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Avg. Critic Score: 17 out of 100 Overwhelming dislike Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
10 Iffy for 10+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 50
    Boston Globe |

    Isn't as witty, stylish, or sophisticated as the similarly themed "The Devil Wears Prada." Material Girls is pitched to the Seventeen crowd, and it succeeds on its own terms. These days, even pre teens live in a material world. Read full review

  • 50
    Variety | Joe Leydon

    It's less substantial than cotton candy, but Material Girls is as slickly produced as one of the Marchetta TV spots. Read full review

  • 38
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    A superficial tween comedy that mocks celebutantes like the Olsen twins while simultaneously pushing stars Hilary and Haylie Duff as their replacements. Read full review

  • 30
    L.A. Weekly |

    The Duffs don't even fully commit to their characters here -- they''e seemingly undecided about whether they can get away with being shallow and bratty without ruining their family-friendly images. Read full review

  • 30
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    The real-life sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff star in this incompetent spin on the poor-little-rich-girl story. Read full review

  • 25
    The Onion A.V. Club |

    The most shocking moment comes during the closing credits, when it's revealed that not one, not two, but three screenwriters were responsible for a plot that someone seems to have hastily slapped together after taking a walk around a Sephora outlet while listening to "Beat Of My Heart" on loop. Read full review

  • 16
    Entertainment Weekly |

    It's not "Clueless," just clueless. Read full review

  • 0
    Austin Chronicle | Russell Smith

    Mainly offers fodder for tweens who fantasize about glamorous Los Angeles lifestyles where everyone is skinny, rich, and on Prozac. It's a film where gays and minorities not only fit into stereotypes, but embrace them. Read full review

  • 0
    New York Post | Lou Lumenick

    There is plenty of blame to go around for this laughless mess. Read full review

  • 0
    The Hollywood Reporter | Frank Scheck

    Even by the low standards of the genre it represents, this female teen comedy represents a new nadir. Read full review

View more reviews for Material Girls on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 10+ A brain-numbing, fluffy flick for tweens.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie makes some weird editorial choices, such as having one of the lead characters dress like a prostitute to get information, which lands her in jail with real prostitutes. There's brief drinking, smoking, and plenty of bad attitudes. Some profanity (s--t). There's lots of products advertised in the movie, not to mention that Hilary Duff's new perfume is handed out in a scratch-and-sniff card with the movie tickets. The sisters' father dies, and their mother abandons them to move to Europe with an Egyptian prince (although we don't see this). The sisters' maid fills in as their "mom."
  • Families can talk about this movie's themes: growing up, taking responsibility, and dealing with loss. The sisters also have to learn how to ask for help, rather than expecting everything to fall in their laps. How do you handle it when your world falls apart? Also, is it more important to have "things" or family and friends who love you? What are some of the signs to look for when you're not sure someone is acting in your best interest?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Mixed: placing value on "things," lying, breaking and entering, realizing true friends, learning the value of hard work.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: The sisters' house is pelted with fruit and eggs after a scandal; they're chased by guard dogs; a corporate exec is smacked on the head with a notebook.
  • sex false0 Sex: Tanzie dresses like a prostitute to get information; the girls dress in tight skirts and low-cut tops; flirting and kissing; provocative foot massages; on a TV soap opera, a character refers to "sleeping with your father" and taking 3 months of birth control pills to commit suicide.
  • language false3 Language: "S--t happens," "pee," "screw," "bite me", etc.
  • consumerism false5 Consumerism: Mercedes Benz, Dominos Pizza, Pepsi, Rolodex, Chanel and other fashions. Hilary Duff's new perfume is handed out in a scratch-and-sniff card with the movie tickets.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Ava lights a cigarette and starts their house on fire; various characters smoke and drink; a reference to prescription drugs.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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