The script by McKenna (Law of Attraction) has a light and fluffy feel matching the tone of Weisberger's best-selling semi-autobiographical novel. The Devil Wears Prada is a satire, an exposé of the brutal and superficial world of fashion (and publishing) in the guise of a coming-of-age story. The observations are generally sharp and witty, but also superficial and cartoonish (the jabs at wafer-thin models or insecure fashion designers are trite) at times. The story itself isn't all that fresh, and is quite predictable. What is fun about the film is the subject matter and the character of Miranda Priestly. Streep is a joy to watch.
Director Frankel (Entourage, Sex and the City) is mostly known for his television work. He instills a good sense of humor in this production, and the pace is impeccable. Mostly, he seems to stay out of his actors' way and let them do their job. Streep, for example, makes you believe that she is the devil incarnate but in fact, she is much of a slave herself to the real devil: fame, power and fortune. The question Andy has to ask — "Who are you and what do you want in life?" — isn't really that deep or profound or earth-shattering. The good thing is that the film doesn't take itself too seriously. Everything is handled in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. That makes it a devil of a good time.
Stars: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Adrian Grenier, Tracie Thoms, Rich Sommer, Simon Baker, Daniel Sunjata
Director: David Frankel
Writers: Aline Brosh McKenna (based on Lauren Weisberger's novel)
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sensuality
Running Time: 109 minutes
Ratings:
Script – 7
Performance – 8
Direction – 7
Cinematography – 8
Music/Sound– 7
Editing – 7
Production – 8
Total – 7.3 out of 10
Article comments
1 - Satish Bhardwaj
Nice review. Only I'm confused. what is a prada as used in the movie. Is it a woman's high heel shoe. Or is it a Veil that is used to cover the face. If it is the later the word is wrongly spelled and is an abuse of the Hindu word. It should have been spelled as Parda. I do believe the movie talks about the Parda rather than Prada.
2 - irv
Satish Bhardwaj, "prada" is a brand name, like "armani" or "chanel" or "givenchy" and may or may not also be a proper name of the designer, like those just mentioned.
3 - Brent
Prada is an Italian design house started in 1913 as Fratelli Prada (Prada Brothers) and at the time specialising in leather goods - shoes, bags, belts - which in the 1980s expanded into couture. Prada accessories are some of the most frequently counterfeited items of haute couture.
4 - amber trump
the best movie i have seen in years meryl is beautiful and such a great actress
5 - Marta
Meryl Streep is wonderful as usual, and I enjoyed watching her in one of those dumb Friday night movies for a change of pace...
I do have a problem, however, with what seems to be the moral of the story. Andy's boyfriend, far from being supportive, is one of the most whiny and selfish characters in the movie, topped only by the couple's group of "friends." Andy gets it right in the very beginning when she says, "You know, you didn't have to be such assholes" when her thoughtless friends decide it would be fun to throw around her ringing cell phone.
Here is a story of a group of green college graduates who, understandably, are toughing out their first year out of school at their respective crumby jobs. Andy, however, has an opportunity to put in a year of hell and then to move on to the job she really wants. A year. Only a year of putting in her dues. Wow, most professionals I know have suffered much more than a year before gaining the opportunity to land their dream jobs. One year! For one year, could her friends show a LITTLE compassion?! Give her the teeniest break?
In the final limo scene, the movie states that Andy has somehow become Miranda. That's ridiculous. Andy's the only one that consistently shows heart throughout the whole movie. She agonizes about her boyfriend's birthday and even refuses what might be a career-altering meeting in order to get home. Later in the movie that boyfriend says he's not a "4-year-old" who would hold a grudge over his birthday. Wow, sure fooled me! Andy is constantly trying to be friendly with Emily and approaches Emily's demotion with much compassion. Andy does not do any behind-the-back work against her. She simply tries her best to do her job well. Emily's orders, I believe. I just find it so sad that the real martyr of the story in the end would be compared to Miranda!
The only "moral" that seemed to make any sense was Nigel's little tough-love pep talk to Andy, when he accuses her of not trying to do a good job. Absolutely true. 100% is the only way to make anything work. Andy owed it to herself to try to make a good impression for one year.
...and she was lucky that although Miranda was difficult, she never asked Andy to go against ethics. She did not demand of Andy to lie or steal or any number of things a boss from hell could potentially require. The most uncomfortable thing she asked of her was to accept a promotion. ...and frankly, because of Andy's sweetness, it was a much kinder idea for her to deliver the news than for "the devil" to do it. Awkward and horrible, yes, but perhaps a lesser evil. ...and even had Andy kept her job, I'm sure she would have given Emily the clothes. That would be consistent with her character.
That Andy left after only 6 months is probably a stupid move in reality, but in hollyworld it's very satisfying. ...especially since Miranda did not chose to punish her for it. The cell-phone-in-the-water fantasy never gets old.
6 - Ray
But that is the gist of the story... that Andy is NOT Miranda. But she is slowly becoming Miranda -- she never even want to be there in the first place, but she's slowly compromising her integrity to be just like one of the clackers, or worse, Miranda whose whole world is her job.
