User reviews

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 ****

...audience that is. I must ask, whom exactly is this movie meant for? Skimpy school girl outfits and spy movie spoofs suggest a male audience in mind, but the lesbian lead characters lend themselves to female viewers. More over, the film is a tad suggestive for kids and early teens, but too clean for a harder skinned adult. While it is possible to mix themes in film that encompass a multitude of possible viewers, the themes have to connect, not conflict.

Many people are comparing this to Charlies Angels, but that is not the film that came to my mind while watching this. Strangely enough I found myself thinking about Showgirls and Slumber Party Massacre. Why? Both those films suffered the same identity crisis this picture has. Taking definite male set-ups (strippers and slashers respectively) and infusing them with definite female themes ends with a result neither side is all that interested in. I foresee a similar result happening with DEBS.

This isn't to say the movie doesn't have it share of moments. Some of the jokes came off fairly well (being a male though, many of them just flew right by me) and the over all project never stops to take a serious look at the proceedings.

Without a core audience to cater to, this film is destined to slip off the radar much the way it entered it; quietly enough.

5/10

Angela Robinson (screenwriter and director) has put together a very entertaining film. "D.E.B.S." is clever and original. Unfortunately being clever and original in Hollywood means getting lousy distribution. So even though she has made her $4MM production look better technically than mega-expensive stuff like "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", "Taxi", and "Charlie's Angels", you won't see it unless you buy or rent the DVD.

"D.E.B.S." is not only technically better that its genre mates, it is a significantly superior story (i.e. not brain-dead and moronic) and actually incorporates moments of humor and charm.

But for a modest budget original film to get good distribution it must totally take off in the markets of its limited release. That "D.E.B.S." did not do so is attributable to Robinson's inexplicable casting decisions. Of the film's five actress she hits home runs with three: Meagan Good, Devon Aoki, and Jill Ritchie. Ritchie is especially good and pretty much steals all the scenes in which she appears.

But Robinson strikes out with her two other choices; Sara Foster and Jordana Brewster. While she manages to pretty much hide their acting deficiencies when the other characters are present to take up the slack, the two have a fair number of scenes together that are painful to watch. These scenes are simply awful and you find yourself wishing that Brewster's HUGE eyebrows will braid themselves into nooses and end our misery. It seems unlikely that Foster and Brewster could be so lacking in talent and still get work in the industry, so I will attribute at least part of the problem to the difficulty of playing these characters. At least their performances make the poor distribution issue less tragic.

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!

This film D.E.B.S. (as seen at Cinevegas 2004) is basically a big re-hash of Charlie's Angels 2. The villain girl is even a direct copy of Demi Moore's character, and of course is beautiful enough to be the only appealing thing about this ham-fisted dud besides a mail-in cameo from Michael Clarke Duncan and some flashy visual effects.

This film just tries too hard to be silly and the humor is far too forced to laugh at. None of the leading ladies are remotely appealing, especially the lead who doesn't seem to have any personality and isn't even all that good-looking either. The film however attempts to win over male audiences by exploitively dressing its crime-fighting heroines in skimpy Catholic school girl uniforms, but is so overtly uberfeminist and estrogen-charged that it not only alienates but probably offends a great deal of its target audience. Girls have poor role-models in the characters, all of whom are one-dimensional sex-obsessed airheads with little or no ability to reason, plan, or think outside themselves. The only one who seems to think clearly is the headmistress, who suffers a sudden lapse of judgement toward the ending, though it should be noted that by this point in the film the filmmaking and scriptwriting have devolved to the point of total nonsense.

While the attempt is amiable - an action film by women and for women, it's nothing but a mockery of what it aspires to be, and unfortunately takes women's representation in film two steps back for every step forward.

I was able to only stomach about half an hour of this film before common sense got the best of me and made me press the "Stop" button.

It seems the producers had plenty of money to throw at this project, just look at the girls they cast in the various lead roles, but all this ends up being is like a sex-charged female-focused adult version of Spy Kids! The gadgets are pitiful, the script is shocking and the overall production makes even the regular sci-fi series look like they spent a mint on them in comparison.

Even the attempts of the writers to take the focus off the storyline and replace it with vacuous sexual tension and, as I mentioned, lesbianism is terrible. Not credible in any way shape or form and does nothing for the storyline.

I'm not going to tell you to save your money and spend it elsewhere - money can be replaced. Instead I will appeal to you to save yourself wasting the time to even give this film a viewing - you can never get that 30 minutes back!

