Common Sense Media Review
By Li Lai
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cult lesbian romcom spoofs the action-spy genre.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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D.E.B.S.
What's the Story?
In D.E.B.S., the SATs aren't just a measure of aptitude for getting into college. A secret test is embedded into it: High school seniors who can lie, cheat, and kill are recruited into a spy ring consisting of all young women. D.E.B.S. agents have villain Lucy Diamond (Jordana Brewster) in their sights, but when top agent Amy (Sara Foster) confronts Lucy, their sizzling romantic chemistry forces the two to reevaluate their current career paths, which pit the two of them against each other.
Is It Any Good?
Charming and campy, this movie captures a moment in time when Britney Spears-inspired schoolgirl uniforms and spy flicks were all the rage. Call it a B-version of Charlie's Angels if you will, but D.E.B.S. is entirely its own beast. Director Angela Robinson presses her tongue firmly in cheek as she has her main quartet of high school paramilitary agents drop from ceilings strapped with guns and cavalierly smoking cigarettes -- a picture that's comically at odds with their patent leather Mary Janes and knee-high socks.
At its best, this genre-blending romcom delivers a silly but positive and heartwarming romance between two young women. Rare for the aughts, the movie never dips into gay cliches, such as placing an emphasis on coming out or having school-age characters haunted by disapproving parents. Perhaps helped by Robinson's own perspective as an out lesbian director, the film's main couple, Lucy and Amy, refreshingly go through conflicts and drama that have almost nothing to do with their sexualities. As a gay cult classic, D.E.B.S. heartily delivers. But it's impossible for any movie to age perfectly. In particular, the film's embrace of handguns, machine guns, and assorted firearms in a high school setting may have felt silly and over the top when tragedies like the 1999 Columbine High School shooting were considered outliers. But now the image of students armed to the gills is no laughing matter.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about cult movies and why D.E.B.S. falls into this category. What traits are shared among movies that find niche audiences?
How does the film's portrayal of a same-sex romance compare with modern queer movies and TV shows? Which scenes or lines sound outdated in D.E.B.S., and what elements are still relevant?
D.E.B.S. features a lot of guns, even if they're not often used. Does this make a movie violent? How does the film's use of comedy and camp make its action scenes and perilous situations more, or less, intense?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 24, 2005
- On DVD or streaming : June 7, 2005
- Cast : Jordana Brewster , Meagan Good , Michael Clarke Duncan
- Director : Angela Robinson
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Gay Movie Director(s) , Black Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Multiracial Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s) , Gay Movie Writer(s) , Black Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Screen Gems
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : School ( High School )
- Character Strengths : Courage , Curiosity
- Run time : 91 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sexual content and language
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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