Material Girls
Encyclopedia
Material Girls is a 2006 American satirical
teen
comedy film
starring Hilary
and Haylie Duff
. It is based on a script written by John Quaintance and is directed by Martha Coolidge
It also stars Anjelica Huston
, Lukas Haas
, and Brent Spiner
. It is co-produced by Patriot Pictures and Maverick Films
.
) and Ava (Haylie Duff
), a pair of rich, spoiled Hollywood socialite
s who enjoy material things such as shopping and dating, rather than caring about their late father's cosmetics
company. When a major media scandal involving one of the company's products turns into an investigation, the girls find their assets frozen and must adjust to life without their fortune. Just when it seems like things could not get any worse, disaster strikes again.
When a fire starts in their home, Ava quickly takes all her clothes while Tanzie, caring about her father more, takes her dad's TiVo
and some clothes. They are tempted to listen to their advisors and sell the company to their biggest competitor, Fabiella (Anjelica Huston
), for just - "only" as they say - over $60 million each. While this means that they could return to the lifestyle that they were accustomed to, nonetheless they decide to honor their father's memory by trying to turn it around themselves. Finding inspiration in Erin Brockovich
, the girls decide to get to the root of the scandal. The girls use their good looks and charming personalities to win the case and prove their father's innocence.
In the end, the girls successfully manage to clear the Marchetta name and reclaim the company. Nearly six months after the scandal began, the girls are seen leading the company, with Ava as the CEO and Tanzie working as a lab technician, with them both finding boyfriends.
. For the film's soundtrack, Hilary Duff recorded two new songs: "Happy" (which features the same music as "Play with Fire", her single released in August 2006) and a Dead Executives
-produced cover version
of Madonna's song "Material Girl" (originally to be produced by Timbaland
), which was the inspiration for the film's story and is featured at the beginning of the film.
On March 31, 2006, the entertainment site AndPop.com reported that Lukas Haas had said he did not expect the film to be released. These statements were confirmed on April 5, in an article in The Ryersonian. Haas expressed his unhappiness with the film, and said they had been trying to sell the film for a long time with little success. On April 6, the website Box Office Mojo
reported that MGM
had picked up the rights to Material Girls and would be releasing it on August 25 (this was later changed to August 18). On May 2, the official website for Martha Coolidge reported that it would be released on around 2,000 screens.
under the MGM Home Entertainment
label. It is a double-sided DVD with special features including the music video for Hilary Duff's single "Play with Fire". In the UK the film was released on March 2, 2007 to coincide with the release of Duff's single "With Love", her album Dignity
, and the UK release of her scent With Love... Hilary Duff
. It was distributed by Twentieth Century Fox. The film has garnered a total of $16,847,695 worldwide.
ranking Material Girls 46th in the 100 worst reviewed films of the 2000s, with a rating of 4%, and 17% by Metacritic. It earned Hilary and Haylie Duff received Razzie Award nominations for both Worst Actress and Worst Screen Couple.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
teen
Teen film
Teen films is a film genre targeted at teenagers and young adults in which the plot is based upon the special interests of teenagers, such as coming of age, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst, and alienation...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Hilary
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
and Haylie Duff
Haylie Duff
Haylie Katherine Duff is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the older sister of actress and singer Hilary Duff...
. It is based on a script written by John Quaintance and is directed by Martha Coolidge
Martha Coolidge
Martha Coolidge is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. -Career:Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Ms. Coolidge first made her reputation by directing many award winning documentaries in New York before moving out to Hollywood in 1976. She spent several...
It also stars Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
, Lukas Haas
Lukas Haas
Lukas Daniel Haas is an American actor, known for roles both as a child and as an adult. His career has spanned more than 25 years during which time he has appeared in more than 36 feature films, as well as a number of television shows and theater productions.-Early life and career:Haas was born...
, and Brent Spiner
Brent Spiner
Brent Jay Spiner is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and four subsequent films. His portrayal of Data in Star Trek: First Contact and of Dr...
. It is co-produced by Patriot Pictures and Maverick Films
Maverick Films
Maverick Films is an American film production company which was founded in 1992 by Madonna, Frederick DeMann and Ronnie Dashev. It is the film division of entertainment company, Maverick and owned by Warner Music Group...
.
