SOMETIMES
THE
BEST
part
of
going
to
the
movies
is
checking
out
previews
of
what
is
coming
soon
to
a
theater
near
you.
The
problem
with
trailers,
though,
is
that
sometimes
they
give
away
all
the
good
jokes,
feature
scenes
that
don’t
make
the
final
cut
of
the
movie
or,
even
worse,
are
more
than
a
bit
misleading.
The
sneak
peek
of
Angela
Robinson’s
“D.E.B.S.”,
which
opens
nationwide
on
March
25,
certainly
falls
into
the
last
category.
While
the
trailer
plays
up
the
all-girl
spy
team
angle
and
employs
a
few
of
the
film’s
gags,
it
almost
completely
ignores
the
lesbian
angle.
“D.E.B.S.”
isn’t
a
“gay
film”
in
the
way
that,
say,
“The
Broken
Hearts
Club”
is.
But
the
jokes
are
funnier,
the
action
livelier
and
the
ladies
even
more
appealing
if
you
know
there’s
a
big,
fat
lesbian
romance
in
the
middle
of
its
plot.
As
viewers
learn
from
the
preview,
there’s
a
secret
test
in
the
SAT
that
selects
women
with
an
aptitude
for
espionage
who
are
then
trained
at
an
elite
spy
school.
The
movie
is
about
one
“Charlie’s
Angels”-esque
squad
made
up
of
four
archetypes:
wunderkind
Amy
(Sara
Foster),
ballsy
leader
Max
(Meagan
Good),
prissy
Janet
(Jill
Ritchie)
and
brusque
French
girl
Dominique
(Devon
Aoki).
Their
mentor,
Mr.
P
(Michael
Clarke
Duncan),
does
not
own
a
Dupont
Circle
bar
in
D.C.,
but
instead
has
the
girls
on
the
case
of
Lucy
Diamond
(the
distractingly
attractive
Jordana
Brewster),
the
world’s
most
deadly
super
villain,
whom
no
agent
has
ever
defeated.
After
a
sting
operation,
Amy
is
hot
on
Lucy’s
trail.
But
when
the
two
women
meet,
a
mutual
attraction
keeps
them
from
fighting
and
Lucy
gets
away.
But
Lucy
can’t
get
Amy
out
of
her
mind
and
kidnaps
her
to
force
her
to
go
on
a
date.
Of
course,
the
two
fall
in
love.
But
can
their
relationship
survive
when
one
is
a
cop
and
the
other
a
robber?
THE
ANSWER
IS
revealed
in
“D.E.B.S.”
death-defying
balance
between
contradictions.
It’s
a
classic
teen
movie,
but
about
lesbian
spies.
It’s
a
chick
flick
with
an
action
boost.
Think
“Pretty
in
Bulletproof.”
In
the
capable
hands
of
lesbian
writer/director
Robinson,
“D.E.B.S.”
combines
the
best
elements
of
teen
romances
and
spy
flicks
and
comes
up
with
a
refreshingly
unique
film.
This
is
Robinson’s
first
full-length
feature,
based
on
a
short
movie
she
made
of
the
concept
in
2002
that
was
screened
at
film
festivals
across
the
country.
(Her
next
full-length
feature,
scheduled
to
be
released
this
year,
is
“Herbie:
Fully
Loaded,”
starring
Lindsay
Lohan.)
All
the
humor
in
“D.E.B.S.,”
most
of
which
is
quite
successful,
come
in
the
unexpected
clashes
between
conventions.
After
a
bad
blind
date
(with
a
Russian
assassin,
no
less),
Lucy
says,
“Love
is
harder
than
crime.”
And
that
becomes
the
movie’s
motto.
In
most
action
films,
the
romance
is
just
another
well-worn
subplot.
Here,
the
cloak-and-dagger
antics
are
in
the
background
and
the
central
focus
is
on
the
lesbian
romance.
Like
everything
from
“Romeo
and
Juliet”
to
“Sixteen
Candles,”
the
couple
portrayed
involves
two
people
from
opposite
worlds
trying
to
start
a
relationship.
And
this
fuels
the
dramatic
tension.
Amy
has
to
deal
with
all
of
the
issues
of
coming
out
to
her
teammates
as
a
lesbian
and
as
someone
who
is
literally
sleeping
with
the
enemy.
Don’t
let
the
flaccid
trailer
for
this
film
fool
you.
With
first-rate
performances,
campy
humor
and
a
truly
original
take
on
genre
films,
“D.E.B.S.”
is
not
to
be
missed.