This is a pretty decent lesbian movie. As a lesbian myself, I can appreciate its happy ending and the chemistry between the two romantic leads. It also got a few laughs out of me and I appreciate its over-the-top acting at times, as it fits with the whole Charlie's Angels parody premise.

This movie played a role in helping me accept myself when I first realized I was gay, so I think I'll always have a soft spot for it. Lucy Diamond, you have my heart.

There are good movies, and there are bad movies. Then there are movies that are so bad, it is as though Satan himself took a dump inside your DVD player. "D.E.B.S." makes those from the third category look like "Casablanca." Good movies can never last long enough; bad movies are never short enough. Had "D.E.B.S." been thirty seconds long, it would have been too long.

The premise starts out easily enough: certain questions on the SAT are geared to test a student's qualifications for espionage. Should a student score high enough on these questions, she is invited to become one of the D.E.B.S., an elite team of spy-soldiers lodged deep inside the inner workings of the U.S. government. Supposedly, these questions determine how well the student (apparently only females qualify for D.E.B.S. because guys don't look nearly as good in the mandatory "Catholic schoolgirl" uniform) can lie, though it isn't exactly clear how a seemingly innocent test question can determine how well a person can lie.

The movie follows four D.E.B.S. (the movie never really clarifies if the "S" is part of the acronym or if it is to distinguish pluralism): Max, the on-edge African-American girl and squad leader; Amy, the blonde who got a perfect score on the secret portion of the SAT; Janet, the doofus of the group; and Dominique, who you know is French because she is a sex addict, smokes non-stop, and speaks with an accent so obvious that it can almost visible. The four are in hot pursuit of Lucy Diamond, the international super-villain on whom Amy is, coincidentally enough, writing a thesis. Apparently no one has ever fought Diamond and lived, yet Amy conveniently manages to do just that within the first half-hour of the movie. This sets up the romantic interest in the story: Diamond is a lesbian and is infatuated with Amy. It is not long after that Amy becomes attracted to Lucy, but Amy is a "cop" and Lucy is the "villain"! What to do?

The whole movie plays out like a Saturday morning teen sitcom, one wherein all the characters are beautiful and somehow manage to outsmart the bumbling grown-ups. The plot is paper-thin, the action ends before it starts, and the humor is as bland as reheated oatmeal.

The only audience that this movie could possibly be targeting is twelve- to fourteen-year-old boys. Anyone older than that would be offended by the dialog and story line; anyone younger than that would not understand the sexual overtones to the movie. The only thing worth recommending about this movie is the fact that you do get to see some attractive girls in schoolgirl uniforms, but once any enjoyment from that passes and an unsettling feeling of dirtiness settles over you, you'll still have 90+ minutes left.

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.

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.

Where are movies going these days.

Honestly this was trash.

Having a movie of girls in tiny skirts with stupid looking guns talking about pointless things does not make it good.

As a mid day movie then yes, it has some style only by the fact that it has attractive girls shooting at objects pointlessly. But if u paid for this rubbish then its another story.

Don't get me wrong, lesbians would love this movie. No one else.

But one of the most frustrating characters is the french girl that talks like she has a walnut in her mouth and had her face flattened by a steam roller.

No, she didn't ruin this movie. But she helped.

If the Wizard of Oz had given Charlie's Angels 2 a heart, some brains and some courage it might have become a film like D.E.B.S.

Set in a secret girl-spy academy, the film is an action comedy romp, made easy on the eye by silly special effects and the uber-short plaid uniforms of the leads. They are the creme de la creme of the academy and must prove their chops by dispatching Lucy Diamond, the new supervillain on the block. Lucy has problems of her own, however, as being a criminal mastermind can really interfere with your love life. When she falls for one of the D.E.B.S., the sparks, and the bullets, start to fly.

D.E.B.S. has the same exuberance as the Austin Powers films without the gross-out humor and the characters neatly blend action genre and teen-movie stereotypes. However, the introduction of a girl-girl romance slyly subverts rather than rehashes the material in a way that is fresh and consistently funny. The supporting characters are fabulous - every line deadpanned by the gauloise-puffing sexoholic Dominique is a gem, and Jimmi Simpson's evil-henchman/romantic confidant steals most of the scenes he appears in.

Do yourself a favor and check it out...

