Movie Review: The Devil Wears Prada

The temptation to a materialism which makes us forget who we really are is at the heart of The Devil Wears Prada. Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) arrives in New York looking for a job as a journalist. Not able to get what she wants, she successfully applies for a job at Runway, a top fashion magazine whose editor, Miranda (Meryl Streep) has the reputation of being absolutely ruthless and cynical. As the story develops, Andy is seduced into a world that doesn't, deep down, satisfy her needs or fit with who she is. It disrupts her relationships with those who care about her until she is forced to take a hard look at where she has ended up. Without Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt, this would be a completely boring movie. Streep is brilliant in her role as the malevolent chief editor and Hathaway is moderately successful as the intelligent but naive new employee who is challenged by this new world she has entered. Apart from Streep, Emily (Emily Blunt), the recently promoted assistant to Miranda whose second assistant shoes Andy is filling, provided the most interesting character -- she is wonderfully, blisteringly caustic. The Devil Wears Prada is cliche-ridden, predictable, superficial, but enjoyable at times. The camera gives a good deal of screen time over to scrutinizing the fashions hanging from ever-diminishing sized models -- and even occasionally pokes fun at them. It's a feel-good movie that doesn't always feel good -- much could have been done to make it a razor-sharp satire on the whole fashion industry. But, clearly, it was never meant to be that serious. If you like a simple story line, lots of eye-candy, Meryl Streep, Ann Hathaway, solid performances, the sarcastic one-liner, and a hint of message, then go and enjoy. My Rating: *** (out of 5) Positive Review 'Effortless fun: It plays like a giddy horror movie with its laughs wrapped in couture gowns.' - Shawn Levy/Portland Oregonian Negative Review 'If you shut down your brain and simply take in the wardrobe and performances by Streep and Blunt you'll have a swell time, like aimlessly flipping the pages of a fashion magazine.' - Marjorie Baumgarten/Austin Chronicle Content Warning Some sensuality AUS: PG US: PG-13