A surprise summer hit, this enjoyable movie starred Anne Hathaway who portrayed the screen version of ex assistant and now writer, Lauren Weisberger. "Prada" is a fictionalized account of Weisberger's servitude to an Anna Wintour-esque fashion magazine editor, Miranda Priestly. This role went to pro Meryl Streep who steals the film playing frosty cool Priestly - the editor whose keen eye and every breathe affects the entire fashion world.
The Devil Wears Prada gives us all a fishbowl view inside the imperious high fashion world of New York and Paris.
The Devil Wears Prada is a 20th Century Fox release of a Fox 2000 Pictures presentation of a Wendy Finerman production. Prada was also produced by Finerman. Directed by David Frankel. Screenplay, Aline Brosh McKenna, and based on the novel by Weisberger.
Actor Stanley Tucci does an excellent turn as Nigel, the prescient art director and design expert who takes pity on poor Andy Sachs (Hathaway) and helps her navigate the Byzantine do's and don't of high fashion, including advice on what the correct dress size must be and morphs into her fairy godfather, giving her lavish frocks, shoes and accessories from the bottomless company fashion vaults. Nate (Adrian Grenier) plays Andy's actor boyfriend.
Andy (Hathaway) is a recent college graduate who wants a career as a journalist. Emily (Emily Blunt), the first assistant to Miranda, gets a good chortle out of the initial Andy Sachs during her interview. Andy is clueless, wears nondescript sweaters, awful shoes and no style in the hair and makeup department. Andy wouldn't know Dolce and Gabbana from Jean Paul Gaultier.
Emily, certain Miranda will dismiss Andy, gets a shocker when Miranda sees past Andy's fashion faux pas, and hires her as assistant number two. Andy, over time, due to her innate intelligence and youthful energy is so good at her craptacular job that she ousts Emily as first assistant, wins Miranda's trust and snags the girl's coveted Paris fashion trip.
Streep's Miranda is flawless. She is dressed, made up and coiffed to perfectly portray the ultra knowledgeable queen of the fashion world. The craftspeople, notably costume designer Patricia Fields, makeup and hair to Streep, J. Roy Helland, cinematographer Florian Balhaus and Production designer Jess Gonchor do exceptional work on this film, and it all frames every wonderful scene Streep is in.
Streep pulls it off, not too much, just the right blend of chillingly succinct wants, and obtuse, impossible demands. This woman gets everything she requires of her staff.
English actress Emily Blunt does a great job as Miranda's first position assistant, and literally unravels as Hathaway gets the hang of the job. Blunt's emotional and physical deterioration over the course of the year shows the strain of working for a demanding, unforgiving boss perfectly.
The Devil Wears Prada gives us all a fishbowl view inside the imperious high fashion world of New York and Paris. Don't apply unless you are a size 4 or less to fit in and be respected for any fashion sense.
Andy manages Miranda, and her job. She whittles down a size or two, and begins her couture osmosis, emulating her co-workers whose lunch consists of food denial and coffee runs. Nate (Adrian Grenier), her boyfriend, and her circle of friends bristle at Andy's transformation after gleefully accepting fashion care packages of thousand dollar purses, accessories and scarves.
Andy's incessant cell phone on fire distances her from her beau, and as Miranda's reliance on capable Andy grows, her demands increase exponentially. You get the idea, the more you can do, the more is expected of you.
The Devil Wears Prada was adapted from Lauren Weisberger's novel of the same name, and Streep is the clear winner in the acting department, she hits every note of her character without any self-consciousness. Tucci as Nigel comes second in his understated warm performance. Sex and the City's costume designer, Patricia Field outdoes herself in dressing the cast.
The Devil Wears Prada DVD comes runway-ready with special features including audio commentaries, 15 never-before-seen deleted scenes, fabulously fun featurettes, a gag reel and feature trailers. The DVD is presented in widescreen and pan-and-scan formats, features English Dolby 5.1 Surround, French and Spanish Dolby Surround and subtitles in English, French and Spanish.
Despite the "Chick flick" veneer of The Devil Wears Prada, every man I know who saw this film really enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and well executed film to watch.
The Devil Wears Prada is now available at Amazon . It is now available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Feb. 5th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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