The film is essentially a parody of Charlie's Angels. Its full of cliché moments, corny lines and predictable plots. Poor graphics and scenes that make you role your eyes due to its dumbness. If your expecting an award winner, you wont find one. But i really liked this movie because of how funny the comedy in it is. The silliness brings it to life by making it funny. Along side a long string of cast that are well known actors and quite beautiful to look at. But above all I really enjoyed the lesbian romance. It was cute and well acted out. Plus the ending was great. I would totally watch this movie again.

The D.E.B.S. are beautiful co-eds recruited to become government agents against crime and terrorism. Problems arise within the leading D.E.B.S team when their leader Amy (Sara Foster) falls for the evil Lucy Diamond (Jordana Brewster). But is the agency upset that she's fraternizing with the enemy or the fact that she may be turning a lesbian?

D.E.B.S is a harmless movie that's worth checking out if you're looking for a fun break from reality. The premise is pretty silly but the film still works. Director Angela Robinson did a decent job behind the camera. She kept a consistent tone that was light and breezy with a few charming scenes. Some scenes in the film was really cheesy but it wasn't over-the-top cheesy that the movie became unbearable.

Unfortunately, Angela Robinson didn't do a good job with the screenplay. The dialog was really lame at times, even by cheesy standards. The story was also too stupid at times even when compared to Charlie's Angels. Also, she really only focused on Lucy and Amy while the rest of the characters were all one-dimensional. The main focus got a little dull at times and a subplot could have helped out.

Besides for Jordana Brewster, the acting was pretty average. Fortunately, Jordana gave a pretty good performance as Lucy Diamond. I didn't really like her in Annapolis but she was surprisingly good in this movie. Also, she's very beautiful. Sara Foster was kind of dull and she only gave an average performance. Meagan Good was okay, nothing special. Devon Aoki was just annoying and not funny. The rest of the performances were bland and they aren't worth mentioning. I don't think the film is worth renting but if it's on television and there's nothing else on then it's worth watching. In the end, D.E.B.S is just some harmless fluff, nothing more or less. Rating 6/10

I have to admit, I really enjoyed this film. It's a tongue-in-cheek parody of the Charlie's Angels format with good laughs, yet it breaks away from that formula in interesting ways.

First of all, it's pretty racy as far as the revealing uniforms are concerned, so much so it takes you off guard at first.

However, what really shocked me was the well written lesbian love story. At first I reacted in typical guy fashion of: 'Alright! Two chicks going at it', but as you watch the story develop you sense something you don't often see in parody flicks. There's real chemistry here.

I don't know if it was great directing or acting, probably a combination of both, but there were some genuine emotional moments between the two love torn characters -- they were really connecting. It wasn't just a sex thing, but more a real substance, to the point where I found myself rooting for them to finally get together. You'll have to see the movie to find out.

Jimmi Simpson should be mentioned here. I swear I've seen him before, but can't remember where. Point is, his comic timing was flawless and there wasn't a line I didn't laugh on. Maybe I just liked his character… or maybe we're going to see a lot more of him in the future.

All in all, it's a fun flick -- you'll enjoy it.

Films like this make me wonder who on earth pays for such inane rubbish or gets paid for writing it.The plot,characters and action are some of the worst that I've ever seen and is almost Keystone Cops meets Laurel and Hardy. As for the Lesbian sub plot!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Whilst watching this film I continually wondered who it was aimed at. Obviously no under 14s due to the lesbian scenes. Surely no adult over 21 due to the childish plot and awful acting. Therefore we have a basically childish, slap stick 'micky take' of Charlies Angels geared to an audience of 14 to 17 year olds. I am sure most 17+ will think this awful. Do yourself a great favour and don't even consider this film.

Worse than Austin Powers? Please, DEBS is worse than the Matt Helm movies and if you know anything about bad movies then you know that's saying a lot.

The movie is unfunny to such a degree rarely seen in so-called comedies. The script has obviously been written by a moron, with such gems as 'being punished by treason' or the lead character disappearing and leaving behind a couple of million dollars worth of diamonds, or a forcefield that does nothing but scorch newspaper, or a plan that has a complicated code name but then simply involves walking in the front door, and so on.

The lesbian characters are predictable, the romance is stilted and obvious plotted, and the script is full of Whedonisms.

Avoid at all costs.

