The Devil Wears Prada starts with a young woman, Andy (really Andrea) Sachs (Anne Hathaway) preparing for a job interview. We see her getting ready, with a less than perfect sense of style, while other women in the city are also preparing – each with an immaculate sense of style. She is treated like a joke by the no.1 personal assistant (Andy is going for the no.2 PA role), and basically treated with disdain at every turn. Then she meets Miranda Priestly (Merryl Streep), fashion guru and Editor-in-chief of the magazine “Runway”, for whom she would work. Basically, everyone who works in this glossy fashion magazine seems to be a very nasty person. Still, it’s a good opportunity…
The Devil Wears Prada is a look at the fashion industry, taking many satirical swipes at the ludicrousness of some aspects of it, but acknowledging the fact the many people practically worship those that make the decisions. Andy will need to become hardened to survive in the job, and become as ruthless as those around her to thrive in it – but at what cost to her personal life and integrity?
Anne Hathaway does very well in her role, going from sweet and somewhat frumpy to style queen who is tormented by the fact that her overall niceness is being overtaken by her job. She is totally believable in both aspects of her role and really looks the part, either as style-outcast or style-goddess. Merryl Streep obviously enjoys being the fast-talking, excessively demanding boss, though towards the end of the film I did think her performance broke down slightly. This isn’t a film where the nasty people turn out to be nice in the end – just that they have accepted being horrible to be part of life and getting what they want. A case in point is Emily Blunt (just “Emily” in the film), the no.1 assistant, who is brilliant in her role and an absolutely hideous person. (Not at all bad-looking though, of course.) Stanley Tucci’s character was a little different and somewhat difficult to really work out – he seemed to accept who and what he had become to get ahead in the job, but not actually to particularly approve of it. Yet he decried Andy for not throwing herself into her job and becoming passionate about the fashion industry (which she thoroughly abhorred to begin with). Stanley Tucci is, as always, superb, but I was a little mystified by one or two aspects of his character’s personality. Of all the people working at Runway other than Andy, Nigel is the only character that is at all likeable. (Well, after the first couple of scenes he’s in, anyway!)
The other performances in the film are fine, though really of little note. The whole film relies on the above four characters, and there’s certainly enough class there to pull it through. The script is often witty and funny, and it’s definitely a film anyone can enjoy. (It may seem like a “woman’s film”, but I don’t know any man who’s seen it who didn’t enjoy it.) It’s kind of a modern fairy tale with a satirical twist, and if the script hadn’t thrown in some aspects that really were too implausible to suspend your belief, then it would easily be a 5-star film. One of these aspects was Andy staying in the job for as long as she did – the horror stories about previous employees (that seemed not to be exaggerations) made it impossible to believe that she would have actually lasted 5 minutes having seen her initial performance in the job. The script could also have done with a bit of sharpening up. It was good in places but lacked a certain edge to it. It is a little predictable but there was one good plot twist that I didn’t see coming.
Overall The Devil Wears Prada is a thoroughly enjoyable film but perhaps not quite all that it could have been. Fashion fans may enjoy it even more because a number of real-life models and designers have cameo roles in it.
Runtime: 109 minutes
Rating: Rated PG-13 for some sensuality (UK rating PG)
Quotes
The patience of such a nice person…
Miranda Priestly: By all means move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me.
----
Diet time…
Andy Sachs: Doesn't anybody eat around here?
Nigel: Not since two is the new four and zero is the new two.
Andy Sachs: Well, I'm a six...
Nigel: Aha, the new fourteen.
----
Love your colleagues…
Emily: I'm sorry, do you have some prior commitment? Some hideous skirt convention you have to go to?
----
But dieting can go too far…
Emily: I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight
----
Fashion tips for the not-overly-skinny…
Andy Sachs: [seeing Nigel with a black gown] I love that! Will that fit me?
Nigel: A little Crisco and some fishing wire and we'll be in business.
----
Probably the best line in the film…
Nigel: [talking about Andy] Who is that *sad* little person? Are we doing a before-and-after piece I don't know about?
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