The Devil Wears Prada: Devilishly Delightful
The Devil Wears Prada (starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep) is a charming, fun escape into the darker side of the fashion industry. It’s a coming of age story about a girl taking on a new job with the boss from hell – or should I say Runway Magazine?
Her character Andy Sachs is just a step away from applying to Auto-Universe in desperate attempt to become a journalist. Though she has no interest in fashion, and she’s never heard of Runway or its editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly, she applies for the job of second assistant. Miranda’s first assistant, Emily, wants nothing to do with Andy and starts to dismiss her, but Miranda quickly over-rules her saying that the first two assistants Emily sent her were incompetent.
Soon, Andy realizes that she has bit off more than she can chew and she is spending her days running around franticly: to get coffee, coordinate meetings, borrow the advance copy of Harry Potter, visit showrooms, and get “the book” (a mock-up of the current magazine) ready for Miranda.
What was great about the film-adaptation of Lauren Weisberger’s book is that it was realistic and subtly acted. Scenes that could have been over-the-top were artfully done and colored with a richness that would not have been present without Meryl Streep. She is fabulous as the domineering Miranda Priestly.
Streep’s performance is so magnificent that at the end of The Devil Wears Prada you come to love the woman who you hated with a passion in the first hour of the movie. Miranda Priestly fleshes out into a 3 dimensional person with wants, needs, and complex emotions that do not take away from her ruthlessness.
Stanley Tucci also gave a notable performance. He plays Nigel, the art director for Runway and Andy’s fairy god-father. Without Nigel, Andy would have stayed a frustrated, frumpy, and half-committed assistant who was perpetually about 15 minutes away from being fired. Tucci’s character is the only person at Runway with sympathy for “the new girl” and when she hits a huge stumbling block, Nigel gives her the career make-over of a lifetime.
Fashionistas will also be impressed by the inclusion of supermodel Gisele Bundchen who plays Serena. Of course, the clothes are elegant and luxurious and Anne Hathaway is absolutely stunning with layered hair and a little extra make-up.
While her character is a “chubby” girl by fashion standards, she is gorgeous and her figure is highlighted to perfection. I am sure many people would be satisfied just to watch The Devil Wears Prada for the clothes. It is pretty much a 2 hour fashion show with a little emotion and a Pygmalion storyline.
On the whole, I thought The Devil Wears Prada was delightful. It was charming in all of the right places and full of beautiful people in gorgeous clothes. My only concern for the film was the way that the plot was shifted so that Andy’s friends complained about her work and the change in personality.
The reaction of Andy’s boyfriend and best friend was a bit extreme, though this severity definitely reinforced the idea that Runway had the ability to change Andy into a different person. It wasn’t particularly realistic though it was perhaps feasible. However, my issues with Andy’s friends aside, I will rate this movie 4 out of 5 because it is certainly fun to watch.
