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The Devil Wears Prada follows Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), a young, aspiring journalist who finds herself working as a personal assistant to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the ruthless editor-in-chief of Runway magazine. Despite her lack of interest in fashion, Andy wants to use the opportunity as a stepping stone for her career, but finds herself instead sucked into the excessive demands of Priestly and subsequently, the glamorous lifestyle of the fashion industry.
Somebody once said that "every story has already been told", and that is the case here. This is not an innovative story: the young idealist that is lured into the coldness and evils of a different life and somehow ends up absorbed by it; it's been done in everything from the corporate world or high school cliques to literal Satan tempting someone into selling their soul. What can be different is the ways the characters and their predicaments are presented, and how we connect to them.
The main draw here is Streep, and her interactions with Hathaway's character. Streep was nominated for an Academy Award, and deservedly so. Her performance shies away from turning Priestly into a straight-forward villainess by adding several layers to her, along with other details that are on the script, and others that seem to be more of Streep's choices as an actress. Meanwhile, Hathaway perfectly portrays her character's descent (or ascent?) into this world in a way that's convincing and believable, despite being predictable.
It is in this crux that the script puts on Andy's shoulders and how the film kinda skirts away from a definitive conclusion that the film separates a bit from others. Like Miranda herself told Andy in the above quote, "EVERYONE wants this", and even though the end might make you think like Andy managed to escape from "the devil", the film and the performances hint that Miranda might not be "the devil incarnate", and that Andy is not entirely free from the clutches of that lifestyle.
But even with those flashes of novelty, The Devil Wears Prada is not without its flaws (the Simon Baker character feels underserved and maybe even unnecessary) and is no different than many other similar films. We've all seen it happen before, and we pretty much know how things are going to end. What's left is to enjoy the journey; a journey that Hathaway and specially Streep elevate and make worthy of a watch.
Grade:
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
(2006, Frankel)
(2006, Frankel)
"Don't be silly - EVERYONE wants this. Everyone wants to be *us*."
The Devil Wears Prada follows Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), a young, aspiring journalist who finds herself working as a personal assistant to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the ruthless editor-in-chief of Runway magazine. Despite her lack of interest in fashion, Andy wants to use the opportunity as a stepping stone for her career, but finds herself instead sucked into the excessive demands of Priestly and subsequently, the glamorous lifestyle of the fashion industry.
Somebody once said that "every story has already been told", and that is the case here. This is not an innovative story: the young idealist that is lured into the coldness and evils of a different life and somehow ends up absorbed by it; it's been done in everything from the corporate world or high school cliques to literal Satan tempting someone into selling their soul. What can be different is the ways the characters and their predicaments are presented, and how we connect to them.
The main draw here is Streep, and her interactions with Hathaway's character. Streep was nominated for an Academy Award, and deservedly so. Her performance shies away from turning Priestly into a straight-forward villainess by adding several layers to her, along with other details that are on the script, and others that seem to be more of Streep's choices as an actress. Meanwhile, Hathaway perfectly portrays her character's descent (or ascent?) into this world in a way that's convincing and believable, despite being predictable.
It is in this crux that the script puts on Andy's shoulders and how the film kinda skirts away from a definitive conclusion that the film separates a bit from others. Like Miranda herself told Andy in the above quote, "EVERYONE wants this", and even though the end might make you think like Andy managed to escape from "the devil", the film and the performances hint that Miranda might not be "the devil incarnate", and that Andy is not entirely free from the clutches of that lifestyle.
But even with those flashes of novelty, The Devil Wears Prada is not without its flaws (the Simon Baker character feels underserved and maybe even unnecessary) and is no different than many other similar films. We've all seen it happen before, and we pretty much know how things are going to end. What's left is to enjoy the journey; a journey that Hathaway and specially Streep elevate and make worthy of a watch.
Grade: