Synopsis

Spoiled sisters Ava and Tanzie Marchetta inherit their father's cosmetics empire and a life of luxury. When a scandal destroys the company's reputation and freezes their fortune, the young heiresses must leave their mansion and confront ordinary life. With help from an unlikely ally, they work to clear the family name, repair the business, and discover that privilege has not prepared them for adulthood.

Factoids & Trivia

• The screenplay was originally written for Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen. Anne Hathaway and Lindsay Lohan reportedly auditioned for the roles before they went to Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff.

• The film marked the first feature-film pairing of the real-life Duff sisters.

• Production began on April 18, 2005, in Los Angeles. The movie was eventually acquired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and released theatrically on August 18, 2006.

• The title and the film's musical identity draw directly from Madonna's "Material Girl." Hilary and Haylie Duff recorded their own version for the soundtrack and opening sequence.

• Several comic details were improvised during filming. Hilary Duff contributed lines and behavior for her character, including the exaggerated "Lucy" walk used in the maids' scene.

• Brent Spiner's line about being "beamed up" is a deliberate Star Trek reference, adding an in-joke connected to his best-known screen role.

• The film received largely negative reviews and had a brief theatrical run, but its sister-act premise and fashion-heavy tone have helped it remain recognizable as a mid-2000s teen comedy.