The Devil Wears Prada Review
Posted by Matthew Craggs on 07.04.2006
Meanwhile, this 411 Mania writer wears Wal Mart
Meryl Streep … Miranda Priestly
Anne Hathaway … Andy Sachs
Emily Blunt … Emily
Stanley Tucci … Nigel
Adrian Grenier .. Nate
Simon Baker … Christian Thompson
Twentieth Century Fox presents a film directed by David Frankel. Written by Aline Brosh McKenna, based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger. Runtime: 106 minutes. Rated PG-13.
I admit that I went into this picture completely unprepared. I know nothing about fashion as business, or fashion as style, but I do know that there is a lot of money and a lot of jobs in it, and you have to appreciate that. To my credit I knew more than the main character.
Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is a wide eyed journalism grad. She visits the human resources department at a major publishing company and gets thrust into a job interview with Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). Miranda, allegedly based on Vogue editor Anna Wintour, is as hard assed as they come, and such high maintenance that Andy isn’t interviewed for a position as assistant. No, Andy is being interviewed for a spot as assistant to the assistant.
As anyone who has seen the trailer knows the interview doesn’t go well. Andy is horribly dressed and referred to as fat by fashion standards. This is a part of the film where my naivety comes into play because I can’t see where the character went wrong with her dress. Andy gets the job despite the fashion faux pas because Miranda is constantly disappointed by the stylish blonde girls and wants to take a chance on a “smart, fat girl.”
Teaching Andy the ropes is first assistant Emily (Emily Blunt). Emily is comically condescending in the way she consistently berates Andy. In fact, each staff have their own little jabs at the new girl and they all strike up at least a chuckle, no matter how obvious they are.
The first few weeks are painful for Andy as she doesn’t fit in and begins to doubt herself. The fast paced lifestyle and twelve hour days take their toll on her morale until one of Miranda’s go-to-guys, Nigel (Stanley Tucci), gives some advice. He tells Andy that she needs to adapt to the environment to impress Miranda. Pouting about how much you dislike the fashion business will get you nowhere. Be happy to be there, I would say that’s sound advice. Andy takes it, and Nigel helps her get glamorous by raiding the archives of the faux Vogue. Andy begins to fit in, she furthers her career, and, as expected, her friends begins complaining that she isn’t “the same Andy that I know” and her boyfriend pouts when she misses his birthday party.
The last act spirals towards a conclusion where Andy must decide how she wants to get ahead, what’s most important to her, and other clichés. Needless to say, the ending is a complete cop out and ruins any momentum the film had going for it.
The Devil Wears Prada would have been a decent picture if the characters were better defined. The problem with Andy’s circle of friends is that they chastise Andy for behavior for which she is not guilty. Her boyfriend mopes about how much time she is spending at work when (A) the job is temporary, because “when you work for Miranda Priestly you can work anywhere in publishing,” and (B) she has taken a job with a incredible amount of responsibility, with a lot of money and jobs riding her ability to assist Miranda. A friend of Andy’s walks out of an A-list party because she is offended when a dashing freelance writer (Simon Baker) kisses Andy on the cheek. Afterall, “That isn’t the Andy that I know.” Andy’s social circle consistently looks for anything to bring her down.
Ironically, the least vicious character is Miranda. She treats her employee’s horribly, but she does so because she wants her magazine to succeed. There are millions of dollars riding on her performance, and each minute of her day is money. Compare that behavior Andy’s boyfriend who gives her a guilt trip because she is wearing different clothes. What behavior is more justified?
We are given a plot where we’re supposed to side with those who think Andy has changed, even though she is the same on the inside. Even so, The Devil Wears Prada will give you a few laughs, and the scenes where Emily explains the goings-on within the doors of the fictional Runway magazine are interesting. These scenes are worth a rental.
The 411: The Devil Wears Prada is definitely aimed at an audience who knows the difference between Prada and… and… umm… some other type of high class fashion. Prada can be funny, but is ultimately confusing with a lame ending. Worth a rental.
