The Devil Wears Prada (David Frankel, 2006)

Andrea (Anne Hathaway) freshly promoted from Northeastern University is looking forward to write articles for a newspaper. She is shooting out résumés everywhere and anywhere as finally, she obtains an interview at Runway, the fashion magazine. Although it's a job for an assistant and even if fashion is "obviously" not her life, it still looks good on a CV, and there's a "million girls out there that would kill for that job", you might say. The only major pickle is the chef-editor, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), a tyrannic and mean woman that never looks at "regular" people in the eyes, if she even deigns to look at them. That, she barely does, and requires a 100% commitment to the job, a 24/7 disposition and that, to do crazy things that often do not look like they're of a major importance. Andrea is crushed by her work but she decides not to quit and to fight back in her own way.

What about this movie? The fashion world has been worked out in every single details and is extremely precise: from the main office to the ateliers, through the review meetings and the parties very "mondaines". There's been a huge work done for this to look authentic and it is impossible, even for a guy, not to appreciate this. Big bravos for Frankel, but also for Patricia Field who has accomplished a tremendous work for the costume design. Real creators, like Versace or Gucci and so forth (the list is very long) have given their approval to use original clothes and creations for the actors to wear which you can obviously feel during the movie, the smell of quality. That has made The Devil wears Prada the most expensive film costume-wise, ever.

Beyond the costumes and the exterior appearance, the acting is powerful. I know I'm not the first, the 2007 academy award ceremony has already given its winners and results, but Meryl Streep plays Miranda Priestly (known to be inspired from Wintour, the Vogue editor) with cynism, coldly. Not to much, no anger, just a lack of heart that she has earned through divorces and through her work in fashion. You have to be tough to say to a creator that has been sewing and drawing a project for hours: "that sucks". That's the real world baby, you'd better get used to it. Finally, Anne Hathaway can't take this anymore and goes to Nigel (amazing Stanley Tucci) to find a shoulder to cry on. He'll tell her: "you're not working, you're whining. Wake up and do some work and don't expect a gold star when you do something right". Doing something right, it's the basics. You can get in troubles for doing something wrong but there's is no reason for looking appreciation from you boss if you do the regular stuff. That will motivate her to work harder and to forsee the needs of her boss to make it on time instead of waiting for the questions and tasks to be asked.
Through her work she looses a bit contact with her boyfriend, family, friends...that'll lead her to think over her job, as her boss praises her :"you're a good me". Getting her heart hardened, that she doesn't want. She resigns. She has learnt a lot though: she knows how to dress, has a sexy résumé and knows what to put first, career or family. So Nigel tells her: "when your private life gets worse, that means you're becoming good at work. When your life falls apart, that means you're ready for a promotion".

What I also praise in this movie is the lack of clichés that are so easy to make and use, in a movie about fashion. Apart from the fact that Nigel liked fashion better fashion and clothing than soccer since always and that he likes to cheer Anne up, we don't see in him nor in anybody the typical gay character we can see in every single movie about fashion, talking and acting weirdly, well, you know. It generally makes the movie funny, but that wouldn't help this movie up. So, good call.
Bad call about Anne's way of living. She's on a break with her boyfriend since 2 days and manages to wake up in a stranger's bed in Paris. Nevermind.

Very good acting, even supporting roles, nice photography, good music.
Classy.

Verdict:
Rated? not so much. I'd say PG-13, but let's face it, it is a refined movie, there's not much sense in letting younger persons watch this.

Worth watching? Sure, it is a very pleasant movie to watch. Entertainment AND movie fans. One last thing: THIS IS NOT A COMEDY! so don't expect to see Jim Carrey's feminine version walking around, because that's how the marketing staff has tried to draw more audience to cinemas and that's how I've heard a lot of disappointed comments about this film.

Final Grade 18/20