On the outside, Director David Frankel’s new film “The Devil Wears Prada" appears to be nothing more than over-hyped fluff being marketed as a deliciously funny tale about the inside world of the fashion industry. While this may sound appealing to some people, I had my doubts about whether or not it could possibly deliver and was a little skeptical about what kind of movie it was going to be. It took only a few minutes before I realized my negativity had been premature and I had a feeling I was in for quite the surprise.
Based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger, it tells the story of Andy Sachs, an ambitious young woman who comes to New York in hopes of becoming a high profile journalist, but ultimately ends up working as an assistant at one of the largest fashion magazines in the world. Sachs, played by Anne Hathaway, soon finds that it will be no easy task keeping up with the lavish lifestyle of fashion’s elite, but is determined to succeed. Whether it’s getting coffee or buying clothes, she seems willing to do anything to make a name for herself.
At this point, I found the plot to be rather ordinary in its development and it quickly became fairly predictable storytelling.
It isn’t until we meet Andy’s boss that the film really begins to take off and acquire a much needed boost of comedic energy.
Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep, rules over her empire with an iron fist and when it comes to fashion designing, she is almost impossible to please. Since the company lives and dies by her opinion, everyone in her presence better have something important to add or should not even bother coming back.
In a purely dazzling performance, Streep consumes the role of Miranda and delivers her lines with such devilish elegance that she appears to be on her way to yet another Oscar nomination. Hathaway clearly benefits from having Streep on screen and her performance is more convincing because of it.
As Andy becomes more involved in the company, her personal life starts to suffer and she soon has no time for anything other than catering to Miranda’s needs. In a humorous, yet outlandish scene, Miranda demands that Andy obtain two copies of the unpublished Harry Potter novel for her children to read while traveling. To me, it seems a bit unbelievable, but I guess you just have to go with it.
Finally, all of her hard work pays off when she is chosen to accompany Miranda on a trip to Paris and get a real taste of what the fashion world is really all about. She instantly learns how harsh it can be and starts to think that it may not be what she is looking for. It is about this time that the film goes on autopilot and just kind of glides toward the conclusion.
Despite the somewhat predictable ending, strong performances from both Streep and Hathaway make enough noise along the way to add an impressive quality to a film that would otherwise be of little interest to people like myself. Frankel manages to paint an intriguing picture of a relentlessly shallow industry that will stop at nothing to achieve perfection. By having a rare combination of great acting and cleverly written comedy, it is able flourish at a level that most films of this genre rarely ascend to. What I think works best about this film is its ability to appeal to people of all ages and as Miranda Priestly would say “That’s all."
- *** ½ out of 4
No comments:
Post a Comment