Plot: What’s it about?
Diane Weston (Marley Shelton) is the captain of the A squad cheerleaders, which means she is beautiful, popular, and of course, has the most desired boy in school, quarterback Jack Bartlett (James Marsden). But when she ends up pregnant and married, she is forced to make some hard decisions, in order to remain above water. She needs money and lots of it, or else she and Jack will lose their home and perhaps even their soon to be born child. So she calls upon her fellow cheerleaders to give her a hand, in the form of a bank robbery and of course, the operation will set them up for life. The five friends watch all sorts of movies to learn from the mistakes, but in the end they decide to look to the professionals, so bad girl Kansas (Mena Suvari) pays a visit to her inmate mother (Sean Young) for advice. After they take on a new friend, Fern (Alexandra Holden) in exchange for some firearms, the time has come to finish the task and make their dreams come true. But will the girls be able to go through with their complex plans and if so, will they be able to get away with the daring robbery?
This movie had a short run at the theaters, but mostly due to the presence of Bring It On, another cheerleader flick that hit around the same time. I would think the more hot cheerleaders the better, but that wasn’t the case and Sugar & Spice had a hard time at the box office. I managed to see this during the one week it visited my local cinema and I have to admit, I loved this movie. I admit it isn’t a great film in the grand scheme of things, but it is very funny and has some very gifted young ladies, which is enough to more than entertain for ninety minutes. This is a poppy movie in the general sense, but it has a dark edge also, not as sugary as Bring It On, to be sure. But Sugar & Spice is never too dark, just some bad language, controversial topics, and assorted off color moments. Sort of Drop Dead Gorgeous in the cheerleader realm, but funnier, to put a fine point on the flick. I suppose the dark, yet bubbly humor might be lost on some, but I found it to be hilarious and will be adding to my personal collection. New Line has done their usual great work on the audio & video and while extras are on the thin side, this disc is still more than worth the asking price.
I didn’t use to think much of Mena Suvari’s work, but she has started to impress me and I think she does a fine turn here as well. Of course, this is not an award level performance, but Suvari is terrific in the role, which is what counts. She seems to be having fun playing the bad girl, as she really brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm, which adds a lot to the flick. I think she works well in this kind of role and hope to see her in more soon, though she is by no means limited to bad girl turns, to be sure. You can also see Suvari in such films as American Beauty, The Rage: Carrie 2, American Pie, Kiss the Girls, Loser, and American Virgin. The cast also includes Marley Shelton (Never Been Kissed, Valentine), Marla Sokoloff (Whatever It Takes, Dude Where’s My Car?), Rachel Blanchard (Road Trip, Tv’s Clueless), Melissa George (The Limey, Dark City), Alexandra Holden (EdTv, Drop Dead Gorgeous), Sara Marsh, Sean Young (Blade Runner, Stripes), and James Marsden (X-Men, Disturbing Behavior).
Video: How does it look?
Sugar & Spice is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition also included on this dual layered disc. New Line delivers a superb visual presentation here, but I was able to find some flaws, though small ones. I saw a little more grain than expected at times and while not a serious problem, I did want to mention it in this review. The vivid color scheme looks great here however, very rich and with no signs of errors, while flesh tones remains natural, as it should be. Also in fine form is the contrast, which shows sharp black levels and no detail loss I could detect. This might not be a reference level visual transfer, but it looks excellent and in the end, I don’t think anyone will be let down here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is just as impressive as the video, with a rich soundscape and no lack of surround presence, a very active presentation. Now don’t expect this to be as immersive as an action flick, but it handles the material well and offers a great experience. The music is well placed and serves as the real spark of the mix, though a few scenes have some terrific examples of directional use, which adds audio depth. No problems with the dialogue in the least, as vocals seem clean and crisp throughout, with no volume errors to report. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround option, as well as English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, DVD ROM content, four deleted sequences, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
