The Devil Wears Prada
2006
***½
Director: David Frankel
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker, Adrian Grenier, Stanley Tucci
Andrea, a bright college graduate and an aspiring journalist, wins a coveted job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly, the famously demanding editor of the fashion bible Runway. The job slowly transforms Andrea from an ugly duckling to a self-assured young woman, but she seems to lose a part of herself in the process. This satirical comedy is delightful, even if wants to have it both ways. It makes fun of the fickleness and vacuousness of the fashion industry, and worships the glamour and beauty associated with it. The story throws in some obvious romantic complications for the heroine, but the outcome of the love triangle is not what you'd expect. The anorexic Anne Hathaway may not be the most obvious choice to play a "fat assistant", but she does well. And so does Meryl Streep whose performance is wonderfully understated, although her character could as easily have been a cartoon villain. Adapted from the novel by Lauren Weisberger who based the book on her experiences of working for the Vogue magazine.
