D.E.B.S. (Special Edition)
by Angela Robinson
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DVD details
Actor: Devon Aoki, Jill Ritchie, Jordana Brewster, Meagan Good, Sara FosterDirector: Angela Robinson
Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
Writer: Angela Robinson
Producer: Alexandra Kondracke
Producer: Andrea Sperling
Producer: Douglas Salkin
Producer: Jasmine Kosovic
Producer: Larry Kennar
Producer: Mike Crawford
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-07
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of D.E.B.S. (Special Edition)
DVD Review: Quite Entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Description of D.E.B.S. (Special Edition)
WHEN THE LEADER OF AN ELITE TEAM OF CO-ED SUPER-SPIES TAKES ONTHE WORLD'S GREATEST SUPERVILLAINESS, IT'S LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.You can say this about D.E.B.S.: director Angela Robinson?s 2005 feature isn?t very good, but it is surprisingly entertaining. The premise, which bears a passing resemblance to any number of previous films (from Heathers and Clueless to Charlie?s Angels and the Austin Powers franchise), involves a secret government agency recruiting young women as spies, based on their smarts, their ability to lie convincingly, and the fact that they look fetching in ultra-miniskirts. Four of the D.E.B.S. are then charged with collaring "criminal mastermind" Lucy Diamond (Jordana Brewster), who has returned to the States after hatching all manner of nefarious plots overseas. Then comes the twist: Diamond is gay, and one of our heroines, Amy Bradshaw (Sara Foster), unexpectedly finds herself falling in love with her. Out goes the espionage element; in comes the love story, and therein lies the surprise, as this burgeoning lesbian relationship is handled with unexpected sympathy, even tenderness. Sure, the acting, even by veteran grownups like Holland Taylor and Michael Clarke Duncan, is almost uniformly lame, and the script is silly; overall, the film would have to put on considerable weight to even be considered frothy. Still, D.E.B.S. isn?t a bad way to kill a couple of hours. DVD bonus features include a making-of featurette and commentary by Robinson and the cast. --Sam Graham
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