User Reviews

I can't believe that this movie wasn't more popular; maybe the trailer and the commercials made people think this was just another dumb/dumber romance movie. I didn't see it in a theatre because I think it didn't play more than a week here. The story is more involved than the advertising would have you believe. Two young women whose parents were from Mexico have been brought up in the lap of luxury in Beverly Hills; they find out when their father suddenly dies that they have no money, a brother they never knew, and then lose their home when the brother's greedy wife kicks them out and sells the house. They move in with their mother's sister who lives in East L.A. and are suddenly overwhelmed by culture shock. This is based on Sense and Sensibility; it has been changed to the southern California/Mexican subculture wonderfully. The film is filled with colorful scenes, the music is fantastic, and the acting is excellent from everyone. What a shame this movie didn't get the audience it deserves. I had never seen the majority of the actors in the film, other than Wilmer Valderrama who plays Bruno and gives a fine performance. The cast was wonderful, very true to life. Definitely a movie worth watching.

I saw the trailer on this movie while watching another movie and made a point to see it. I was disappointed in what could have been a great story line turn out to be cheesy.

Possible Spoiler: There were a handful of points in the movie that I found myself asking, what? For instance, I couldn't figure out why the illegitimate brother was able to live in the house and remodel it as opposed to the bank taking it back for bankruptcy debt. Or, how the youngest could still afford college? Or how the oldest had possibly not finished college but had her pick of jobs as an attorney.

I loved the idea although of it being a film about the Hispanic culture and an inside view of the barrio. There was a sense of community and culture in the film that I loved. I think we need more films by Hispanic producers, writers and actors.

When I rented this movie from Redbox I was looking for something light hearted & funny! I was pleasantly surprised that this movie delivered both!I liked the Hispanic twist in the movie! I thought it showed how people of all nationalities can work together, regardless of their perceived social status. A riches to rags story! What do two wealthy Hispanic sisters do, when they discover that their fortune from Daddy dearest has suddenly disappeared? Mary & Nora are forced to make a decision on how they will live their lives and start over! The two sisters find themselves trying to make the best of a bad situation! Nora takes law school seriously, which doesn't leave her much time for any romantic relationships. Mary, Nora's younger sister, loves her fancy labels and only dates wealthy good looking men. Though the two sisters are totally opposite, they find themselves working together to start their lives over again with a new beginning! This movie gives us a glimpse on how to handle adversities in our lives when we are faced with unexpected circumstances? Will we allow the circumstances to steal our joy or will we look at our circumstances as a new adventure down an unknown path? A cute story about two sisters who find their lives turned upside down, when their father unexpectedly dies and leaves them penniless! Even though the two sisters are totally opposite, they find a way to come together and sort out their lives! Will Nora open up to the possibility of a new love and still be able to have her dream career? Will Mary discover that fancy labels, fast cars and rich men are not all they are cracked up to be? Discover how Nora & Mary put together the pieces of their fractured lives and learn a whole new way of living!

I had anticipated a better story line but was sadly disappointed. I had difficulty figuring out when the climax would come - it never came. I can not find the connection to Jane Austen's literary work in no other way than by the fact that they lose it all when 'daddy' dies. The two main characters 'Beverly Hills' background is evidently inconsistent with their actions. For instance, no one goes to her brother's engagement party wearing such a cheap dress! And, for a go- getter, Mary falls way too short and ends up in a more than predictable car accident. The director and scriptwriter could have done much better. And, when you are a leader and are highly respected in your business, you do not go and buy a house in the ghetto. It's simply inconsistent with who the character is.

"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.

The "big joke" in "From Prada to Nada" is that two spoilt rich girls, Nora Dominguez (Camilla Belle) and Mary Dominguez (Alex Vega) are, owing to a sequence of events (too boring to discuss), forced to abandon their upper class lifestyle for a working class lifestyle in a Mexican community in southern Los Angeles. This premise might have been turned into a successful comedy, if the Mexican characters were made into more intelligent people and if the dialogue was sharp and witty. Unfortunately, this film falls way below that standard. There is not a single joke in this movie that works.

I also suspect that the makers of this movie gave up on the jokes about midway and decided to hedge their bets with a clumsy soap opera to encourage some viewers to pull out their kleenexes. But you won't need kleenexes for "From Prada to Nada," because this film is essentially a long catalogue of boring clichés and stereotypes. The Mexican women are all fat and superstitious and consume lots of fatty food. The Mexican men rarely shave, wear sweaty t-shirts that have not seen a washing machine for weeks, and spend all day repairing cars. The romances in this film are clichés which you can predict before they unfold. Nora Dominguez and Edward Ferris (Nicholas D'Agosto) are two good natured nerds who work at the same law firm and fall in love. They live happily ever after. No secret there. Mary Dominguez falls for the rich stud, a Mexican teaching assistant named Rodrigo Fuentes (Kuno Becker). But we know there is something very wrong with Rodrigo -- he is either cheating on Mary or married to another woman -- because Mary is supposed to fall in love with the nice Mexican boy named Bruno (played by Wilmer Valderrama of the "70s Show" fame) who repairs cars and paints graffiti on the walls. Perhaps these clichés would not have been so irksome, if the characters in this movie were at least interesting. "Leap Year" was a predictable movie, but that did not seem to matter when you saw Matthew Goode and Amy Adams performing so well together. But unfortunately for "From Prada to Nada" no one at the screenplay level, to the direction, to the production put much effort in creating interesting characters and making this film succeed as a comedy or a romantic picture. Thumbs way down. 3.4/10

About these two sisters who were extremely rich and knew no other world but the one of Beverly Hill's. But not until their father died and bankruptcy came face to face with them. They needed to sell their home and live somewhere else. Unfortunately, 'somewhere else' was East LA, in where they finally saw their family roots and cultures they never tried of seeing. Adaption was hard, but with love being learned and found… it wouldn't be much.

I do not know why others did not like this, but I actually found it worth the watch. I liked how they came from being so clueless about life to finding ways to live. It is something pretty realistic—perhaps not about the mansion and all that—but getting into a life you never had the chance to live… or even see, then eventually love it. But two things that I did not like were the fast-paced love affairs of the Dominguez sisters and the way the director (maybe) did not make it seem like they were losing everything they once took for granted. (Fun with Dick and Jane is a good example for a good one.) Over-all, it was satisfying.

This movie is completely the same as Material Girls with Hilary and Haylie Duff. There are two rich, spoiled sisters who lost their fortune and they have to manage on their own. The title is lovely and I can see that many people link it with The Devil Wears Prada, but it has nothing to do with it. I was surprised when I saw Wilmer Valderrama. He's so hot in this movie and I was like -Is that Fez from 70's Show? What a transformation! I like Mexican culture, houses, costumes and everything. However, I think I wasted my time watching this movie. When I saw Prada in title I thought that it's something about fashion, but it isn't. I recommend it to everybody who loves romantic, teenage comedies.