The Devil Wears Prada (2006) - Movie Review
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"The Devil Wears Prada" is by no means a serious film, but it is a film that continues to proves Hathaway can hold her own when there are no princesses, fairies or cartoons involved. In fact, she holds up pretty well against Meryl Streep, who dominates every scene in the movie. The two actresses play well off one another, especially in the first half of the film when Hathway is more innocent and Streep is, as she is throughout the film, a pure out bitch.
Enough about Hathaway. "The Devil Wears Prada" is an entertaining and funny comedy. It has a fairly predictable plot, but that matters little when the story is about an innocent girl battling an evil snow queen at a top fashion magazine. The plot is predictable in that the movie is about a young woman who starts off being herself, but, to succeed and prove everyone wrong, becomes one of the people she originally hated, distancing her friends, family and boyfriend in the process. Of course, by the end, you know everything is going to work out for the better.
"Devil" succeeds in that it keeps things simple and knows what works and what doesn't. The fashion industry is perfect fodder for a film of this type, where the industry (or at least the magazine in question) is ruled by one queen bee. The movie is about the characters, not the plot, and director David Frankel knows this. Streep is the perfect choice for Miranda Priestly, a woman who runs the magazine "Runway," whose opinion dictates what lives and what dies in the fashion world, who has two assistants who live in constant fear of her, who never replies to questions and who assumes everyone knows what she's thinking. In a classic sequence, Priestly forces her assistant (Hathaway) to find a copy of the yet unpublished "Harry Potter 7" for her twins, all within three hours.
This review is sort of rambling on without any rhyme or reason - I'm trying to watch another movie at the same time. "Devil" is an enjoyable comedy that never becomes too dramatic and, for the most part, stays away from chick flick clichés. The relationship strains between Hathaway and "Entourage's" Adrian Grenier aren't given much screen time, and instead the comedic exchanges between the two lead actresses are the sole focus. Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt also deliver good performances in supporting roles.
"The Devil Wears Prada" isn't the funniest movie out there, and there are times where it certainly could have been funnier. Still, it is consistently entertaining from beginning to end, and Meryl Streep is an icon to behold.
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Anonymous says:
July 27, 2006Ok so this movie isn't for everyone. But hey...you don't have to watch it. I mean people are complaining that the movie revolves around fashion most of the time...hello? It's titled the devil wears PRADA! And yeah so it makes fun of fashion choices and how a whole lot of money needs to be spent just to look good. It pokes fun at the fashion world and how style is needed to survive among the superficial robots, and most of all that the multi-billion dollar industry is, well, built upon appearances. But seriously ladies, you're kidding yourself if you don't think thats even a tiny bit true. Sure it's aimed towards girls, but is it a chick flick? Yeah it gets emotional, but do all guys really need to see $h!t get blown up or have mindless perverted storylines with topless women to be entertained. Sure the movie has fashion, but its also about an evil boss. (which is extremely entertaining to watch) The cast was superb, though Tracie was underused. I don't know why people are so dissapointed. Its quite obvious what the movie is about and if you're that uncomfortable with the material then don't see it. Again...it's called The DEVIL wears PRADA. -DEVIL-(cruel humor)-PRADA-(fashion) ...not that difficult. It's not the must see of the year, but it is a good movie. Oh and Kyle? Pirates was in a totally different genre than this movie, and was probably given a c by being compared with the first movie. I agree with the reviewer about the first being better, but in all fairness i dont think it deserved a C. Savvy?
Anonymous says:
July 17, 2006Then this movie's for you!
For the rest of us, it's a big 'D-'. Most of the jokes come at the expense of Andy's 'plus size' figure (she's a whole size 6!!! Gracious!), or her fashion sense (the bit about the 'cerulean' sweater was annoying and pretentious. The idea that the industry molded he choice of 'rebellion wear' is so self-absorbed and stupid!). There are cruel jokes about eating disorders too. Oh, hah ha.
Streep is excellent, but Andy could have been played by any Disney starlet-du-jour. No one else was memorable, well maybe the token gay guy.
The part I realized I hated this schlok was when she goes to lunch 'Kmart' and comes back 'Chanel'. After that, the movie's ending was unsatifactory.
My father walked out 1/2way thru the film. Why?
"It's a chick flik!" he whined.
"It's not even that!" My mom retorted.
And that about sums it up.
Anonymous says:
July 16, 2006He gave Pirates a C damn + and this piece of shit a B damn +.
This movie is cliche to the bone and you're a fuckin idiot for liking it!
Anonymous says:
June 22, 2006All I can say is that I hope that it at least comes close to the book. The book was clever, funny, with hilarious situations and exciting characters. It will be interesting to see how the movie plays out considering the cast. From what I've seen, Meryl Streep can "play" the mean evil boss, but in the book, Miranda is not only mean, shes intimidating. From the clips I've seen she just comes off as a royal prick. Anne Hathaway should do fairly well as Andy. She has an innocence about her that makes her perfect for the role. I'm assuming that the rest of it is up to the script and how its delivered. In the book, most of the story is told through Andy by what shes thinking. Now when they do that in movies, I think thats kinda cheezy and it just tells me that the director couldnt get the message across any other way. (examples- mean girls-Stick it)
I'm not sure about this one but I'm crossing my fingers.