Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Andy (Anne Hathaway, left) whispers some important information to her boss, fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), as Miranda's first assistant, Emily (Emily Blunt) looks on. - CONTRIBUTED
The devil Wears Prada offers much more than a pretty face, even though with the fantastically beautiful Adrian Grenier in a supporting role it has more than enough of a pretty face to keep one satisfied. Yet, though it is a movie that surrounds glitz, glamour, high fashion and the stick people who wear them, The Devil Wears Prada is a movie of substance.
It is well written and witty and should prove far more fun than a pair of stilettos on a Jamaican sidewalk. Directed by David Frankel with a screenplay by Aline Bosh Kenna, The Devil Wears Prada is based on a Lauren Weisberger's novel. It is the story of a wide-eyed journalistic hopeful Andrea (Anne Hathaway), who takes on the job of being second assistant to fashion magazine editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). Entourage's pretty boy Adrian Grenier plays her boyfriend, Nate.
Without trying to beat one over the head with its point, the story explores the things we are willing to trade to make it up the professional ladder in today's world. It highlights that the beauty of the soul is that you can sell it off in little bits and, if one is not careful, by the time you look around it is gone and though one might be successful, happiness might well have eluded us.
So Andrea finds that though she has become far more fashionable, she has begun to lose touch with the things she once thought most valuable as she has traded true friendship for a pair of high-heeled shoes (though many women might find that a fair trade, especially if those shoes are Manolo Blahnik's).
Meryl Streep gives a great performance as a woman worthy of the title dragon. She is self-assured, self-centered and good at what she does, while bearing a casual disregard for most who move around her. She rules her world with a ruthless, well-manicured hand and, with nary a lock of hair out of place, is able to send someone to the chopping block.
Streep's performance pulls back just shy of going over the top, yet she remains close enough to being like the villain in 101 Dalmations to be deserving of the description dastardly. What makes this performance beautiful is that Streep plays it with understatement and says so much with the slightest pursing of her lips. With her fantastic sense of nuance, she also saves Miranda from being a stereotype and allows a mere glimmer of humanity to shine through beneath her coats of polish.
Anne Hathaway seems to have done sufficient penance for having foisted her role in The Princess Diaries 2 on the world and has come up worthy of attention in this piece. Though her performance is unlikely to knock ones diamond studded socks off, Hathaway is able to hold her own and offers more than really big eyes. Stanley Tucci (Nigel) is also a great addition to the cast and he is joined by Emily Blunt and Simon Baker in the supporting roles.
