‘Sugar’ Is Sweet and on Target

“Sugar & Spice,” which New Line Cinema released Friday without benefit of advance screenings for critics, despite appearing to be just another cheerleader flick is also amusingly subversive, thanks to sharp writing and direction, by Mandy Nelson and Francine McDougall, respectively.

It is in fact a satire--one that skewers the mindlessness of high school culture in a society that so easily loses track of the difference between right and wrong, especially when justice seems to depend upon what kind of legal talent you can afford.

The girls of Lincoln High School’s A-squad cheerleaders are pretty, energetic and possessed of varying intelligence. Their blond captain, Diane (Marley Shelton) is, however, a total airhead, as is her handsome boyfriend Jack (James Marsden), who is (natch) the captain of the football team. The couple are unfazed by Diane’s pregnancy and their parents’ disowning them.

Their high spirits remain undimmed by having to settle for a crummy apartment, but the after-school minimum-wage jobs begin to wear upon them, Diane especially. Then one day an idea hits Diane like a Mack truck: “Money makes dreams come true.” This insight is swiftly followed by another inspiration, prompting Diane to announce to her cheerleader pals that in order to get money all they will have to do is to rob a bank, which she envisions excitedly as “like a great big craft project.” The question ultimately becomes whether or not it matters that the smart but envious captain of the B-squad cheerleaders, Lisa (Marla Sokoloff), is soon on to them.

“Sugar & Spice” loses momentum toward its finish, but this is not a serious drawback. McDougall and Nelson have blithely held to their critical vision and have delivered a frequently funny entertainment with dispatch and a lack of pretension. Performances are on the money right down the line, with Shelton and Marsden steadfastly maintaining Diane and Jack’s sublimely obtuse innocence from start to finish. “Sugar & Spice” has the brightly hued look of a comic book which, like almost everything else about the picture, strikes just the right note.

* MPAA-rated: PG-13, for language, sex-related humor and some thematic elements. Times-rated: Suitable for mature older children.

‘Sugar & Spice’

Marla Sokoloff: Lisa

Marley Shelton: Diane

James Marsden: Jack

Melissa George: Cleo

Mena Suvari: Kansas

Rachel Blanchard: Hannah

A New Line Cinema presentation. Director Francine McDougall. Producer Wendy Finerman. Executive producers Claire Rudnick Polstein, Matt Moore, Greg Mooradian. Screenplay by Mandy Nelson. Cinematographer Robert Brinkmann. Editor Sloane Klevin. Music Mark Mothersbaugh. Costumes Wendy Chuck. Production designer Jeff Knipp. Art director Maria Baker. Set designer Wendi Fleischaker. Set decorator Maggie Martin. Running time: 1 hour, 34 minutes.

In general release.