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Movies / On DVD / D.E.B.S.
D.E.B.S.

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D.E.B.S. (2005)

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Reviews Counted:58

Fresh:23

Rotten:35

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.

Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

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.

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
11/06/04
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

It's the awkward blending of fluffy silliness and implied raciness that undermines this thin movie.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
11/07/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's smarter than it has to be yet makes virtually no effort to take itself seriously.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
03/25/05
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
03/24/05
Allison Benedikt
Allison Benedikt
Chicago Tribune

There's an undercurrent of commentary that elevates it above spoof-dom.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
11/28/04
Annlee Ellingson
Annlee Ellingson
Boxoffice Magazine

Unexpectedly fresh, thanks mostly to the sweetly exuberant love story at its center.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
03/24/05
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pretty disarming overall, and has a nicely satiric edge to it.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
David Noh
David Noh
Film Journal International

...semi-entertaining...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
03/25/05
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

A disarmingly silly confection.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/16/05
David Rooney
David Rooney
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Delirious sendup of girl-power films.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
02/18/04
Duane Byrge
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Cute, campy and as proudly insubstantial as its heroines' micro-miniskirts.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
03/25/05
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News

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.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
03/24/05
Gene Seymour
Gene Seymour
Newsday

It still has some of the fun jokes and the carefree, slam-bang premise, but lacks the punch of its predecessor.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
12/02/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

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.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
03/25/05
Jennie Punter
Jennie Punter
Globe and Mail

Something supremely silly yet slyly subversive: a gay girl-power romance in skimpy exploitation clothing.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/25/05
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

[A] cheering reminder of what can be done by clever people with a small budget and a lot of enthusiasm.

Full Review Source: MTV | comment Comment
03/29/05
Kurt Loder
Kurt Loder
MTV

Breezy and silly and laugh-out-loud funny, full of throw-away lines and absurd humour.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
03/25/05
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

D.E.B.S. is campy, but infused with enough intelligent humor to make one forgive the occasional misstep.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
02/18/04
Pete Vonder Haar
Pete Vonder Haar
Film Threat

The movie feels like a live-action Saturday morning cartoon from the 1970s.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
03/25/05
Sarah Chauncey
Sarah Chauncey
Reel.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for D.E.B.S.

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