Sugar & Spice
"Their cheer blew like a bulimic after Christmas dinner," sneers Lisa (Marla Sokoloff fromDude, Where's My Car?), a bitter B-squad cheerleader who has it in for the A squad. She's come to the police to solve the mystery of a local bank robbery--a story that begins when head cheerleader Diane (Marley Shelton,Pleasantville,The Bachelor) and star quarterback Jack (James Marsden,X-Men,Disturbing Behavior) fell in love. Before you know it, Diane's knocked up--but she and Jack are delighted and decide to get married. Their parents disown them immediately, so the young couple ends up in a crappy apartment, working low-wage jobs. They're both so unrelentingly earnest and cheerful that they won't lose heart, but Diane soon realizes that their incomes won't support their impending twins. Then, one night as she and her squad (including Mena Suvari ofAmerican Beauty) are watchingPoint Break, they get the idea to rob a bank...Sugar & Spice, a broad satire of high school hierarchy, is set to a sparkling pop soundtrack and features many, many shots of cute cheerleaders in tight sweaters and short skirts. The cast is enthusiastic; Sokoloff in particular seems to savor her atypically nasty role. Also featuring cameos by Jerry Springer, Kurt Loder, and an almost unrecognizable Sean Young (Blade Runner,Ace Ventura: Pet Detective).--Bret Fetzer