Plot
The plot centers around the Marchetta sisters, Tanzie (Hilary DuffHilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
) and Ava (Haylie Duff
Haylie Duff
Haylie Katherine Duff is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the older sister of actress and singer Hilary Duff...
), a pair of rich, spoiled Hollywood socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
s who enjoy material things such as shopping and dating, rather than caring about their late father's cosmetics
Cosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
company. When a major media scandal involving one of the company's products turns into an investigation, the girls find their assets frozen and must adjust to life without their fortune. Just when it seems like things could not get any worse, disaster strikes again.
When a fire starts in their home, Ava quickly takes all her clothes while Tanzie, caring about her father more, takes her dad's TiVo
TiVo
TiVo is a digital video recorder developed and marketed by TiVo, Inc. and introduced in 1999. TiVo provides an on-screen guide of scheduled broadcast programming television programs, whose features include "Season Pass" schedules which record every new episode of a series, and "WishList"...
and some clothes. They are tempted to listen to their advisors and sell the company to their biggest competitor, Fabiella (Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
), for just - "only" as they say - over $60 million each. While this means that they could return to the lifestyle that they were accustomed to, nonetheless they decide to honor their father's memory by trying to turn it around themselves. Finding inspiration in Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich-Ellis is an American legal clerk and environmental activist who, despite the lack of a formal law school education, or any legal education, was instrumental in constructing a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California in 1993...
, the girls decide to get to the root of the scandal. The girls use their good looks and charming personalities to win the case and prove their father's innocence.
In the end, the girls successfully manage to clear the Marchetta name and reclaim the company. Nearly six months after the scandal began, the girls are seen leading the company, with Ava as the CEO and Tanzie working as a lab technician, with them both finding boyfriends.
Cast
- Hilary DuffHilary DuffHilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
as Tanzania "Tanzie" Marchetta - Haylie DuffHaylie DuffHaylie Katherine Duff is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the older sister of actress and singer Hilary Duff...
as Ava Marchetta - Anjelica HustonAnjelica HustonAnjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
as Fabiella - Brent SpinerBrent SpinerBrent Jay Spiner is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of the android Lieutenant Commander Data in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and four subsequent films. His portrayal of Data in Star Trek: First Contact and of Dr...
as Tommy - Lukas HaasLukas HaasLukas Daniel Haas is an American actor, known for roles both as a child and as an adult. His career has spanned more than 25 years during which time he has appeared in more than 36 feature films, as well as a number of television shows and theater productions.-Early life and career:Haas was born...
as Henry - Faith PrinceFaith PrinceFaith Prince is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work on Broadway. Prince has won the Tony Award as Best Actress in a Musical and received three Tony nominations.-Life and career:...
as Pam - Marcus ColomaMarcus ColomaMarcus Coloma is an American actor and musician of Hawaiian and Italian descent.-Career:Coloma has appeared on television in Point Pleasant as Father Tomas and on the short-lived series South Beach as Matt Evans. Coloma has also guest starred on several television shows including the CW drama One...
as Rick - Obba BabatundéObba BabatundeObba Babatundé is an American actor of stage and screen, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in the television movie Miss Evers' Boys, a NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award-nominated role for his performance as C.C...
as Craig - María Conchita AlonsoMaria Conchita AlonsoMaría Conchita Alonso , better known as María Conchita, is a Venezuelan Grammy Award-nominated singer and actress.- Early life :...
as Inez - Reagan Dale NeisReagan Dale NeisReagan Dale Neis is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her lead role in the The WB sitcom, Maybe It's Me and co-starring in the Fox sitcom, A Minute with Stan Hooper...
as Jaden - Ty Hodges as Etienne
- Colleen CampColleen CampColleen Celeste Camp is an American actress and film producer, known for her performances in two installments of the Police Academy series and as Yvette the Maid in the 1985 black comedy Clue. She was also the first actress to play Kristin Shepard in U.S. prime time soap opera Dallas in 1979.Camp...
as Charlene - Philip CasnoffPhilip CasnoffPhilip Casnoff is a Golden Globe Award nominated, Theater World Award winning, American actor, known for his roles in TV series and on Broadway.- Theatre :...
as Victor Marchetta - Tanya AlexanderTanya AlexanderTanya Alexander is the name of a semi-recurring character on the UK science fiction television series Space: 1999. The role was portrayed by German actress Suzanne Roquette.-Character Biography:...
