Customer Reviews

D.E.B.S. (Special Edition)

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Lots of people, including the venerable Ebert and Roeper, bash this movie for having no plot, bad acting, and unbearable cheesiness. I cannot defend this movie against people who made those claims. I can only say that I, as an audience, was truly entertained by this charming and witty little film. What can I say? The movie worked for me, and I was guiltily won by its unique charms.

Ebert's main criticism was that had this movie been about a heterosexual relationship, the plot would have been so absurdly mundane as to be unfilmable. "The only thing going for this film is the lesbian relationship". I agree. However, he misses the point that we are precisely here to watch a lesbian relationship, not to see some top-notch spy action thriller. We are not even here for the comedy, primarily. We are here to see a film in which a lesbian relationship is portrayed in a positive, light-hearted way that ends with a happy ending which, if you are a connoisseur of lesbian films, you will know is surprisingly rare.

Lesbians, and friends of lesbians (like me) are starving for good positive portrayals of women loving women; not as a guilty side story, not for shock-purposes, but as the main centrepiece of movie. D.E.B.S. succeeds because it portrays the central relationship in a refreshing, matter-of-fact way, while at the same time acknowledging that this is not the norm in our society. This is a very delicate balance that the film succeeds in perfectly. D.E.B.S. also succeeds because of its witty lines, sweet easy charm, and the fact that it's a good-natured film. To anthropomorphise the movie, D.E.B.S. is like a kind-hearted, adorable girl whom you can't help but like. Its heart is certainly in the right place. I'm so please, by the way, that this film received a PG-13 movie. Finally our country is realising that homosexuality by itself does not award an R-rating.

I thought the acting was in general very well done. Jordana Brewster in particular is irresistible and just believable enough to play the delicious lesbian "supervillain" Lucy Diamond, whose combination of hotness and insecurity are enough to cause formerly-straight government spies to question their orientation. Does she really look tough and/or mean enough to be the head of an international criminal syndicate? No, not really, but it works in this movie's slight off-kilter, over-the-top world. The love story between Brewster's character Lucy and the other main character, Amy, is adorable, sweet, funny, and ultimately heart-warming. You really do believe that they work as a couple, and want them to drive off into the sunset living to live happily ever after in Barcelona.

One quick word about the absolutely stunning Devon Aoki (Dominique), who plays the chain-smoking, hapa D.E.B.S. agent who's a sex addict and speaks with a French accent. Obviously her character was designed (and in the movie chosen) for the precise purpose of enticing and seducing men sexually, almost in a comically stereotypic way. (French accents typically being very appealing to American men). The grand irony perhaps then is how well it worked on me. Aoki smoulders on the screen in her few scenes with a kind of almost intolerable sexiness that destroys both reason and resistance with seemingly little conscious effort.

There are many different ways to enjoy D.E.B.S. However, it certainly does targets a certain type of audience, and perhaps it takes one with a certain mindset to be able to enjoy the movie. But if you're one of them, prepare for a rare treat.

First, as a straight male, I agree that this was a great characterization of a lesbian relationship. I found myself forgetting that it was two women, and merely hoping that they could make it work. Also as a straight male, the great looks of all the actresses didn't hurt, but that soon became background, sort of like after a while at a nude beach, it all seems normal. Or not.

Speaking of backgrounds, one of the reasons I enjoyed this movie so much was the obvious joy with which the cast performed in, and the crew participated in, the making of this movie. I'm going to point out some VERY funny jokes that were in the background that no one has mentioned, but not all of them - go watch it again, and find some on your own.

1. The "punk bar" itself. Those punks were obviously cast and crew members moms, dads, grandma, etc., who they called up and said "Hey! Wanna be in our movie?" Either that or, they were the oldest group of punks I've ever seen.

2. The "punks" were drinking out of glasses with "bendy straws", highly un-punklike behavior.

3. In this dangerous, underground punk bar, there was an undamaged foosball table. Doesn't this strike you as funny?

4. The pink fire hydrant.

5. Lucy's license plate - "NDASKY" - from the Beatles song "Lucy in the sky with Diamonds".

6. Perhaps the funniest, to me, joke was when Lucy and Amy sat down at the booth. Lucy set two beers down, one in front of each. The beers were Dos Equis, the logo of which is XX. What is the chromosomal difference between men and women? Men are XY, women are XX. This was a deliberatly placed joke. Two beers, deliberatly faced forward, one in front of each "girl", marked with the genetic symbol for "girl", in a "girl/girl" romantic scene. It was a deliberately concoted case of humorous overkill. That joke was one that someone thought up, everyone agreed that probably no one would get it, but said "What the heck WE'LL know it's there, and it's funny!".

