As soon as I saw the trailer for The Devil Wears Prada I knew that this wasn�t a waste-$10-in-the-cinema type movie. Not only because of my dislike for Meryl Streep and my indifference to the fashion world but also because, as I suspected, the trailer was pretty much the movie in its entirety. This is little more than a long and boring version of the hit TV show Ugly Betty. In fact, it�s not even pause-worthy when going to the fridge to get a drink halfway through.
The movie is crammed with clich�d characters and a very predictable plot. Andy Sachs (Hathaway) is a fresh-out-of-college Midwestern girl recently moved to the Big Apple to try for her first big career break. She knows nothing about the fashion world or �Runway�, the magazine she is trying to land a job for, but somehow unrealistically manages to snag the position as second assistant to the editor. It�s a job that �a million girls would kill for.�
Apparently.
Miranda Priestly (Streep) plays her Hitler-esque boss, instilling fear in everyone she approaches and doling out unreasonable and excessive demands, such as getting an advanced unpublished copy of the new Harry Potter novel for her twin girls. She is unsatisfied with everyone and everything, which she makes clear not only with her verbal abuse but also her terrifyingly stern glances. Andy aims to please and is almost worn thin until she gets a makeover and gains the confidence to fulfil the role. In a word - lame.
While Andy�s career life is on the up and up, her personal life begins to suffer. She becomes increasingly shallow and very work oriented, which bore her friends and makes her boyfriend (Adrian Grenier) feel rejected.
There is a love interest competitor for Andy played by whatever-his-name-is (I'm going to presume it's Simon Baker - Ed). He�s way too old looking for her and not attractive by any stretch of the imagination. I don't even remember any of his oh-so-charming lines. They could and should have picked someone better.
The only other character worth mentioning is Emily (Blunt) who is Miranda�s first assistant. She is so fanatical about her job at �Runway� and the fashion world in general that we get to see her character break down as Andy starts to surpass her in winning Miranda�s approval. She�s a direct parallel to Amanda in Ugly Betty. It's always fun to see bitches slowly crumble before your eyes. For some reason though there's always a feeling of sympathy or pity for the bitch at the end of the day.
Anyway, in the end Andy has to decide if the demanding job is worth the price of her soul. I don�t even have to mention what choice she makes (yawn, Hollywood). It�s pretty obvious.
Nothing exciting, witty or particularly clever about this movie but I�m almost certain that the plot will be rehashed at least a few times in the next couple of decades. Can't wait. |
