D.E.B.S. (2003)

Rating: ***
Review Date: 4/9/05
Written And Directed By: Angela Robinson
Cast: Alex Breckenridge, Clare Kramer, Jill Ritchie, Tammy Lynn Michaels, Shanti Lowry

I was so annoyed by the fact that the feature length version of "D.E.B.S." (2004) didn't make it to Seattle that I tracked down the original short film that it was based on. "D.E.B.S." is a ten minute long adventure spoof about a government agency task force consisting of four cute high school girls, Amy (Alex Breckenridge), Max (Tammy Lynn Michaels), Janet (Jill Ritchie), and Dominique (Shanti Lowry), who have been specifically chosen for their ability to lie, cheat, and steal. When Amy gets kidnapped by their evil nemesis Lucy (Clare Kramer), the other girls spring into action to rescue her, not realizing that Amy doesn't want to be rescued because she's busy having a romantic affair with Lucy. Cute girls in short skirts shooting guns and kissing each other - hot damn, sign me up! On a purely visual and visceral level, the film is great. Unfortunately, the writing is rather poor and the action sequences are weak. Director Angela Robinson sadly falls into the trap of thinking the material is more clever than it is, and tries too hard to make it witty instead of entertaining. Fortunately, it's short enough that the story and dialog don't bog down the proceedings too much.