The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada is a big screen adaptation of the hit chick-lit book of the same name. It was singled out for praise by a few critics at the time of it's release, and even got a few nominations at the Golden Globes and Oscars (including a Best Actress nod for Oscar-holic Merryl Streep).

Andy (Anne Hathaway) is a young writer fresh out of college looking to break into journalism. Somehow, she manages to get an interview for the much-coveted position of Assistant to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the editor of high-flying fashion magazine Runway. Upon arrival it becomes clear that she is not at all suitable for the job. Andy knows nothing about fashion and is completely uninterested in much of what the magazine has to say, but Miranda hires her on a whim - the last few girls who had the position were completely unable to cope with the pressure, so maybe Andy (being the odd one out) will be a lucky choice. What ensues is a deep-end introduction to the world of Miranda Priestly, frosty queen of the fashion world and one 'hell' of a 'demon'-boss to work for (sorry I couldn't resist).

Short of being based on a novel, it's hard to see why this film was more critically-acclaimed than other chick-flicks like, say, Suddenly 30. It's perhaps more likely that it's 'acclaim' (if you could call it that) is more an indication of shifing attitudes from film critics as opposed to a direct indication fo the film's quality. I don't mean to rag on the film at all, it's a pretty good film as far as the chick-flick 'genre' goes - I just don't see why this one got singled out over other similar films that were just as good. Also, while I'm griping, Andy is meant to be the everygirl, someone who hasn't got a clue about high-fashion and is sneered at by models - on a few occasions she is even referred to as 'fat' by the other characters. Now, I know this last bit is meant to be an ironic reflection of the bulimic world of models and superstars, but I couldn't really see any difference between Anne Hathaway and the bone-thin models the film was criticising! Shouldn't they have cast someone a bit less skinny in this role? Or maybe Hathaway could've, I dunno, put on some weight for the role? I haven't read the book so I can't really comment on what the author intended her heroine to look like, but it just seemed a bit at odds with the script's atitude.

On the plus side, Meryl Streep gives a stripped back, minimalist performane as Miranda - a performance so cold and emotionally stingey that you can't help but want to see her pleased as much her assistants in the film do. In this respect, The Devil Wears Prada is similar to Meet the Parents in the way that it uses a legendary screen icon to personify and inspire intimidation. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Streep here (or perhaps more precisely her character Miranda) is that her 'arc' in the film (if you could call it that) doesn't follow the standard cliches of the genre.

This is a good film, it seems to have something genuine to say and isn't overly concerned with hitting all the usual rom-com beats you might expect it to. It's funny sometimes, but I'd say it's firmly more drama than comedy. Streep's good in it (and at her age she probably had to work fairly hard in order to slim down so much), but for me the film didn't really come alive until the last few scenes where Andy finally gets close enough to Miranda for Hathaway and Streep to share some decent scenes together.