7. The fact that she had a "beef" with Australia, of all countries, and that the large globe in her apartment had a big red "X" through the continent.


8. There's the "handle with care" signs in the final scene, but that's all I'm giving you, go look.

The point of this review is that some of these movies are a joyful labor for those involved. They know they're not going to get an Oscar, but they like the script, they like each other, and they go the extra "Green Mile" to put everything they've got, and everything they can think of into it. I often enjoy these small-budget movies more than their big-budget relatives, because they ARE labors of love, and that comes through the screen, as does the cast and crews affection for each other.

Too many were locked into watching beautiful girls in short skirts to look beyond them to the REAL humour and art contained in this movie. It's there, and it's worth the effort. Give it a shot.

Love is love, and funny is funny. I'm just sayin'

Glad to have seen the more positive reviews on this movie, I almost passed it up. A PG13 rating helped, too.

How could anyone not like this movie.

The premise of the movie is a secret espionage agency that recruits high schoolers who score high on an SAT test that is secretly manipulated to show innate traits (or high probabililty) to lie, cheat, fight, or kill.

Four recruits have spent the last 4 years at James Morrison University, a rouse for espionage school. Amy (Sara Foster), Max (Meagan Good), Janet (Jill Ritchie), and Dominique (Devon Aoki) are a squad and are assigned to spy on the master criminal Lucy Diamond (Jordana Brewster).

Lots of perspective in this gem of a movie. Amy is writing a thesis on the elusive Lucy Diamond. When Amy finally comes face to face with her, all her assumptions are "torpedoed." Sensing an attraction, Lucy Diamond pursues Amy, when the conventional doesn't work, she resorts to creating events that bring Amy to her. The name Lucy Diamond may invoke "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds": LSD (cultural drug used heavily in the 60's and 70's, during the civil rights struggle and the Vietnam war). Amy says "...love should be irresistible like a drug. When it happens, you're not able to help yourself..." you want more. Amy broke up with her boyfriend of 8 months and she reflected this thought when Lucy asked her why.

Many clever themes are barely under the surface in this movie. Angela Robinson used not so obvious to point to the obvious, very clever indeed. One more example, Amy is the best spy ever recruited and is nicknamed the "perfect score." This information leads Amy to the truth when she discovers that she holds the perfect score for lying. The espionage agency took the information to mean she is the perfect spy.

A bow to Angela Robinson for creating a unique story, sprinkling it with memories of Charlie's Angels, Mission Impossible, and I can't think of the other show there was a tinge of. The cast is delightful, all-star. It is wonderful to see Holland Taylor (Ms. Petrie), Michael Clarde Duncan (Mr. Phipps), and Jordana Brewster (Lucy Diamond) who played the first "Nicki Munson" on the daytime soap "As the World Turns."

This story could go on forever. It is young love at it's best as the song in the movie suggests: "It was young love at it's best and it is You that I'll remember." (song, Into the Morning, sung by The Weekend, the D.E.B.S soundtrack).

Thanks Angela Robinson, it was great fun. This is a one of a kind movie.

This movie is really sweet...as well as funny, and grately written and directed by the wonderful Angela Robinson. The girls (and guys!) in it are not only excellent in their roles, but also amazingly beautiful. Lucy and Amy (Jordana and Sara) make a beautiful and believable couple, the interaction between them is wonderful (as well as with the rest of the cast) both on and off camera and, even though some people could find it a bit corny, there HAS to be something seriously wrong with whoever sees this movie and doesn't end up smiling.
Overall, this is an extraordinary little piece of work, Angela rules, the casting was spot on and if your looking to have a very good time watching a heartwarming love story with a happy ending -that just happens to be a queer film that ACTUALLY portraits being a lesbian as NOT such an end-of-the-wold big deal- well then do yourself a favor and WATCH THIS MOVIE...do not let the critics form a preconceived idea in your head about this film, just walk in with an open mind and willing to have a good time and make your own desicion about it, just think for yourself!....^_^

Saw a screening at a local film festival and as lesbian films go it eclipses everything.

Forget the one low review on here because this film is hilarious, fast paced, exceptionally acted and the stars possess wonderful comedy timing which is something you can not learn but that is inate. Also, Jordana Brewster and Sara Foster have real chemistry between them (helps they are both good looking)

It's glossy, obviously had clever money poured onto it (by Sony, I think), and the director, Angela Robinson (writes for the L Word) knows a thing or two about what makes an auidence happy and manages it.

To be honest, it's better than 99.9% of every other lesbian themed film I have seen.

