D.E.B.S.

Beautiful lesbian criminal-mastermind inexplicably falls for a squad member of the D.E.B.S., a team of female collegiate crime fighters. High-tech spoofery on a low-income budget, expanded from a short film and overcooked with girlish cuteness, though it does have its canny moments following an excruciating build-up to the plot. The jokes are obvious, and most of the characters are caricatures, yet the movie actually improves and even becomes appealing. Some of the gag-lines are indeed stale, and I'm not sure how even a nefarious femme criminal could pull off such tricks as a booby-trapped bank safe, but the lead actresses try hard and their energy and nonchalance work well for satire. Whether anyone involved with "D.E.B.S." had any genuine hope for the finished returns isn't known, however it is professionally assembled. I liked the "dead end" tunnel (leading to a forbidden punk underworld), and the finale (despite sloppy staging) is well-written and manages to wrap everything up with charm. ** from ****