Dulces Y Peligrosas

This is a smart movie about dumb people – but don't let that get in the way of your enjoying it.

There are a lot of laugh-out-loud situations in this short (less than 90 minutes by my watch) film. The whole situation is laughable when the team captain of the `A-Squad' cheerleaders at Lincoln High School is pregnant and what she does to make the situation more livable.

James Marsden (Scott Summers/Cyclops in `X-Men') is the too-good-to-be-true boyfriend of Marley Shelton (Diane Weston in the film) whose innocence, sweetness and naivety makes you want to believe that there really are people like that in the real world.

Mena Suvari (late of both `American Beauty' and `American `Pie') is a study in contrasts as the girl that `was born in prison.'

There has been a spate of cheerleader movies this last year – but this one owes much more to `But I'm A Cheerleader' than it does to `Bring It On.' There is a tension and sense of surrealism that isn't in `Bring It On.'

When all the cheer leaders don their `Betty' masks it becomes very surrealistic – almost spooky.

There is no big opening to this film: just an introduction to the characters; but there is a nice end to the film – explaining what happens to the major characters after the end of the film.

I enjoyed this film much more than I thought I would – give it a chance – you may enjoy it too.

When I first saw this movie in theaters, I didn't think too highly of it. I didn't think it was terrible, yet I came out feeling dissatisfied. Maybe I was in a bad mood. Who knows? Well, it was Free Preview Weekend on Starz, so I checked this movie out again. And I watched it all three times they showed it. This time I had a lot more fun!

"Sugar and Spice" is far from great, and is certainly no gem, but it's enjoyable teen fluff with some good laughs. And let's face it, it centers on five sexy, scantily clad cheerleaders. If you're a guy...how much more can you ask for? This is the type of film that is made to satisfy both male and female viewers alike, kind of like "Coyote Ugly." The girls enjoy the dynamics of the female characters, the guys enjoy the beauty of the female characters. This is not as sexy as "Bring It On," but I'm still satisfied.

The humor is sometimes lame and heavy-handed, and the characters are all caricatures, but I never reached the point where I wanted to croak. The movie is overall pretty harmless. And there are some funny moments, including one where Mena Suvari goes to visit her mother (Sean Young) in prison. She asks her Mom for advice on robbing a bank. Her Mom blushes and says, "This is like asking me for help on your homework." And I have to give this movie credit: the teen characters aren't as dumb as they are in most of these movies.

"Sugar and Spice" is cute, lightweight entertainment and enables you to see five hot babes in short skirts. Sweet!

My score: 7 (out of 10)

Sugar & Spice is almost a caricature of a teen movie. It is not, because it's not making fun of teens or teen movies, but has that slightly over the top smiley attitude that pushes you to that laughing place where you don't take things too seriously. Those who didn't like that movie didn't get that vibe. It is quite fun.

Now, it's not a perfect movie, the subject matter is treated very lightly, but the story, the dialogs, and the characters are all very entertaining. It doesn't bring anything new, per se, to the table, but it does it with flair, and laughs. The girls are beautiful, but not plastic perfect. The acting is simple, but sincere and adorable in certain cases.

One of the scene, when they announce they're getting married, is the perfect example of the quality and tone of the film. It and its followup scene in the car are hilarious.

If you want to see a good little known teen flick with an adult mask, that would to it.

An entertaining comedy with Marley Shelton as the head cheerleader who gets pregnant with the star quarterback's child. Then, while watching that classic of modern cinema, "Point Break," on tv she hatches a plan that wouldn't it be great fun if her and her cheerleader buddies (including Mena Suvari) robbed a bank? Wouldn't that just help her with her financial problems? This is all very silly and the filmmakers wisely don't take any of this seriously, producing a very funny comedic take on cheerleading, high school and bad movies. GRADE: B+

Who would not want to see a movie about bank robbing cheerleaders? The movie isn't so concerned with the cheerleaders themselves as it is with the classic "what if?" scenario of the captain of the squad becoming impregnated by the captain of the football team. And where to go from there? Why, rob a bank, of course. They have the finesse, they have the ability and, most of all, they have the grooviest disguises (All-American Dolls) since the Ex-Presidents in Point Break.

What stood out is the performance of Mary Shelton in the role of Diane, the cheerleader captain and mastermind. She does a wonderful job of keeping a positive attitude when her life starts to crumble around her. And, as her polar opposite, James Mardsen does a great job of portraying the clueless jock Jack. Mardsen has cluelessness done to a T, especially when failing to realize the stigma of having to work at a video store. While it's nice to see that the stereotypes are not being limited to just the popular people, is it really necessary to have them at all?

The rest of the squad, however, only fall into the aforementioned stereotypes. The cast does their best to overcome them, but there are only so many cheerleader jokes you can do in a feature. Mena Suvari does look like she's having fun, though, as the bad girl cheerleader. And Rachel Blanchard does look pretty as the morally upright cheerleader.

When the robbery comes, it's almost a non-event. But it does come with quite a few laughs. What the film needed to show more of is the aftermath. How does it affect their lives immediately after? Sure, there's a recap at the end, but it would have been better to see those events unfold than to just read about them. Maybe New Line didn't like the first cut of the film and had it pared. Given the 83 minute running time, that is likely.

However, this is the best film with a January release date since Jackie Chan's First Strike. The photography is arid yet striking. The cast is game, the screenplay does have some great laugh out loud moments and it's nice to see a film that shows the many uses of cheerleader athletics.