From Prada to Nada

When their father dies bankrupt, two Mexican-American sisters (Camilla Belle, Alexa Vega) lose their Beverly Hills mansion and are forced to move in with an aunt in the barrio, where they get back in touch with the Hispanic roots they’ve ignored for so long. Directed by Angel Gracia and written by Fina Torres, Luis Alfaro and Craig Fernandez (remotely inspired by Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility), things are enjoyable enough to begin with, albeit a bit awkward and self-conscious. But the writing is more than a little trite, the direction more than a little slack, and before long the movie exhausts the modest reserves of good will built up by its good intentions and the charms of the two stars. Wilmer Valderrama, as a neighbor breaking down the snobbery of the younger sister (Vega), is a real presence.