MATERIAL GIRLS
Year: 2006
USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
UK: Verve Pictures
Cast: Hilary Duff, Haylie Duff, Anjelica Huston, Brent Spiner, Maria Conchita Alonso, Lukas Haas, Marcus Coloma, Obba Babatunde, Faith Prince, Alejandro Rose-Garcia, Ty Hodges, Reagan Dale Neis, Henry Cho, Misti Traya, Christina Copeland, Brandon Beemer, Colleen Camp, Dennis Lee Kelly, Judy Tenuta, Joanne Baron, Damian d'Entremont, Dot Marie Jones, Cheryl Hawker, Tanya Alexander, Philip Casnoff, Natalie Lander, Larry Poindexter, Carl Lewis, Lalena Nash, Timothy Davis-Reed, Anthony Crivello, Beckie King, Annie McKnight, Carson Brown, Kayla Ewell, Terri Seymour, Suzanne Whang
Director: Martha Coolidge
Country: USA
USA & UK: 97 mins
USA Rated: PG for language and rude humor
UK Certificate: PG contains mild language and sex references
USA Release Date: 18 August 2006
UK Release Date: 2 March 2007
Synopsis
To Ava (Haylie Duff) and Tanzie Marchetta (Hilary Duff), adult responsibilities are making sure their shoes are in season, getting into the right clubs, and, in Ava's case, being engaged to the right TV star. Ava and Tanzie are the "face" of Marchetta Cosmetics, the mega-company their late father founded and as a consequence they've never had to develop any skills beyond looking good.
Other than the occasional board meeting or photo shoot, the sisters mostly let their father's trusted partner, Tommy (Brent Spiner) and CFO Craig (Obba Babatunde), look after the company while their housekeeper, Inez (Maria Conchita Alonso), the only "mother" they've ever known, looks after their house.
When Tommy presents a takeover offer from their father's arch-rival Fabiella (Anjelica Huston), Tanzie takes a stand firmly against the thought of Fabiella taking over what their father believed in so passionately.
But Ava and Tanzie's world is turned upside down when an investigative reporter publishes the news that one of Marchetta's best products is a health hazard. Suddenly, the media is hounding the socialite sisters for something other than paparazzi pictures. When their assets are frozen, their staff flee. Soon their house and car are gone too and the two sisters are left with nothing.
Though the easiest option would be to let Fabiella take the company and walk away with millions, the girls realise they're tougher than that and set out to get to the bottom of the accusations against their dad. With the help of Inez and some new friends - a Marchetta chemist (Marcus Coloma) and a free legal aid attorney (Lukas Haas) - Ava and Tanzie use skills and resources they never knew they had to grow up, clear their father's name, and in the process, discover who they really are.
MATERIAL GIRLS stars acclaimed performers and real-life sisters Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff, who team up for the first time. The film is directed by Martha Coolidge from a script by John Quaintance, Amy Rardin and Jessica O'Toole.