I've seen the words stupid and cheezey to describe this alot. I would add Kitchy and Hammy to those adjectives and then wonder why it is so many people (critics especially) watched this literally rather than as a farce, where the cheese, the ham, the kitch and the stupidity are there for a purpose. Where have I seen a nymph in a school girl outfit wielding a weapon she couldn't possibly deal with to massive plaudits? Oh yeah, Kill Bill. Now that was stupid. This was making fun of it in a hokey way. This was written in the same vain as say an Austin Powers.

The only thing that is serious in the film is the relationship and as generic as romantic-comedies have become, this should be given high praise for the cute, somewhat silly, believable romance. The fact that it is two women is better still because typically lesbians in film are a) background noise in a straight movie or b) the focus of a lesbian themed movie that ends up depressing the hell out of you (if these walls2, monster, lost & delirious). And I just loved the matter-of-factness about their sexuality. Sure their relationship is questionable but not because Amy is questioning her sexuality, but because she has issues with Lucy's career:)

And on top of that, as a guy myself, I liked that the men were not utter douches. The ex is needy, but not unlike a lot of guys I have seen after a breakup. But he's not bad. And Scud was a great character, although he definitely was channeling some Ryan Reynolds.

So give it a shot. Just don't take it seriously.

When I first saw this movie (recommended by a friend) it was a bit mediocre for me. However, after re-watching it a few times, I have truely grown to love this movie.

DEBS may be campy, corny, and a bit over the top, but it has a few underlying themes that many typical, one-time viewers won't catch on to. The fact that this is the only lesbian/gay PG-13 film ever made says a lot. And it's got an awesome, real-life ending. There are so many movies that don't represent homosexual relationships as a whole. In a lot of movies I have seen, there's always the girl dies or wasn't even gay to begin with kinda thing going on (i.e. Lost and Delirious, Head in the Clouds). But DEBS portrays a normal lesbian relationship that people of all demographics can relate to.

Don't get me wrong, this movie is not Oscar-worthy by any means. If any awards are to be given for this movie, it would be to Jordana and Sara (Lucy and Amy) for MTV's best Kiss of the Year and possibly to Angela Robinson (the director) for being so damn cool. It's a lesbian, PG-13 movie that isn't stereo-typical...that says a lot in today's society.

It's a semi must-see for anyone, but I do think lesbians and straight men are going to be the audience that responds to the movie the most because...Jordana Brewster is simply hot in this movie. Whew.

P.S. The soundtrack is amazing!

D.E.B.S. is a movie that ordinarily I would have not even been aware of; however, over a year ago, I found myself watching the short on which it is based on Sundance channel. I was sufficiently entertained to buy this DVD when it came out, and was quite happy to have done so. While D.E.B.S. is not a great film, it has what I would term a "heart" which makes it extremely enjoyable.

D.E.B.S attempts to blend two genres--it is both a spoof of spy/action films and a light romantic comedy. The spy spoofing consists of the efforts of the "DEBS" of the title--college students in prep-school uniforms who are spies/crime fighters in training--to capture the "badass master criminal" of the piece, Lucy Diamond. The "DEBS" in question are Max (the fanatic overachiever and team leader), Dominique (a perpetually smoking "sex addict"), Janet (she's awkward, but sweet, and her heart's in the right place), and Amy (the straight-A spy-in-training who's unsure of her vocation). The romantic comedy, which gradually becomes the dominant element of the story, concerns the romance that develops between Amy and Lucy Diamond.

It would be unfair to expect D.E.B.S., on a tiny $4 million budget and a very tight 28 day shooting schedule, to contain dazzling action scenes along the lines of the films it parodies, and it doesn't. It perhaps would be more fair to expect it to have a relatively believable story-line, which it doesn't have either (Angela Robinson`s script does have quite a lot of good, smart dialogue). But fairness would also compel us to note that few spy/action films or romantic comedies have plausible story lines, either. When these films succeed, they usually do so because the actors involved succeed in creating likeable, engaging characters who allow us to ignore the holes in the plot.

On that front, D.E.B.S. has three definite positives, and no real weaknesses. The biggest positive is Jordana Brewster, who plays Lucy Diamond, the nominal "villain." The camera clearly loves Brewster, who is the center of attention almost every time she's onscreen. She has wonderful talent for facial expression--there's one scene where she goes from projecting sadness to joy with just a subtle change of expression. She gives Lucy the right blend of confidence and vulnerability to make her a sympathetic character.

The other positives are Jill Ritchie as Janet and Jimmi Simpson as Scud, Lucy's right-hand man. Ritchie has great comic delivery (she gets a lot of the good lines and makes the most of them) and (like Brewster) she proves the old adage that film acting, unlike stage acting, is done more with the face than the voice--some of her reaction shots are priceless. As Scud, Simpson delivers a clever twist on the typical "chief henchman" role seen so often in the Bond films--instead of being a silent killing machine-type, he's his boss`s sensitive confidant and emotional support. Ritchie and Simpson also display nice chemistry in their brief scenes together.