This movie was a great spoof of spy movies. Not only that, the fact that it features a love story between two women is ground breaking. Not because it was the greatest story ever told, but for just the opposite reason, it was treated in a very casual manner. There are reviews that state this move would be terrible if it weren't two women, or it would be so much better if it wasn't two women. The whole point is it IS two women. Just like "Thelma and Louise" would have been a totally different movie with two men, this one breaks ground by being a cheesy, silly, spy spoof for lesbians. (I also think it's important to state up front that this does involve two women. With a PG - 13 rating I know there will be some parents horrified to have their kids see two women in love. I may not agree with their politics but I agree with their right to disagree.)

Also, anyone who can appreciate a movie on a shoestring (for Hollywood) budget, will really appreciate this very slick effort for 4 million dollars. Good writing, well directed and some good chemistry between the actors. Also, killer soundtrack. I think most 20 to 40 somethings with a sense of humor and a willing suspension of disbelief would enjoy this movie.

The frustrating thing about D.E.B.S. is that there is a ghost of a interesting idea here: Take four hot co-eds, stick them in school-girl uniforms, claim they are part of a secret spy group and have them fight crime. Okay, it's not "Gone With the Wind," but I'm with you so far.

Unfortunately, the good ideas stop right there. The script seems only half written, as if somehow an early draft got shot instead of the finished one. And second rate directing and acting do very little to improve matters.

So much comedic potential is wasted. For instance, Amy's speech at the Endgame celebration should have been a very, very funny bit with all sorts of double-entendres: "She held me in bondage!" "She used handcuffs!" "My heart was pounding the whole time!" It's supposed to be a comedy, right? But no, we don't get anything like this. Unfortunately, I just spent more energy coming up with funny lines than the writers of this movie did.

The worst problem with the "D.E.B.S.", however, is the villain. A movie such as this lives or dies with the effectiveness of its villain, and I'm afraid this one dies. I mean, Jordana Brewster as a global criminal mastermind? Please. I'd have trouble buying her as a playground bully. She is nothing more here than a giggly teenager.

Think what a somewhat older, slightly more mature (dare I say "better"?) actress could have done with the role of Lucy Diamond. How about Parker Posey? Or Christina Ricci? I suppose the makers of this movie couldn't afford such talent and so we were given Jordana Brewster instead. Too bad.

There may be a narrow demographic group who will enjoy this movie. Giggly teen-aged girls interested in seeing a rather tame lesbian love affair might actually get a kick out of "D.E.B.S." But if you don't fit into that category: Don't Even Bother. Seriously.

Having just seen "D.E.B.S." at the Chicago Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, I'll tell you that it's been a long time since I've had so much fun at a movie. Aside from a few moments of heavy-handed drama, this is a fast-paced, wholly entertaining film that I never got bored with once--which, given my miniscule attention span, is most certainly saying something. Oscar material this movie ain't, but if you're looking for a funny, creative satire with interesting characters and a sweet, tastefully executed lesbian love story, this is the film to see. The acting is flawless through the majority of the film (these are people who do comedy extremely well, but falter slightly in the face of more dramatic scenes--which, thankfully, there are few), and Jordana Brewster in particular is stunning and subtle in her portrayal of the "criminal mastermind" Lucy Diamond. All in all, this was a film well worth the money paid to see it. I give it two thumbs way up, and I am most definitely going to see it again when it comes out in theaters in 2005.

This film starts out as a fun action comedy, with some nice touches (gotta love a plaid forcefield). Then there's a twist, and it becomes an action comedy with a sweet romantic thread.

The D.E.B.S. organization is a college run by the US government, and filled with female students who scored high on a secret test embedded in the SATs. These girls, wearing uniforms designed to draw in the teenage male hormones in the audience (white blouse, very short plaid skirt, loosely tied tie), are assigned missions concerning national security. (Don't worry, ladies, there are good reasons for you to watch, too; not the least of which is seeing a clingy ex-boyfriend get his just desserts.)

We follow a team of four D.E.B.S, carefully chosen to satisfy all the requirements of tokenism: we have the smart, blonde, poster-perfect (Amy), the brash, tough, "woman of color" (Max), the not-very-bright but well-meaning girl (Janet), and the chain-smoking, "manizing" (opposite of womanizing) French girl (Dominique). Sure, they are stereotypes, but they are nicely consistent stereotypes (and well-acted), and they are conveyed quickly as we see them get up in the morning. They do an excellent job of making it clear within the first five minutes that this entire film is tongue-in-cheek, high camp.

This film could be described as a more mature, gender-switched version of Agent Cody Banks, but I found it more entertaining.

I approached this film expecting little, and was very pleasantly surprised. Not the greatest film ever made, but quite fun to watch.