A refreshing high school comedy, Sugar and Spice is much more than just a cheerleader film; it's not another "Bring It On"! The humor in "Sugar" is much more rough around the edges, and has some real life themes involving the cheerleading squad but never loses its humor. The cast includes Marla Sokoloff ("The Practice") , James Marsden (X-Men), Marley Shelton (Pleasantville) and Mena Suvari (American Beauty), who once again dons a cheerleading outfit.

Blond beauty Marley Shelton is the captain of the cheerleading squad who meets and falls for football captain James Marsden. Results of their romance are devastating to the squad, as the pregnant cheerleader is suddenly financially strapped. The squad, friends for life, come up with a plan, courtesy of Mena Suvari's mother (Sean Young) , who's in prison for life. Marla Sokoloff, jealous of being bumped from the squad, turns the girls in and the story is told from a series of flashbacks. The film is fast moving and humorous in its telling of how these sweet girls end up in a line-up for holding up the local food mart and bank. Donning Betty Doll masks, the squad uses all their skills to pull it off. The robbery is one of the funniest scenes in the movie. The film never deteriorates into unnecessary sexual scenes or exploitation of the actresses. Instead, it shows how their friendship is the most important thing in their lives. Each actress is an individual with their own flaws and hang-ups but they are all accepting of one another. One is in love with Conan O'Brien, another is a devote Christian, while Mena Suvari's character is tough as nails, being raised by her grandparents.

Picture-A choice is given at the start of the film for fullscreen or widescreen, an option I really like on DVD. The 2.35:1 widescreen picture is flawless, with rich colors and sharp detail. There are also clever animated menus on the DVD, featuring a board game and animated figures with different choices you select. Sound-A modern soundtrack of rock music and an updated "Kum By-Ya" are the themes presented on the disc. It fits perfectly in the film's theme without being overwhelming. The Dolby 5.1 sound is front stage dominant but some information is present in scenes through the rear channels.

Besides offering both fullscreen and widescreen versions on the same side of the disc, there are four very short deleted scenes, cast and crew filmographies -along with character bios as well ( a very clever feature). A trailer is also included. The DVD -ROM features work on a Mac as well as PC, although there is a disclaimer that all features may not work on a Mac. The features are few but offer a script to screen screenplay and links to the original website.

An original 2000 comedy, "Sugar And Spice" is an intelligent, well worked comedy of today, with many laughs and quality work from the cast , crew, writers and director. It is well worth a look and will put a smile on your face.