 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
D.E.B.S.
- Review Date: June 4, 2005
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 2005
Common Sense Media says
Cartoonish Charlie's Angels with lesbians.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the movie has some mature material for a PG-13, including same-sex sexual encounters (nothing more explicit than kissing) and action-style violence (no one hurt). Characters drink and smoke and use some strong language.
What's the story?
The SATs have a special extra test embedded within, a test to find those high school seniors most skilled at lying, cheating, and killing. Those girls are recruited into the top-secret spy school, D.E.B.S. The four top students are after notorious super-criminal Lucy Diamond (Jordana Brewster). But when Amy (Sara Foster), who achieved the only perfect score in history, confronts Lucy, the confrontation is complicated by some undeniable romantic attraction.
Is it any good?
Four top spies are staking out a meeting between a ruthless Russian assassin and the world's most notorious international criminal mastermind. One of the spies redirects the sound equipment to eavesdrop on the conversation of a fellow spy who is breaking up with her boyfriend. The she peers down at the targets and says, "I have that sweater, but in taupe!" Yes, the good guys and the bad guys in this movie are all girls, and when I say girls, I mean knee socks and tiny plaid skirts and consulting about boyfriends while ducking grenades, tucking guns into chic little backpacks, and lip-synching love songs pretending a broomstick is a microphone.
This is Josie and the Pussycats crossed with Charlie's Angels, Agent Cody Banks, Get Smart and Saturday morning cartoons. Except with lesbians. This now makes the third bad movie in a row for the delightfully talented Meagan Good and the second for Foster. The talents of the magnificent Holland Taylor and Michael Clarke Duncan are also woefully underused. This could be a cute short film (as it originally was). It runs out of steam and ideas after about 20 minutes and that's with giving it an additional 10 minutes' grace just because the girls are so fetching in a Britney Spears "Hit Me Baby One More Time" era sort of way.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the kinds of movies this movie parodies.
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AGE
Good Love, Bad Action
Fantastic positive lesbian role modeling. One review said something to the effect of "way more than kissing." Apparently "way more than kissing" means snapping bra straps and tickle fights. Lighten up, people.
A+ for the love story.. D- for the cloak & dagger spy story. Way too much smoking and hard alcohol for a teen movie.. but too cheesy and not enough substance for a post-teen movie.
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April 9, 2008
AGE
Girl Power with a Lesbian Twist!
The film is a funny lesbian romantic comedy, masked as a girl-action movie, well suited for teenagers of both sexes. This is the feature-length version of an equally funny short film with a more explicit content. Even though adults might find the film silly, it offers plenty of opportunities to play with deeper meanings--but you must be willing to read between the lines. There is nothing offensive for either teenagers or adults. Don't miss the special features in the DVD!
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AGE
Ah-maz-ing!
I love this movie. It sends a great message about standing up for your beliefs (as long as they don't hurt anyone), even though they may not be popular with your friends. Also presents a fair portrayal of love between two women. It is not done for the benefit of men and instead focuses on the love between two people (of any gender) and how it can metaphorically "change the world".
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AGE
A great PG-13 movie for 13 and up
D.E.B.S. is the first film with a positive lesbian message to be rated PG-13 making it actually accessible to teenagers. It is a wonderful and very funny movie. The romance between the two teens is woven in as part of the storyline in a very funny way that is part of the whole spy plot and doesn't make a big deal about it, it's just not an issue. Because of that I would say this film is great for straight kids to be more comfortable with their gay and lesbian pals. And also very important for gay and lesbian teens to see images of themselves on screen and experience the validation and happiness that comes from that. If your kids have seen pretty much any Disney movie for tweens that includes the concept of boys and girls having crushes on each other they can handle this. In fact, if they've seen HERBIE FULLY LOADED they'll be thrilled to see that this movie is by the same director (and this one is vastly superior).
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AGE
Teenager Film
It is a funny, teenage film that can be watched by age 13+
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| Studio: | Screen Gems |
| Director: | Angela Robinson |
| Cast: | Jordana Brewster, Meagan Good, Michael Clarke Duncan |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 91 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | March 24, 2005 |
| DVD release date: | June 7, 2005 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | sexual content and language |
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