"From Prada to Nada" is a provocative, whimisical story about a duo of sisters Nora and Mary (Camilla Belle and Alexa Penavega) who are a couple of spolied sisters who live in the trendy part of Los Angeles, Rodeo Drive. Near their father's 55th birthday, he had a sudden heart attack and died. In his will the only thing he left his daughters was heartbreak as he was financially bannkrupt and his illegitimate son Gabe was given the house and he along with his selfish girlfriend kick the sisters out of their house. Nora and Mary go on to live with their aunt in the not-so-trendy part of East Lost Angeles. This set out the beginning of new world for them without their fancy clothes or expensive cars, but something more precious than a gold karat bracelet, their heritage that was overlooked due their spoiled, materialistic pasts.
I'm sure this movie has been done before, but the whole story is a different take on a previous film starring the Duff sisters Hilary and Hayley Duff called "Material Girls". Although the plot offers nothing new here, I would choose "From Prada to Nada" over "Material Girls" mainly because I would rather hear these sisters interact with each other rather than to listen to the Duff sisters annoy me with their over-the-top Valley girl accent!
Like "Material Girls", the narrative of "From Prada to Nada" is generally the same story with a more cultural twist to it. We have two wealthy upper class socialite sisters who have everything they can dream of. Nora Dominguez is studying to become a lawyer while her sister Mary spends most of days crusing around the richest part of Los Angeles buying every expensive item she can get her hands on. The ride on shiny expensive cars, hang out with the most elite groups and live in a big fancy mansion.
So one day their father suddenly dies from a sudden heart attack right in front of them. When it came time for their will, the lawyer reveals that he left them nothing but grief when it was revealed that before his death he was nearing bankruptcy and never had the heart to tell them. Suddenly an illegitimate son arrives on the scene and he and his wife who are also stinking rich buy the house and the two sisters are kicked out of the establishment. This is where the two sisters journey to a new life begins without Ferarris and Armanis.
The movie claims it's based off the novel "Sense and Sensibility" by English author Jane Austen. I'll take their word on it. The sisters move into their maternal aunt in the not-so-rich part of East Los Angeles. They are now forced to adapt to their Hispanic culture that was never given to them by their rich father.
We are introduced to an intimidating neighbour across the street named Bruno (Wilmer Valderrama) who looks like the stereotypical hoodlum who wears a hoodie over his head but is really a cool guy. He also seems attracted to Mary, but at first, she never gives him the time of day.
I don't think we need to go on with the plot any further, but like every film where characters seem like they fit into their new way of life there's always the familiar tropes that come with the narrative. They hate their new life at first, they slowly adapt, they start to like those around them, they learn their lessons in life and finally they become better indiivduals in their new journey. In this case, the sisters have developed confidence in themselves by raking control of their own accomplishments while also becoming adjusted to their Hispanic culture.
And while the movie flows very nicely and plot is easy to move along to felling very much like some movie you would likely see on the Hallmark Channel. The main red herring here is that the plot does ten to beome a bit too much by-the-numbers. You know when things traspire from a mile away. It's like if you seen one romantic comedy, you likely see how things unfold in the end which doesn't have any kind of unexpected elements featured. This movie however is no exeception. And sure this sisterly duo is a better performed thah the Duff sisters, it's ony just a small fragment better. All the other subplots are all just saccharine fueld filler. But it's something we kind of expected.
And though "From Prada to Nada" is much better than "Material Girls", it's still far from anything great. There's nothing new to offer and every scene just falls into place and we all knew what was coming our way. What makes up for the unoriginal plot is that the performances are very well portrayed and the cast fit nicely to the roles that were given to them. The settings were quite impressive and the soundtrack had some very good songs. On the DVD, the extras are quite informative and impressive showing that although unoriginal a lot of heart was put into the making of the movie. In the end I do reommend you see this movie from a cultural perspective, just don't expect the roll your eyes "it's been done before" to not show up.
I'm sure this movie has been done before, but the whole story is a different take on a previous film starring the Duff sisters Hilary and Hayley Duff called "Material Girls". Although the plot offers nothing new here, I would choose "From Prada to Nada" over "Material Girls" mainly because I would rather hear these sisters interact with each other rather than to listen to the Duff sisters annoy me with their over-the-top Valley girl accent!
Like "Material Girls", the narrative of "From Prada to Nada" is generally the same story with a more cultural twist to it. We have two wealthy upper class socialite sisters who have everything they can dream of. Nora Dominguez is studying to become a lawyer while her sister Mary spends most of days crusing around the richest part of Los Angeles buying every expensive item she can get her hands on. The ride on shiny expensive cars, hang out with the most elite groups and live in a big fancy mansion.
So one day their father suddenly dies from a sudden heart attack right in front of them. When it came time for their will, the lawyer reveals that he left them nothing but grief when it was revealed that before his death he was nearing bankruptcy and never had the heart to tell them. Suddenly an illegitimate son arrives on the scene and he and his wife who are also stinking rich buy the house and the two sisters are kicked out of the establishment. This is where the two sisters journey to a new life begins without Ferarris and Armanis.
The movie claims it's based off the novel "Sense and Sensibility" by English author Jane Austen. I'll take their word on it. The sisters move into their maternal aunt in the not-so-rich part of East Los Angeles. They are now forced to adapt to their Hispanic culture that was never given to them by their rich father.
We are introduced to an intimidating neighbour across the street named Bruno (Wilmer Valderrama) who looks like the stereotypical hoodlum who wears a hoodie over his head but is really a cool guy. He also seems attracted to Mary, but at first, she never gives him the time of day.
I don't think we need to go on with the plot any further, but like every film where characters seem like they fit into their new way of life there's always the familiar tropes that come with the narrative. They hate their new life at first, they slowly adapt, they start to like those around them, they learn their lessons in life and finally they become better indiivduals in their new journey. In this case, the sisters have developed confidence in themselves by raking control of their own accomplishments while also becoming adjusted to their Hispanic culture.
And while the movie flows very nicely and plot is easy to move along to felling very much like some movie you would likely see on the Hallmark Channel. The main red herring here is that the plot does ten to beome a bit too much by-the-numbers. You know when things traspire from a mile away. It's like if you seen one romantic comedy, you likely see how things unfold in the end which doesn't have any kind of unexpected elements featured. This movie however is no exeception. And sure this sisterly duo is a better performed thah the Duff sisters, it's ony just a small fragment better. All the other subplots are all just saccharine fueld filler. But it's something we kind of expected.
And though "From Prada to Nada" is much better than "Material Girls", it's still far from anything great. There's nothing new to offer and every scene just falls into place and we all knew what was coming our way. What makes up for the unoriginal plot is that the performances are very well portrayed and the cast fit nicely to the roles that were given to them. The settings were quite impressive and the soundtrack had some very good songs. On the DVD, the extras are quite informative and impressive showing that although unoriginal a lot of heart was put into the making of the movie. In the end I do reommend you see this movie from a cultural perspective, just don't expect the roll your eyes "it's been done before" to not show up.