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.

Believing this to be a comedy, I sat down to watch it, only to find out that the movie was more of a romantic drama, than it was a comedy. So was that a bad thing? No, because "From Prada to Nada" turned out to be a rather nice cultural movie of sorts.

The story is about two sisters who live in luxury in Beverly Hills, when their father drops dead on his 55th birthday. Finding out that their father was a risk-taker and is in serious debt, the sisters Nora (played by Camilla Belle) and Mary (played by Alexa Vega) have to pack up their things and move to East Los Angeles to live with their Mexican family. This is somewhat of a change of lifestyle and a whole new world for the rich man's daughters.

I will say that "From Prada to Nada" turned out to be more than just a 'riches to rags' story. It deals with finding yourself even when odds are stacked against you, and finding your heritage even after having deluded yourself otherwise. And, of course, it is a story of family bonds and of finding love.

There were aspects and parts of the movie that were venturing down the 'chick flick' lane, while other parts of the movie were so predictable that you saw it coming a mile away. But still, "From Prada to Nada" turned out to be an enjoyable and somewhat beautiful movie.

The people cast for the various roles were doing good jobs, and especially Camilla Belle and Alexa Vega carried the movie quite well. And it was nice to see Wilmer Valderrama in this movie as well.

If you enjoy a moving with a loving story and a story that is close to life and realistic, then you should give "From Prada to Nada" a watch, because it is well worth it.

Two polar opposite sisters suddenly find themselves poor upon the death of their father. They discover they have a brother who takes 1/3. They move from Beverly Hills to East LA to live with their estranged aunt. The two sisters were excellently portrayed by Camille Bell and Alexa Vega who managed to shine through a predictable script with a weak plot and lack of character building. While attempting to break with the negative stereotypes of Latino-Americans it reinforces others.

The movie carries a message about the importance of family and is the perfect film for the teenage drama queen in your life. It might be fairer to the movie and Jane Austin to claim the film was inspired by her book rather than being based on it.

PARENTAL GUIDE: No nudity. No sex, although it shows Alexa waking up in bed with a man, no f-bombs.