The Film
If I have to hear the Spice Girls one more time... I hate classic rock.
That's a real line from a real movie, titled Material Girls. The film's big hook is that it features real-life sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff as movie sisters, who are wealthy and privileged. Talk about a stretch! The "hilarity" ensues when a scandal hits and the two are stripped of their wealth and forced to live like the rest of us.
Material Girls is obviously a play on spoiled celebutantes like the Hilton sisters. That's fine and well if we thought for two seconds that the Duff girls weren't cut from the exact same cloth.
Maybe little girls don't think that of Hilary and Haylie -- and that is the target demographic for this poorly acted, poorly written story. Even worse, it ropes Lukas Haas and Oscar winner Anjelica Huston in for the crappy ride.
Director Martha Coolidge used to have a golden touch with goofy films like this. She's responsible for cult '80s comedies Valley Girl and Real Genius. Of course, that was like 20 years ago and with a pre-cheesy Nicolas Cage and Val Kilmer. Those were two films that marked the beginnings of two careers. This one nails two birds with one horrible stone. Congrats!
The Picture
With a name like Material Girls, we expect a whole lot of bling. Sadly, those diamonds seem a little rough in this 2.40:1 transfer. The film has strong black levels, some detail, and a few bubbly colors to match the high energy that the film tries to latch onto. However, it just seems that a movie focused on makeup and fashion could pop a bit more. Instead, it comes off looking like one of Martha Coolidge's greatest hits from the '80s. For a movie that was made in 2006, there should be more detail and less of a dated image.
The Sound
Material Girls is a dialogue-heavy film, with most of the DTS-HD Master Audio track hovering around the front speakers. With the exception of the occasional rumble of fancy cars or red carpet crowds, there isn't much ambience for the surrounds. However, this is a Hilary Duff movie, meaning there will be uber-perky pop music, and you can expect that to make you jump more than a few times during the film's 98-minute runtime.
The Extras
Just a quick note about the disc's navigation: Material Girls doesn't offer any previews or even a main menu. It just jumps right into the movie, possibly to get things over as quickly as possible. That said, of the audio setup, subtitles and special features need to be accessed through the pop-up menu.
Of course, this is assuming you'd want to access any of the "special" features. Most are typical fare. The "Getting to Know" piece is an obvious promo, with under 10 minutes of SD footage and audio that sounds like it was filmed inside a giant tin can. The casting piece ups the audio quality, but doesn't offer much more info.
The real surprise is the director Martha Coolidge obviously believed in this movie enough to show up and do a commentary. It's a decent track, with the director talking about how the movie is designed to spoof the young celebrity lifestyle. She really seems to like the Duff girls, which is nice and all. However, can someone please get this woman a better movie?
Final Thoughts
Material Girls teaches a nice "money doesn't buy happiness" lesson. However, it does seem to buy you a nice wardrobe and perfectly coifed hair. Little girls may appreciate the fashions, the songs and the hijinks, but there has to be a less painful movie (or 17 of them) that delivers the exact same message.
Product Details
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