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.

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