Bi spy: the sexy schoolgirl spies comedy D.E.B.S. promises greatness from lesbian first-time director Angela Robinson.

Boys and girls, prepare to discard any preconceived notions about "lesbian film" after you see the funny, sexy, and witty adventure comedy D.E.B.S., which asks the burning question "What happens when the top girl in spy school falls for a female criminal mastermind?"

Angela Robinson's feature debut, based on her acclaimed 2003 Sundance short, has humor and style to burn, all the way down to the plaid force field on the titular heroines' house that matches their schoolgirl skirts. The D.E.B.S. are an elite squadron of female spies-in-training, chosen through a series of hidden questions on the SAT test. Amy (Sara Foster) is head of the class, based on her legendary perfect score.

She and her three cohorts are called into action when the nefarious Lucy Diamond (Jordana Brewster) returns to the country. The D.E.B.S. spy on Diamond's rendezvous with a female Russian assassin, never realizing that the two are actually meeting for a blind date. Yes, Lucy's a lesbian, and she quickly becomes smitten--with Amy, who happens to be writing a thesis on Lucy for her "Capes and Capers" class. And who until now has been straight. Talk about your star-crossed lovers.

Part of what makes D.E.B.S. work is that Robinson is pretty clear from the get-go that we're not supposed to take any of this too seriously. The high-tech spy stuff is definitely played more for laughs (e.g., the plaid force field) than anything else, and even the infamous Lucy Diamond winds up being more misunderstood than actually evil. (Sure, she tried to sink Australia with a satellite, but she was just getting over being dumped.)

If there's a weak link to the film, it's Foster, who's just not interesting enough to carry the story or to make us believe that Brewster's sexy Diamond would return her stolen loot just to win Amy's heart. As with any given episode of Will & Grace, it's up to the lead couple's wonderfully loopy sidekicks, Jill Ritchie and Jimmi Simpson, to keep things lively in the slower parts. Holland Taylor and Michael Clarke Duncan also provide some laughs as upper-echelon administrative types.

Robinson parlayed her heat from D.E.B.S. (which debuted at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival) into a gig directing this summer's new Herbie movie, starring Lindsay Lohan, for Disney. When audiences get the chance to see D.E.B.S., they'll know the Mouse House made the right choice investing in this promising young filmmaker.

D.E.B.S. * Written and directed by Angela Robinson * Starring Sara Foster and Jordana Brewster * Destination and Samuel Goldwyn Films