The scene where Miranda talks about her impending divorce is the eye-opener for Andy (although she doesn't know it yet) -- that Miranda has sold her soul to her job but she is not happy, but she's so deep into it now that she has no choice. But Andy has a choice.
You're right about working hard and putting your time in, etc. But you are missing the very simple premise of the movie: that Andy does not belong there and that she is changing who she is to be there, for an opportunity, at the expense of her friends and family. If we examine each case, we could argue that her friends and family are being selfish and not understanding and they should have more patience, and that they could be assholes some times because they don't understand Andy... but in fact, they do stick with her. They didn't say "Screw you, Andy, we are done." The idea is that Andy has changed herself for something she never really believed in in the first place, and when Nate told her "the only real relationship you're having is with the person on the other end of that phone 24/7." And that's true.
The cell phone is a metaphor. And that's why the ending, when she throws the phone in the water is cliched but satisfying because it says everything. That Andy realizes she is not Miranda. She never has been like that. And that her relationships with the people she love comes first, and you don't have to sacrifice them just to have a career.
The moral of the story is not to be against "working hard" because we know Nigel is right... but at the end, when Nigel is "stabbed in the back" by Miranda, we also come to realize what really is important -- working HARD with integrity, not at all cost.
Personally, I don't think Nate is whining. I think he's been very supportive -- I think he could have been a little less upset about his stupid birthday (if I were the screenwriter, I would make it something MORE at stake, say if Nate is being promoted or if Nate has an accident or something -- something that is more personal than just a silly birthday) but the idea is that the guy has been supportive but you can only take so much neglect without blowing a fuse. Andy can't have both a relationship and a 24/7 job at the same time without some conflicts.
I think that's actually very well done. If Nate is just a complete push-over, I wouldn't believe in his character at all. And what's the point if there's no conflict in their relationship? I can't imagine Nate sitting there and nod and say, "Andy, wonderful. I don't really mind if you miss my birthday." That would be a cop out.
7 - Blair
Hmm...
all I know is that if I was Nate, I wouldn't take back the girl who turned her back on everything she used to be, and then decided to "take a break" and sleep with some other guy while she was in Paris (having too much wine is no excuse)!
My best friend was in a relationship of 6 years and something very similar happened, yet he did not take her back... and I guess I think that's the right (and more realistic?) choice. Maybe a better moral would have been presented had the ending shown how much people have to pay for some of their choices, and that sometimes there's no undoing or going back on the things you've done.
8 - Ray
I'm not entirely sure that Nate has taken Andy back. He's moving to Boston, and their relationship at the end is kind of iffy. I think they do pay for their choices. Nate decides to go for his dream, and Andy realizes nothing is permanent. People make mistakes and you deal with the mistakes. I think that's the lesson Andy learned.
9 - Nancy
At the end, Nate tells Andy there's cheese for the sandwiches he makes her in Boston, & her response is very positive. I was left with the impression she planned to move to Boston with him ... altho she also has just gotten the job there in NY ... ? Maybe she plans to commute or her new place has a branch in Boston, but I can't imagine her getting a transfer when she's still so new. Still, a journalist can work 'from home' better than just about anyone else in any other field, I guess; maybe she doesn't have to report to an office?
Geez, I love Meryl Streep. She does drama, comedy, & everything else with such ease. I do believe I'd even deign to watch network TV if she was featured. A truly great talent. Best of all, she's not conventionally beautiful.
10 - Ray
My interpretation of that scene is that they're both moving on -- one stays in NY and the other moving to Boston and I didn't get the impression that they were going to do the commute/long distance thing. Maybe I am wrong. But definitely, they didn't "get back together" after their little break.
11 - dave
I thot the movie was alot of fun. But the ending was so cliche' and typical of the fairy tale we wish would happen or that everyone wud do in that situation.
I agree w/marta above that andy was in no way shape or form becoming miranda. not in the slightest. andy was just doing her job and doing it well. if her friends/beau can't understand that this 1 year is/is going to be complete hell. then seriously they dont care about her. I know people that have stuck it out for years hoping for doors to open and those dreams never came to fruition.
So in a nutshell i think the ending hurt the entire film. the whole miranda seeing something of herself in andy speech was jumping the gun a bit. it seemed as tho the director had a lot of fun making the film and then said oh yeah lets thro a moral theme into it. when in reality if andy had problems with the direction that she was taking. there would have been more of that confusion thruout the film. She was the same andy all thruout the fim. and would still be that same sweet girl after another 6 months.
bottom line we all work at places we dont belong. its called paying dues to get ahead. let's face it some jobs dont leave much time for a social life. i think it is called growing up or something like that. i just thot it was stupid that miranda is looked upon as selling her soul. but it is not a married with children type of job. and i was kinda hopeing that andy would take the dark path. by telling her friends and beau to shove it. cuz that is what would happen in the real world IMO.