Material Girl 2020

Two sisters, Tanzie and Ava, live in the glittering orbit of Hollywood’s elite, always chasing the next party, the next sale, the next romance. They drift through life with money in their pockets and little care for Marchetta Cosmetics, the cosmetics company their late father helped found and run alongside the longtime family friend, Tommy Katzenbach. Tanzie is about to head off to college, while Ava is buzzing with plans to announce her engagement to Mick. The company, though still a shadow in the background, is clearly not their priority, and the weight of their father’s legacy remains mostly unseen by eyes dazzled by Prada bags and private jets.

A brutal media storm erupts when the public learns about a disfigurement linked to Marchetta’s night cream. The scandal isn’t just about a product—it threatens the entire family, and their father’s reputation, which has always seemed untouchable, begins to crumble. In the wake of the fall, Ava and Tanzie retreat to the safety of their mansion, hoping to weather the storm with their usual swagger intact. The pair are forced to confront the harsh reality that fame and wealth can be as fragile as a last-minute fashion trend.

In a dramatic kitchen-table moment, Tanzie spills nail polish remover while preparing a home spa, and Ava’s cigarette or the ensuing argument ignites a fire. In the chaos, Ava clutches their father’s watch and her engagement party dress, while Tanzie grabs the TiVo box filled with recordings of her father speaking about his beloved cosmetics. They flee to a hotel, only to discover their credit cards are blocked, leaving them utterly broke and stripped of their glamorous identities. They move in with Inez, their loyal maid and family friend, in her modest apartment, and even their car is stolen by two men they naïvely mistake for valets.

The next morning, with no wheels, the sisters hop on a bus and walk the rest of the way to Ava’s engagement party. They’re turned away at the door, and even their friend Etienne pretends not to see them. It becomes painfully clear: people were only fond of them for their money. Mick’s agent, Sol, drops Ava as the engagement becomes “a liability” in the boardroom—a blow that reveals the transactional nature of their circle.

Tommy’s plan to keep Marchetta alive takes shape: he wants the board to sell Marchetta Cosmetics to its archrival, Fabiella, for about $60 million, a sum that would smooth the family’s path back to their former lifestyle. The clock starts ticking—the stockholders meeting looms in thirty days, and the sisters face an imminent loss of the one thing that has tethered them to their old life.

Rather than surrender to despair, the sisters decide to fight. With Rick, their lab technician and a source of quiet support, they drift toward a new purpose: to become private investigators and uncover the truth behind the smear campaign. They enlist Henry, a free legal clinic lawyer, who initially refuses to help because they aren’t “underprivileged” enough. But Henry’s stubbornness softens as the sisters insist on protecting their father’s legacy and reclaiming Marchetta’s name. The case becomes more than a fight for money—it becomes a quest to restore a family’s honor.

Their investigation deepens as Tanzie spots a woman connected to the disfigurement scandal in an eczema documentary on KLAE. Disguises and daring moves lead Tanzie to the file room, but her bold approach lands her in trouble and she’s arrested for fraud and trespassing. Ava, however, doesn’t abandon her sister. She pawns her precious Rolex, a symbol of the life she’s losing, to post Tanzie’s bail, and Henry helps her realize that family matters more than material wealth.

The trail reveals a troubling lie—Margo Thorness’s claim that Marchetta paid for her cosmetic surgery after the alleged damage was falsified. Neighbors confirm that Margo’s story doesn’t hold up; she was born with a skin condition rather than a consequence of Marchetta’s products. The sisters press on, meeting with the board and finally exposing the truth: Tommy was behind the scandal, fabricating testimonials and siphoning money from the sisters’ own accounts to prop up his scheme. With the board’s confidence shattered, Tommy is fired, and Marchetta’s name is cleared.

Six months pass, and a new future takes shape. Ava steps into the role of CEO, steering the company with a steadier hand, while Tanzie returns to school and contributes as a chemist. In their personal lives, Ava begins a relationship with Henry, and Tanzie rekindles a romance with Rick. The sisters have moved past the excesses of their former life and embraced a future built on integrity, loyalty, and a wiser view of what family—and a legacy—truly mean. What began as a glamorous escape ends with a recommitment to the core values that built Marchetta Cosmetics, proving that truth, perseverance, and partnership can outshine even the brightest spotlight.