The Devil Wears Prada Review
by Tim Voon (winklebeck AT hotmail DOT com)October 22nd, 2006
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 2006 Timothy Voon
3.5 out of 5 stars
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Adrian Grenier, Tracie Thoms, Rich Sommer, Simon Baker
Director: David Frankel
It is enjoyable to see a humorous film made about the fashion industry without drowning in sarcasm that is so often thrown its way. It plays like a model walking down the catwalk who occasionally stops to think about what she is wearing. It may have been very easy to fall into the trap of making this film farcical or too cynical, like 'Pret-a-Porter'. However, director David Frankel balances the sarcasm with honesty, and humor with elements of drama. Making 'The Devil Wears Prada' digestible in bite size nibbles.
The story begins with Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) who is a journalist graduate in search of 'serious' reporting work at any New York newspaper but ends up working for the fashion magazine 'Runway'. This is a supposed dream job for any girl, opening doors to many future job prospects for all who survive working a year with the head fashion editor, Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep). At first Andy doesn't take her work seriously, hoping the year will pass quickly so she can just leave for better prospects in journalism; but she soon realizes that if she is going to survive the year at 'Runway', she is going to have to work very hard.
This is not just another 'Princess Diaries' transformation of ugly duckling to swan movie for Anne Hathaway. Her transformation of the character Andy from ill dressed intern, to well dressed fashion assistant is bittersweet. Although she now fits the mold of a fashion magazine assistant, her relationships with her father, friends and lover (Adrian Grenier) suffer as she starves herself, works overtime and suffers abuse from her boss silently. Also poignant is how cut throat the fashion industry can become. Loyalties are betrayed, as ultimately everyone tries to stay ahead of the competition in the game.
Meryl Streep is wonderfully restrained in the role of chief editor Miranda Priestly. She never raises her voice and the hushed tones in her speech carries different shades of icicles when she is displeased. She never smiles and the only time she does show emotion it is in privacy. She is a hard master and at times demands the impossible from her workers, expecting no less from herself. She portrays the top fashion editor in New York sympathetically as the price of success at work comes with the greater price tag of failure at home. Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci also put in memorable performances in great supporting roles.
This is an enjoyable peek into the fashion industry. You can sit back and window shop to your hearts content, even visit Paris for the 'Spring Fashion Week' all for the price of a movie ticket.
Timothy Voon
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