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Supposedly the selling feature of D.E.B.S. (an acronym for Discipline, Energy, Beauty, Strength), which debuted as a short at the Sundance Film Festival, was its description as a lesbian/teen send-up of Charlie's Angels. But several critics suggest that it's all tease. Writes Stephen Holden in the New York Times: The tepid love scenes are as erotically charged as a home movie of a little girl hugging her Barbie doll, and the satire as cutting as the blunt edge of a plastic butter knife. Similarly Bob Strauss in the Los Angeles Daily News comments that it could be argued that everything cheesy and wince-inducing about D.E.B.S. was intended to be camp. But then, camp usually has some cleverness and energy, so that excuse won't fly. Gene Seymour in Newsday suggests that there are scenes in the film in which viewers are likely to say to themselves -- to use the expression du jour -- This is so retarded. Nevertheless, he adds, Even if it doesn't add up to a whole lot, the movie is content to tickle you gently more than jab you in the ribs. These days, that's saying a lot. Alas. In fact, Allison Benedikt in the Chicago Tribune remarks that the film offers style and substance existing in unusual harmony for a spy spoof. Carina Chocano in the Los Angeles Times likewise applauds the film, writing, For an unabashedly silly spoof of a girly action flick, D.E.B.S. is unexpectedly fresh. But Stephen Hunter in the Washington Post comes to the odd conclusion: It's so spoofy it's difficult to call 'good' or even 'bad'; just say it's smooth.

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