The other main players do not stand out like Brewster, Ritchie or Simpson, but they are all satisfactory. Sara Foster as Amy holds up her end of the romance fairly well and has good chemistry with Brewster; she has a few awkward moments but rises to the occasion in her big speech at the end. Meagan Good and Devon Aoki, as Max and Dominique respectively, do well with characters that are less developed than Lucy, Janet or Scud. Good is probably the best performer in the action scenes, while Aoki deserves mention for one of the funniest faux-French accents since the days of Inspector Clouseau. Rounding out the cast are Jessica Cauffiel as a Russian assassin (she's hilarious), Holland Taylor and Michael Clarke Duncan as the heads of the D.E.B.S. program, and Geoff Shults as Bobby, Amy's ex-boyfriend who doesn't quite get the "ex" part.

The DVD picture and sound quality are excellent. There is a decent selection of extras, including 1) a few deleted or extended scenes, 2) a pair of commentaries, one from both director/writer/editor Angela Robinson, and the other from the main actresses (Devon Aoki excepted), 3) a music video of The Weekend's "Into the Morning," which is the end title theme, 4) a short "making-of" featurette, and 5) a few odds and ends concerning the origins of the film in a comic strip conceived of by Robinson while she was in film school. The one glaring omission is the previously mentioned 2003 short (maybe there were some copyright considerations involved as otherwise, including it would be pretty obvious).

If you want to watch a cinema classic, D.E.B.S. is not the film for you. But if you simply want an entertaining 90 minutes, and to end up with a smile on your face and feeling good inside, D.E.B.S. is likely to be more satisfying than many more-hyped films. During 2005, prior to buying this DVD, I saw at least 5 or 6 big-budget action films in the theater. There's only one of them I'm likely to buy on DVD, and none of them--Batman Begins, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Fantastic Four and The Island among them--that was more enjoyable to watch than D.E.B.S.

D.E.B.S. is a covert government agency with plaid-skirted school girls as secret agents. The DEBS must bring down Lucy Diamond, a criminal mastermind. One of the DEBS, Amy, falls for Lucy. Yes, it's a lesbian love story. It's pretty funny and has some good female butt kicking scenes.

I liked this campy spy film with a lesbian twist but I wished that the storyline would have had much more physical (sexual) and emotional intimacy and interaction between the two female leads (the bad girl Lucy Diamond, played by Jordana Brewster, and good girl Amy, played by Sara Foster.)

In a nutshell, this film is about a secret spy agency called the DEBS (who all happen to be very beautiful girls in their early 20's.) DEB agents all over the world wear very short plaid skirts, carry very big guns, and look like Catholic school girls. Their mission is to fight the evil-doers of the world but somehow no blood ends up being spilled. One of the arch criminals that the DEBS have been after for years is Lucy Diamond, who has been lying low for several years. When the film opens, four of DEBS, including Amy (who is a dead ringer for a young Uma Thurman) learns that the dangerous and deadly Lucy Diamond is rendezvousing with an infamous Russian assassin and they are sent to capture them. The audience quickly learns that Lucy is not out to arrange an assassination or commit a crime but is instead looking for lesbian love in all the wrong places. The audience shortly thereafter learns that Amy has been fascinated by Lucy for a long time and is even writing a thesis on her. After the inevitable shoot out between the DEBS and Lucy, Amy and Lucy somehow end up alone with pistols aimed at each other. From the get-go, there is palatable sexual attraction between the two of them. The remainder of the film follows the smitten Lucy chasing after Amy, while Amy spends much of the film trying to deny her romantic and sexual feelings for Lucy, the bad girl. Classic storyline.

Again, I liked this film although it was very tame (meaning it had no gratuitous violence (no blood or guts), and especially NO explicit love scenes between Lucy and Amy.) In fact, the two gals only kissed a few times during this movie and this very much reminded me of one of those John Hughes movies from the 1980's, such as 16 Candles, Pretty in Pink, or Weird Science. If this film had a guy and gal kissing instead of two gals kissing, this film would have been rated G.

If Angela Robinson ever makes another film with the kind of funding she got for this film, I hope she actual puts real lesbian love scenes in the movie, something beyond a few kisses. As for DEBS, I so wanted to see a love scene between the gorgeous Amy and stunning Lucy and I'm bummed that I didn't see it in this one.

As an aside, I also also liked this film because the gal who plays Lucy Diamond looks a lot like my very first lover and it freaked me out and the shock of seeing someone who looked like my first makes this film a keeper to me :)