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Review #221 of 365
Film: Material Girls [PG] 97 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $7.25
Where Viewed: Colorado Cinemas Colony Square 12, Louisville, CO
When 1st Seen: 20 August 2006
Time: 7:55 p.m.
Soundtrack: not available at this time
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
On the one hand, Material Girls is a complete contrived mess of a movie that induces barely a second of contemplation when one might try to figure out why the film got so little in the way of marketing from the studio. On the other hand…well there is no other hand. From nearly beginning to end, the film smacks of a 'payback film'—one in which everyone in the movie owed somebody something and to pay back that the debt therefore agreed to be in the film despite the obvious career damage the film might cause. "Not to worry, we're releasing it in late August when nobody goes to the movies anyway. We won't do a big publicity blitz, so most people won't know about it, and we won't give any coupons or invite critics to pre-screenings except in the most remote and friendly environments." Now, to be fair, the actors do deliver, for the most part. They are all pros. Even the immortal Anjelica Huston, who shares the quality of Sophia Loren in that she gets more and more beautiful every year she ages, turns in a sassy, clever performance. Nonetheless, the plot and the stereotypical characters with which they had to work left little room for this film to serve for much more than bottom of the summer barrel fodder quickly forgotten by September.
The film begins with an introduction to Tanzie (Hilary Duff) and Ava (Haylie Duff) Marchetta. These two define the term "Material Girls" as the daughter heiresses to the Marchetta Cosmetic Company empire. Their father, founder of the company, died two years prior, and in the interim, his right hand man, Tommy Katzenbach (Brent "Star Trek: The Next Generation Android" Spiner) has been running the company into the ground. Little do the Marchetta sisters realize that what was once a great company is now being viewed as an easy take-over target by Fabiella (Angelica Huston)—their father's oldest and most competitive rival. Worse, not only is the company losing market share due to a lack of new products since the company's creative genius is dead, but just as the board is about to accept an offer from Fabiella, a television report uncovers that some of the Marchetta products are causing terrible skin damage which causes the stock to plummet as well as Fabiella's offer to a mere 60-cents on the dollar. Poor little pampered rich girls who've never done a thing for themselves in their lives, Tanzie and Ava, are left to wallow in their grief at home which leads to them inadvertently burning down their house, getting their convertible Mercedes Benz stolen, and forcing them to seek refuge with their long time housekeeper and nanny, Inez (Maria Conchita Alonso). Their best friend Etienne (Ty "Suits on the Loose" Hodges) abandons them, Ava's fiancée dumps her as he fears her scandal will ruin his tv show ratings, and their lives go quickly down the drain as they have no access to any money and are forced to dress out of bags of clothes they had given to Inez to take to the homeless shelter. The only bright lights in their future are a lab technician at their company who has an eye for Tanzie named Rick (Marcus "One Tree Hill" Coloma) and a pro-bono lawyer for indigent people named Henry Baines (Lukas Hass) who has an eye for Ava. The four decide to work together to get to the bottom of the suspicious circumstances leading up to the fall of their father's empire.
The film begins with an introduction to Tanzie (Hilary Duff) and Ava (Haylie Duff) Marchetta. These two define the term "Material Girls" as the daughter heiresses to the Marchetta Cosmetic Company empire. Their father, founder of the company, died two years prior, and in the interim, his right hand man, Tommy Katzenbach (Brent "Star Trek: The Next Generation Android" Spiner) has been running the company into the ground. Little do the Marchetta sisters realize that what was once a great company is now being viewed as an easy take-over target by Fabiella (Angelica Huston)—their father's oldest and most competitive rival. Worse, not only is the company losing market share due to a lack of new products since the company's creative genius is dead, but just as the board is about to accept an offer from Fabiella, a television report uncovers that some of the Marchetta products are causing terrible skin damage which causes the stock to plummet as well as Fabiella's offer to a mere 60-cents on the dollar. Poor little pampered rich girls who've never done a thing for themselves in their lives, Tanzie and Ava, are left to wallow in their grief at home which leads to them inadvertently burning down their house, getting their convertible Mercedes Benz stolen, and forcing them to seek refuge with their long time housekeeper and nanny, Inez (Maria Conchita Alonso). Their best friend Etienne (Ty "Suits on the Loose" Hodges) abandons them, Ava's fiancée dumps her as he fears her scandal will ruin his tv show ratings, and their lives go quickly down the drain as they have no access to any money and are forced to dress out of bags of clothes they had given to Inez to take to the homeless shelter. The only bright lights in their future are a lab technician at their company who has an eye for Tanzie named Rick (Marcus "One Tree Hill" Coloma) and a pro-bono lawyer for indigent people named Henry Baines (Lukas Hass) who has an eye for Ava. The four decide to work together to get to the bottom of the suspicious circumstances leading up to the fall of their father's empire.
"… bottom of the summer barrel fodder quickly forgotten by September."
I realize that part of the point of the film was that the Side-Kick II-bejeweled, high heel-wearing, ultra model sisters overcome the stereotypes others have of them and they have of themselves, however, I feel it is somewhat of a rocky premise to begin with these stereotypes. Young women deserve better. While the two girls do learn a lot about the real world and show some growth, it is at the expense of accepting and embracing the stereotypes from the beginning. As I am not a fan of young women being stereotyped in this fashion, I had a difficult time enjoying the film. Some other problems with the film were in the casting of Mr. Spiner in the role of Tommy Katzenbach. He just never seemed authentic. He was wooden and robotic—with all due respect to his long-time character of Data on ST:TNG—he was a lot more human playing a robot. Meanwhile, though this is usually below my threshold of commentary, but Lukas Haas's moustache was so cheesy, his face just looked dirty the whole time. I realize they were consciously trying to make him look like he was in a different social sphere that the Marchetta sisters, yet my goodness, the character went to law school and made the very noble decision to work for the poor. That doesn't mean he would look dirty, unkempt, and wear recycled suits. Again, the stereotypes got in the way.
It is really too bad that this film had to go the way it did. There was a lot of talent up on the screen. Unfortunately, it was all misdirected and misfired leaving a film that is barely worthy of a straight-to-video release.
It is really too bad that this film had to go the way it did. There was a lot of talent up on the screen. Unfortunately, it was all misdirected and misfired leaving a film that is barely worthy of a straight-to-video release.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other projects featuring the cast members
from Material Girls
Hilary Duff
• Haylie Duff • Angelica HustonMaria Conchita Alonso
• Brent Spiner • Lukas HassTy Hodges
• Marcus ColomaOther Projects Directed by: Martha Coolidge
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Material Girls Review-lite [150-word cap]
Material Girls is a complete contrived mess of a movie that induces barely a second of contemplation when one might try to figure out why the film got so little in the way of marketing from the studio. The plot and the stereotypical characters left little room for the acting talents including Anjelica Huston as the rival cosmetic tycoon and Lukas Haas to take off. Beginning with an introduction to Material Girls Tanzie (Hilary Duff) and Ava (Haylie Duff) Marchetta, heiresses to the Marchetta Cosmetics empire, the story then unravels with its stereotypes as they learn their once great company has been run into the ground after their father's demise. Unfortunately, when the girls decide to get to the bottom of things, the film plummets to the bottom of the summer barrel quickly forgotten by September. There is simply no escaping the plot despite decent performances from the actors.
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