as LaPorscha - Dot Marie JonesDot JonesDorothy-Marie "Dot" Jones is an athlete and actress who has had multiple roles in television. She attended California State University, Fresno, where she set records for shot put. Jones is also a 15-time world arm wrestling champion...
as Butch Brenda - Cheyenne Haynes and Andrea Ramirez as Inez's daughters
- Brandon BeemerBrandon BeemerBrandon Richard Beemer is an American soap opera actor and model. He is best known for his role as Shawn-Douglas Brady on the American soap Days of Our Lives , and currently plays Owen Knight on The Bold and the Beautiful .Beemer is currently part of the cast in the docu-reality show Dirty Soap, a...
as Mac Rionn - JoelJoel MaddenJoel Rueben Madden is an American singer, record producer, actor, DJ, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, best known as the lead vocalist for the pop punk band Good Charlotte.-Early life:...
and Benji MaddenBenji MaddenBenji Madden is an American guitarist and backup vocalist for the band Good Charlotte, which he co-founded with his identical twin brother, Joel Madden.-Early life:...
as Mistaken Valets - Joanne BaronJoanne BaronJoanne Baron is an actress and Meisner Method acting coach. She was raised in Providence, Rhode Island and attended Classical and Pawtucket High Schools. She received early acceptance to the University of Connecticut, then pursued Broadway opportunities and sang in Reno Sweeny’s with Cissy Houston,...
as Gretchen
Production
The film began production on April 18, 2005, in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. For the film's soundtrack, Hilary Duff recorded two new songs: "Happy" (which features the same music as "Play with Fire", her single released in August 2006) and a Dead Executives
Dead Executives
The Dead Executives are a record production and songwriting team, composed of brothers Joel and Benji Madden and Jason "Jay E" Epperson. The group often collaborates with many major and new artists in their songs. Some artists they have collaborated with are J-Kwon, Jung Tru, Young Dre The Truth,...
-produced cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Madonna's song "Material Girl" (originally to be produced by Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
), which was the inspiration for the film's story and is featured at the beginning of the film.
On March 31, 2006, the entertainment site AndPop.com reported that Lukas Haas had said he did not expect the film to be released. These statements were confirmed on April 5, in an article in The Ryersonian. Haas expressed his unhappiness with the film, and said they had been trying to sell the film for a long time with little success. On April 6, the website Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. Brandon Gray started the site in 1999. In 2002, Gray partnered with Sean Saulsbury and they grew the site to nearly two million readers when, in July 2008, the company was purchased by Amazon.com through...
reported that MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
had picked up the rights to Material Girls and would be releasing it on August 25 (this was later changed to August 18). On May 2, the official website for Martha Coolidge reported that it would be released on around 2,000 screens.
Box office
Material Girls was released in 1,500 theaters in the U.S. and debuted at #9 on the weekend box office chart, grossing only US$4.62 million dollars in its first three days of release. The DVD for Material Girls was released on December 12, 2006 in the U.S by 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
under the MGM Home Entertainment
MGM Home Entertainment
MGM Home Entertainment is the home video and DVD arm of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-History:The home video division of MGM started in 1979 as MGM Home Video, releasing all the movies and TV shows by MGM. In 1980, MGM joined forces with CBS Video Enterprises, the home video division of the CBS television...
label. It is a double-sided DVD with special features including the music video for Hilary Duff's single "Play with Fire". In the UK the film was released on March 2, 2007 to coincide with the release of Duff's single "With Love", her album Dignity
Dignity (album)
Dignity is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Hilary Duff. The album was released on April 3, 2007 by Hollywood Records. Between the releases of her previous studio album, Hilary Duff , and Dignity, she had an eventful personal life; she was stalked by a man who threatened her...
, and the UK release of her scent With Love... Hilary Duff
With Love... Hilary Duff
"With Love... Hilary Duff" is the first fragrance by actress and singer Hilary Duff. It is distributed by the Elizabeth Arden company. "With Love...Hilary Duff" was one of the three best-selling fragrances launched at U.S. department stores in late 2006...
. It was distributed by Twentieth Century Fox. The film has garnered a total of $16,847,695 worldwide.
Reception
The film received extremely negative reviews, with Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
ranking Material Girls 46th in the 100 worst reviewed films of the 2000s, with a rating of 4%, and 17% by Metacritic. It earned Hilary and Haylie Duff received Razzie Award nominations for both Worst Actress and Worst Screen Couple.