The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Director: David Frankel
Screenplay: Aline Brosh McKenna (based on the book by Lauren Weisberger)
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci
Music: Theodore Shapiro 
Time: 109 minutes
Bottom-line: Highly engaging, thanks to the acting 

Meryl Streep in her top form again, in this 2006 comedy-drama The Devil Wears Prada. Directed by David Frankel, this film tells about how a girl who aims to satisfy her boss however she can. This film parodies the mechanical nature of people in industries, and is kind of like Modern Times, in this aspect. The film stars Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt in the lead roles, and Streep’s performance in this film earned her the 14th Academy Award nomination for acting.

Hathaway as Andrea

Andrea Sachs (Hathaway) aspires to become a journalist. Despite mocking the fashion industry, she gets the job that ‘a thousand girls would kill for’: junior personal assistant to Miranda Priestly (Streep), the editor-in-chief if Runway magazine. She knows that a word from Miranda would secure her a job as a journalist in any place she wants. Miranda’s power is such that her pursing of lips can discard a $300,000 photo shoot. Yet, to get Miranda’s recommendation, Andrea puts up with Miranda’s weird demands and humiliating treatments. The senior assistant to Miranda is Emily Charlton (Blunt), who teaches Andrea the rules of the office. As the days go on, Miranda’s demands become more and more impossible to do, and this affects Andrea’s personal life as well. Does she continue to suffer, just to get Miranda’s recommendation? Or does she realize that there are better things to do? Watch The Devil Wears Prada to find out!

Streep as Miranda Priestly

I said that this film resembles Modern Times, in the sense that in both films, the way industries treat employees as machines is portrayed. Here too, from the day Andrea joins the job, she gets treated like a machine: do this, do that, wear this, not that…Miranda asks Andrea to perform a series of bizarre tasks, and she expects so much perfection that a single fault can lead to her firing Andrea. So Andrea ignores her health, personal life and almost everything else, just to please Miranda (which of course, means that she will get the job she loves). Miranda, we see, is so powerful that she does not really give a damn of what others think of her. Her sarcastic dialogues, her facial expressions all add to her character.

Blunt as Emily Charlton

The character of Miranda Priestly is what makes Streep’s acting great, in my view. The character is the main antagonist in the film, but not exactly a villain. Her egotistic and selfish attitude, her constant bossing around, and her impossible demands make you hate the character, but you will love Streep’s acting. To hate a person who does no harm, but just talks a lot, calls fro some great acting, and Streep delivers. The scenes in the beginning, where Emily gives such rigorous orders to others when Miranda arrives, shows how the others at the office worship Miranda. Hathaway has acted quite well too: her initial goof-ups at the office create comedy, and later she acts well to express sadness when her life hits the rocks, and in many scenes in the second half of the film. Emily Blunt plays a character that is hard-core follower of Miranda: listening to everything she says, obeys all the rules (however dumb they may be) to the letter etc. Andrea and Emily show similar and contrasting characteristics: Emily and Andrea do not mind following Miranda’s orders because they hope that the result will be good (Andrea hoping for her job, and Emily hoping for a trip to the Fashion Week in Paris). But while Andrea realizes that this horrible treatment is not worth it, Emily still has hope that she will get what she wants. This contrast shows a scenario that we also experience: we may hate a school or job or whatever, but yet we shut our mouths because we hope for a final reward. But there are few people who may feel that real happiness lies elsewhere, and do what they love.

Stanley Tucci as Nigel, another employee at
Runway magazine, with Hathaway

The costumes are great, and as this film is based on the fashion industry, the costumes are something that you have to see. When the opening credits are shown, several girls are shown, each dressing up in a different way. That should give an idea that the film is based on fashion. The score is good, and there is nothing great about the photography, except few scenes where the editing was particularly good. In the beginning, we see how powerful Miranda is, as several cuts are shown where she dumps her bag and coat on Andy's desk, asking for something new each time. these scenes are shown rapidly, with quick cuts, and this sort of gives a good effect. The scenes that show how Andy changes her style also involve some good bits of editing. The locations are shown well, and we also get to know little bit about the fashion industry through this film. However, the main reason you should watch the film is because of the characters, acting and the real-life scenario it portrays.

To conclude, David Frankel’s The Devil Wears Prada is an entertaining drama, with a fair amount of comedy as well. Streep’s fabulous acting, along with splendid performances by Blunt and Hathaway are the standouts. The story is not great (and at times slow), but it shows two options of life in a nice entertaining manner: does one opt for a job that he/she really enjoys, even if it is not too great, or does one take-up a humiliating and strenuous job, just for the prestige? A movie that is worth your time and money…go for it.

My Rating: 3.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%