Sugar and Spice (2001)
		Genre: Comedy Director: Francine McDougall Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 90 Minutes Release Date: January 26, 2001 Official Website: http://www.sugarandspicemovie.com Movie Trailer: View it now! Discuss and vote: Go to Forums	Cast: Marley Shelton James Marsden Mena Suvari Marla Sokoloff Alexandra Holden Rachel Blanchard Sara Marsh Melissa George Sean Young

Pickup Line: Illegally Cute!

Quickie: Members of an A-Squad High School Cheerleading Team give new meaning (and a new look) to the word "illegal" when they rob a bank.

The Long Review:

In a word, "Sugar and Spice" is cute. Not annoying or disdainful cute but cute-cute. Adorable, some would say. It tells the story of an A-Squad High School Cheerleading team that takes up a unique after-school hobby: robbing a bank. Led by their Captain, Diane, (Marley Shelton), the motley crew of cheerleaders perkily scheme, maneuver, and cheer their way to an awkward, if not entertaining, bank heist.

The plot is straightforward, the dialogue quirky and animated, the acting mediocre (It's not like the actors busted their chops to portray their roles). But amazingly enough, cute as it is, this movie is not as harmless as one would think. Making use of dark humour disguised by an innocent face, It pokes intelligent fun at several aspects of society. There are certain issues raised and touched upon to which you just have to say, "Ouch!" right before you join in the guffaws. So in a way, it's not just a simple cheerleading movie loaded with kicks, twirls, and jumps. It does pack a few punches. Roger Ebert likes it for this exact same reason, commenting, ""Sugar & Spice" puts your average cheerleader movie to shame. It's sassy and satirical, closer in spirit to "But I'm a Cheerleader" than to "Bring It On." With its shameless pop culture references, wicked satire and a cheerleader with the hots for Conan O'Brien, it's more proof that not all movie teenagers have to be dumb."

And the entertainment value is right up there, too. You can't help but smile and laugh at the audacious words that come out of the girls' mouths and the ditzy antics that they perform. It's quite interesting: On the one hand, the A-Squad girls verify the stereotypes associated with cheerleaders (e.g. stylishly snobby, perpetually perky, perfectly pretty, grossly girlie, and clearly clueless). On the other hand, they defy them: Diana has a criminal mind…she came up with the whole bank robbing idea, for chrissakes! Kansas (Mena Suvari) is rough and tough, seeing as she's the daughter of a prison inmate (Sean Young); Lucy (Sara Marsh) is scholastic and vying for a Harvard scholarship; Hannah (Rachel Blanchard) is pious and prudish because she's a devout Christian; Cleo (Melissa George) is mentally unstable (but she's not worried at all!), harbouring an obsession with Conan O'Brien; and Fern (Alexandra Holden) is unpretty and stinky (but not for long) because she's the daughter of an exterminator. How would the ugly, stinky daughter of a bug zapper make it to the A-Squad?? You'll see how! The movie is narrated by Lisa (Marla Sokoloff), a bitter member of the B-Squad, who'd love to see the A-Squad go down.

Altogether, these girls cook up a treat that's well…full of sugar and spice. If you're in the mood for some syrupy, naughty fun, sprinkled with some dark humour, then this movie just might do the trick, although we're pretty sure the tickling factor of the film will work as effectively on video as on the big screen. Yeah, it's funny and it's irresistibly cheesy but it's not that good that you have to rush to the theatre to see it.

In Two Minutes:

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Did you know?

• This is Mena Suvari's second time playing a sexy cheerleader. She raised Kevin Spacey's eyebrows (among other things) in the Oscar-winning hit, "American Beauty."
• Marley Shelton took Nicholas Brendon of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" to her high school prom. Well, prom was a few years back and Marley is now 26 years old but she can still play the role of a teenage cheerleader! Hip hip, hooray!
• James Marsden was previously seen in the flicks "X-Men" and "Gossip" and will be seen in the future in "X-Men 2." He seems to be pretty busy these days. Watch out, Freddie Prinze, Jr.! We think you've got competition!
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