Devil Wears Prada tackles superficiality
Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway star in The Devil Wears Prada, a fashion-forward tale of an ambitious journalist trying to make her way in the Big Apple.
The film opens with a struggling journalist, Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway), obtaining a job in one of New York's most prestigious fashion magazines - Runway. She soon secures a position as assistant to the one and only Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), an impossible-to-please boss. Andrea's job duties include picking up Miranda's dry cleaning, picking up takeout and delivering it to her boss' desk in 15 minutes, and getting the newest Harry Potter script before the book is even released. Ironically, the only responsibility she doesn't seem to have is journalism. As the story progresses, Andrea slowly sacrifices the things in life in hopes of getting her dream job later, only to realize that she is giving up some of the most important things in her life- her family, friends, and boyfriend (Adrian Grenier).
Based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger, the plot is ultimately "been there seen that". It mixes in the fashion scene of Sex and the City with the classic Cinderella tale- a girl in clunky heels blossoms into an overworked yuppie accessorized with Jimmy Choos and Marc Jacobs bags. The impressive outfits she dons as an employee of Runway are likely to inspire an outing to Lenox Mall in an attempt to piece together your own couture statement, but when Andy drops from a perfectly fit size six simply to fit with the "in" crowd, you may really wonder what message this movie is trying to convey.
Though the self-empowerment Carrie exuded while strutting around the city in stilettos for six seasons in Sex and the City is not present in the stylish new Andy, at least the humor will bring a smirk to your face- in part because of the superficiality of some of the characters and in part because you realize people this shallow actually exist.
Though the plot leaves much to be desired, the soundtrack is truly enjoyable. The music fit the overall fashion industry environment, including Madonna`s "Vogue" and U2`s "City of Blinding Lights." Other songs fit with New York's more artsy side, such as Ray LaMontagne`s soulful "How Come" and "Sleep" by Azure Ray.
In conclusion, the movie was not bad; it was saved from plummeting to the bottom of the charts by the stellar duo of Hathaway and Streep. I think the media hype surrounding the film inflated my hopes, and I was left a bit disappointed. If you're down with the fashion scene, this is a movie you should not miss. And if you are able to block out the dialogue to focus on the aesthetically pleasing garb, you may find the experience to be quite pleasant. Those with weaker fashion drives will best benefit from waiting to rent later this year.
