The Devil Wears Prada
Review by Loc

Yes, it is a chick flick. And I’m alright with that, because more importantly, it’s also a pretty good flick. It’s not just a vapid exercise in materialistic meanderings. It’s not even that formulaic, well wait, it is, but it doesn’t execute the formula that well, so you don’t notice it. Another case of failing upwards I guess. If you take the movie, boil it down to its herbal essence, you have a pretty awesome Meryl Streep performance, a quick glance at the world of high fashion, and a pretty dumb coming-of-age plot for Anne Hathaway.

Digging in a little deeper, Anne Hathaway is a wide-eyed journalist fresh out of school. Looking for any gig that’ll pay her a wage, she interviews at the offices of Runway, the premiere fashion magazine of America. Strolling into the offices where wafer-thin women line the halls, Hathaway bust out with a frumpy outfit to exaggerate her so-called “size 6” figure. Lucky for us, she lands the gig when Streep decides to go against the norm of hiring a petite would-be fashionista, all of whom end up being “quite dumb”, in her words.

You can probably guess the rest of the plot, and if you can’t, you didn’t do enough paint-by-numbers as a kid. Hathaway detests job and people associated with the fashion industry, Hathaway realizes her ignorance and finds redeeming qualities in the industry, Hathaway proceeds to become one of the fashionistas that she so hated to begin with, Hathaway alienates all her friends, Hathaway makes some major mistakes before the light bulbs clicks and she realizes she is NOT a fashion queen, Hathaway walks away from the fashion world as a happy, wiser soul. And if you think I ruined the movie for you, seriously, I have nothing to say to you. It doesn’t get more cookie cutter than that.

So, why was it entertaining then? Well, not really because of Hathaway or her boyfriend, played by Entourage’s Vinnie Chase. This flick would have automatically received 2 more points if Ari Gold rolled up with Johnny Drama. Ah, but I digress. Hathaway and Vinnie provide mundane performances, nothing stands out, but nothing is offending either. The devious love interest, basic blonde dude with messed up nose, didn’t do much either. Annoying British wench who gave Hathaway a hard time? Also nondescript.

Dude, what was good about this movie? I guess it falls all on Streep’s shoulders and the writing. For a been-there-done-that story, the script was quite solid. The writing wasn’t flashy, but everything moved at a good pace and all the characters were highlighted exactly how they should have been. Then there’s Streep’s stone cold portrayal the Editor-In-Chief of Runway. Whereas others might have played the character as a stone cold bitch, Streep has too much saavy and experience to go the obvious route. She’s mean, she’s demanding, but there’s rarely a time that her actions come off as insanely wacko. In the end, she’s a powerful woman who succeeded by an indomitable will, and that’s what is portrayed. Her ice cold glare and unwavering whispery voice leave you intimidated by respectful of a powerful, sharp executive. At times, the unspoken, underlying honor in her character teetered on hit-me-on-the-head-with-a-hammer subtlety, but teetering doesn’t mean toppling over. And, Streep saved the role and made it worth watching.

One other notable performance was Stanley Tucci, whose tough-love fashion guru was a nice comedic companion to Hathaway. He never delivered the scene-stealing lines, but as a supporting character, Tucci dished out a fun character on screen.

Overall, The Devil Wears Prada is your basic young-chick flick, but it delivers an entertaining romp. In a movie where the characters could easily end up annoying, this movie straddles the line quite well and never asks you to like the unlikable. Plus, Streep turns in a great performance and shows off why she’s such a great actor. Out of 7 random Hathaway outfits, The Devil Wears Prada rocks the party with 5 ridiculous ensembles. It’s something worth watching at some point, or it’s something that won’t make you upset for watching.