The Devil Wears Prada: A Fashion Comedy

July 7th, 2006

The Maven and The Blonde

In the world of fashion where “a size zero is the new size two” and a bad hair day can end a career, Runway Magazine is the Holy Grail. At the head of this fashion magazine is Miranda Priestly, the most powerful woman in the fashion industry. Playing this over-the-top character is Meryl Streep (The Manchurian Candidate and A Prairie Home Companion AND two time Academy Award winner.) Miranda rules her employees with an iron fist and very well manicured nails. Her world is so fast and formidable that none can equal her in the marketplace. She demands perfection from all her employees, which explains why she goes through so many assistants.

In walks Andrea Sachs, another in a long line of hopeful applicants for the job of second assistant to Miranda. Playing Andy is Anne Hathaway (Brokeback Mountain and Princess Diaries). Unlike the previous females who tried to fill the job, Andy is not a skinny waif, nor is she the least bit fashion savvy. She has never even heard of Miranda. Acting on a hunch, Miranda hires Andy anyway, because of her impressive resume. Training Andy as an assistant falls to the “first” assistant and very fashion savvy, Emily, played by Emily Blunt (My Summer of Love and Empire). Everyone at the magazine notices how unfashionable Andy is and snickers as she passes. Rescuing her is Nigel, played by Stanley Tucci (The Terminal and Shall We Dance), who is Miranda's right hand man. He dresses Andy from the designer sample closet at the magazine. Soon, she is wearing Chanel boots and suits as well as a stylish new hairdo and make-up. Her demanding job starts to interfere in her relationship with Nate, her boyfriend, portrayed by Adrian Grenier, (“Entourage” and Anything Else). He reminds Andy what her original goal was when she started at the magazine and that she has been seduced by the very fashion industry she used to belittle. The better at her job she becomes, the more she understands the sacrifices that need to be made in order to be a success in this business.

David Frankel directed The Devil Wears Prada. His previous work includes “Sex and the City,” “Entourage” and Band of Brothers. Aline Brosh McKenna wrote the screenplay based on the book by Lauren Weisberger (who was an assistant to a fashion maven).

The Blonde: I had such a good time watching this film. The one question I do have is, I too wear Prada, and I am NOT a devil (WELL, AT LEAST ALL OF THE TIME). This movie will make people think that only devils wear Prada and that annoys me, ladies. I also didn’t find Meryl’s character to be all THAT much of a devil. I mean, the woman drank Starbucks twice a day, extra hot, how bad could she be. I found the line in the movie, that if she were a man she would have been considered a perfectionist and brilliant, to be so true! The Devil Wears Prada was like All About Eve meets Working Girl meets Ready to Wear meets the fashion of “Sex and the City.” Meryl and I were chatting and she was telling me how much making this film disturbed her and left her feeling like something was missing at the end of the filming day. She didn’t like having to be so obnoxious and, as we all know she is an actress who believes in staying in character all day. Even though her character was meant to be VERY devilish, Meryl’s sweetness shined through her eyes anyway. You just gotta love her, don’t you? I ALSO want to know how she is constantly adapting her weight for each of her roles. Both she and Renee Zellweger do this all the time. I would be remiss if I didn’t give her some MAJOR kudos for having the chutzpah to appear on-screen without a drop of makeup and red eyes in that one scene. I wouldn’t do it! “THAT’S ALL!”

The Maven: I’ve seen you that way and believe me… no one will EVER ask YOU to appear without makeup! In addition, making employees get your Starbucks extra hot is not necessarily a positive personality trait!

The Blonde: AS LONG AS THEY ARE BEING PAID, I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH THAT STATEMENT!!! Carry on!

The Maven: I knew Meryl could play against type because she did it in Lemony Snicket. However, her Miranda was absolutely fantastic. All she had to do was lower her voice and glare a little. She never had a tantrum or whined, she just played this driven woman with perfection. Her role could have been another Queen of Mean, boss from hell, but she did such a great job of balancing on that wire between comedy and drama that just a glimpse into her personal life was enough to actually have me root for her… a little!

The Blonde: Well, as far as I am concerned, she is the best American actress of our time! Ya know, that Tucci is such a wonderful actor who is quite over looked. He seems to easily make the transition from a character ya just love to hate to one ya just love to love. He shined in this film.

The Maven: I love Tucci too and I NEVER over look him! Anne Hathaway also deserves applause. Instead of competing with Meryl, she balanced her. There was Miranda, at the top of the ladder, and along comes Andy, ascending those stairs. I tried to read the book but never finished it. I didn’t like any of the characters. McKenna did a wonderful job of rewriting the story enough that you can actually laugh and care a little for these people. The book by Lauren Weisberger was self-righteous and long.

The Blonde: Yeah, I too felt the same way about the book! I just got bored and put it down, unlike the film.

The Maven: YOU NEVER READ THIS BOOK, now did you, Blonde? If you had, we would have discussed the horrible nature of Anna Wintour and Vogue Magazine!

The Blonde: Are you questioning my integrity and honor here, Mav? I, unlike some people, don’t like discussing others behind there backs and putting them down!

The Maven: Oh please, you spend weeks alone putting down Camilla!

The Blonde: That doesn’t count! AND I DID READ THE BOOK. I READ THE ENTIRE COVER, FRONT AND BACK! By the way, before I have a blonde moment and forget, movie-goers, I loved the new Superman film (even though I didn’t expect to because of my adoration and loyalty for Christopher Reeve). It is the same story with a unique twist for sequels. I also loved The Boat House. It is a very spiritual and lovely film.

The Maven: You mean, The Lake House? One word can make a big difference. Just think, you could be ordering Bucks Coffee instead of Starbucks!

The Blonde: Or in a positive way, I could be ordering Stars Coffee which would be quite fitting for the Blonde! However, you do have a point. The LAKE HOUSE is worth going to see especially for women.

The Maven: I don’t think I could order Stars Coffee because it sounds too much like coffee for Star Jones.

The Blonde: Oh, that ungrateful fitch! Even IF Barb did something wrong, it was her who made Star a star. She owes Barb big time! That whining, complaining, untalented, unfashionable, stomach stapling ingrate! You should be sending Ms. Walters a thank you letter instead of running around putting her down!

The Maven: To this day, she still hasn't confirmed her weight loss surgery. All she says is there was extreme medical intervention. What does that mean exactly?

The Blonde: It means that she is a snotty, spoiled, extreme medical intervention, fitch!

The Maven: ALRIGHTY THEN! Back to the film, weren’t the clothes fabulous?

The Blonde: Yeah, at the end of the film they auctioned them off for charity. I like that, a lot! I want to go back to Anne Hathaway and comment about how stunning she looked after they made her beauty transition. I must say, though, she looked wholesome and beautiful without it! She is a marvelous and believable actress.

The Maven: True! You have to admit: this film belongs to Meryl.

The Blonde: It always does! Think about it!

The Maven: I don’t mean just her acting, but her beauty as well. I think we all forget just how pretty she is! On that note, this was an entertaining film. It’s neither brilliant nor thought provoking, just plain fun with very little melodrama. It may seem like a chick flick, but men will like it too. The leading ladies are that good! I rate it a B+ for the beautiful outfits and a Better story than the book!

The Blonde: This film displays that a film is worth going to even if it doesn’t make you think about it long after you leave the theater. It reminds us that going to the movies should sometimes be just for enjoyment and fun. I rate The Devil Wears Prada a B. For your film snacks, I suggest we all just take a pass. This film reminds us that 0 is the new size 2 and 2 is the new size 4. Let’s just watch the film! “THAT’S ALL!”