From Prada to Nada (2011)

From Prada to Nada, a Latino take on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility is a fun movie about what happens when children from a wealthy family come into the realization that their father, who appeared to have a lot of money on the surface, is in bankruptcy. This comes about as the father died on his birthday, and their illegitimate brother (from an affair the father had before they were born) moves in to take what is left of his assets. The brother and his wife have a viable career selling homes and wants to buy the home they're in.

The girls move out to live with their aunt in East LA in the ghetto. They run into working class Latinos that do not wear couture, but hoodies and "street" attire. They have to eat carbs, and forsake their high protein diet. It is your typical 'hood, that used to be Jewish, then Japanese, then Latino. It is an interesting contrast between the haves and "have nots", and shows us what happens when you take kids from a wealthy neighborhood and put them in a poor neighborhood where one has to content with gunshots, meager accommodations, and other "working class" issues.

These Americanized Latino teenagers, that do not even know how to speak Spanish, end up appreciating true Mexican culture, as opposed to their white-washed, mainstream take on Latino culture. A contemporary take on an old classic is a nice way to explore vintage literature. The girls find love, are lied to, their hearts are broken. One ends up learning how to speak Spanish, but still longs for life back in Beverly Hills. The other embraces the working class culture. The girls come of age in a working class neighborhood, far from their "Prada" roots, but are better off for it.