty team-leader Max (Meagan Good), goodie-goodie Janet (Jill Ritchie), apathetic chain-smoker Dominique (Devon Aoki), and sweet-natured Amy (Sara Foster)--who wonders if being a spy is truly her destiny. Decked out in ultra-mini plaid skirts, the D.E.B.S. (stands for Discipline, Energy, Beauty, and Strength) prepare for their most important mission yet--capturing the deadly criminal mastermind Lucy Diamond (Jordana Brewster). As it turns out, Lucy is little more than a helpless romantic, and when a crush develops between Lucy and Amy, the plot takes yet another twist. Over-the-top and self-referential, D.E.B.S. pokes fun at the CHARLIE'S ANGELS formula in a good-natured way, ultimately succeeding by not taking itself too seriously. Walking a thin line between parodying and emulating the genre, D.E.B.S. depends on the same aesthetic that it spoofs. In fact the only thing that truly distinguishes D.E.B.S. from films like CHARLIE'S ANGELS is that its core romance is a lesbian one. Luckily, this relationship is developed more fully than that of other action films, and is not sensationalized. A mood-appropriate 1980s soundtrack features Erasure, The Cure, and New Order. [More]
Starring: Jordana Brewster, Sara Foster, Devon Aoki, Jill Ritchie
Starring: Jordana Brewster, Sara Foster, Devon Aoki, Jill Ritchie, Meagan Good, Michael Clarke Duncan, Holland Taylor, Jimmi Simpson, Jessica Cauffiel
Director: Angela Robinson
Director: Angela Robinson
Screenwriter: Angela Robinson
Producer: Jasmine Kosovic, Andrea Sperling
Studio: Destination Films
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Reviews for D.E.B.S.
It's so spoofy it's difficult to call 'good' or even 'bad'; just say it's smooth.
Only the world of X-rated movies overlooks such flimsiness of plot, absence of acting talent, cheap special effects, banal dialogue and scantily clad young women.
The most endearing aspect of D.E.B.S., a sweet-spirited spoof, is that the lesbian romance is played for real, with no nudge-nudge wink-wink irony.
A prime example of a dispiriting trend: movies whose primary point of reference is other movies.
Those who are hoodwinked into leaving home for such deliberate mediocrity may get a sense that the movie's biggest joke is at their expense.
Most of the second half is taken up by the surprisingly sticky, amateurishly acted love story about desperate lovers on opposite sides of the law, and there are long stretches without laughs.
Cute, campy and as proudly insubstantial as its heroines' micro-miniskirts.
The character traits of the D.E.B.S. are only slightly more useful than the color-coded uniforms of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Plays less like a send-up of Charlie's Angels than one of the endless D-list satires that clogged theaters 40 years ago near the end of the 007-inspired spy cycle.
A heat-free pseudo-lesbian spoof of Charlie's Angels by way of Heathers.
Unexpectedly fresh, thanks mostly to the sweetly exuberant love story at its center.
You might think there's no downside to a movie that peeks up the skirts of babes in micro-minis, but writer-director Angela Robinson's dimwitted satire is libido-killing proof to the contrary.
Even if it doesn't add up to a whole lot, the movie is content to tickle you gently more than jab you in the ribs. These days, that's saying a lot. Alas.
Robinson never lets her feature film debut -- expanded from a festival short after drawing raves at Sundance 2003 -- stray too far from its satiric base.
The movie has no wit, no charm, no cleverness, no traction. Simply put, it is no fun.
'Did you go to Dalton?' If you did, and played Buffy beer shots at your safety school, this one's for you.
D.E.B.S. stands for 'Discipline, Energy, Beauty, Strength' -- none of which is remotely detectable in a single frame.
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