When celebutant heiresses, Ava (Haylie Duff) and Tanzie (Hilary Duff) Marchetta find out that their deceased fathers cosmetics company is sinking, the girls material world disintegrates like the mansion they accidentally ignite. Renounced by the young Hollywood set, the Marchetta sisters seek refuge at the modest walkup apartment (in Jimmy Choos, no less!) of former family maid, Inez (Maria Conchita Alonso). However, the biggest challenge becomes thwarting Fabiella (Angelica Huston), their fathers make-up arch rival, and her curiously possible corporate takeover. Thanks to the help of hottie chemist Rick (Marcus Coloma) who the girls mistake for a valet, and Henry Baines (Lucas Haas), a Mens Wearhouse pro bono attorney, the girls set out to achieve the implausible.
It is hard to say what demographic this movie is geared towards. Although costuming and dialogue are mostly consistent with lifestyle icons like the Hiltons, or Olson twins, the film makes many inappropriate choices for a Tween audience. Inez, the Hispanic maid, explains that post 9/11 immigration laws prevent her daughters from emigrating. A weird situation is judged on a Courtney Love scale, and Tanzie warns Ava that people pee on bus seats. Tanzie also lands in jail when she attempts to mirror the Julia Roberts Erin Brokovitch namesake and dons a bustier to seduce a man for access to a file room. In jail, she fends off advances by cellmates, and then uses sand caught between one of the convicts toes to teach the women about exfoliation. In awe of the girls, a Marchetta intern (Reagan Dale Nies) changes her nose to mirror Tanzies and her hair to look like Avas. The message is that to be wealthy and beautiful, you must become someone else.
The one laudable performance in this carb-conscious film comes from Angelica Huston. In Fabiellas brief scenes, she establishes herself as a wannabe international scion, uttering whimsies in Spanish, French, and German. When delighting the Marchetta girls and their slippery advisor (Brent Spiner) to a spa day she appears dressed in something out of Joan Collins wardrobe.
The riches-to-rags-to riches Duff powder puff concludes with the Marchetta moguls in love and changing the world, one affordable cosmetic at a time, but the only chemistry here is in the make-up lab. Material Girls lacks material.