Based on the best selling novel by Lauren Weisberger, The Devil Wears Prada takes us
behind the scenes of the industry that chooses 'What's Hot' and 'What’s Not'
and sets the fashion trends we all ultimate follow. Serial
"Ugly Girl - Turned - Stunning Beauty" Anne Hathaway takes on
the role ofAndrea (Andy) Sachs, an average girl with dreams of a
career as a New York journalist. Instead she ends up working in a
job that “a million girls would kill for” – assistant to
Editor-in-Chief of a (not so) fictitious magazine "Runway".
Unfortunately for Andy, an unfashionable dowdy girl her boss is the
infamous demanding, rude and ruthless Miranda Priestley (superbly
played by Meryl Streep in her Oscar nominated role) who makes all other
bosses seem like cute puppies covered in fairy floss.
The
novel - and subsequent box office blockbuster movie - is
allegedly loosely based on the antics of Anna Wintour, the ruthless but
successful editor of "American Vogue", a woman who allegedly demands
her staff to speak to her only when spoken to and to dress according to
her strict dress codes. Streep is fantastic and pulls of
the role brilliantly, however as a fan of the novel the film seems to
portray her nowhere near the harsh she-devil as what she appears to be
in the book. The role softens slightly in a brief scene in which
Miranda is distressed by her marital crisis (perhaps Streeps "artistic
pull" had something to do with that out of place Oscar moment). However
it adds depth to the fairly one dimensional character in that you can
feel, if only for second, for this cold hearted...well...bitch.
Anne
Hathaway delivers a solid performance again as the girl who has to
deal with the pressures of being on call for a boss who wants
everything "10 minutes ago" and having to get her hands on "the
unpublished Harry Potter
manuscript and a flight out of Miami" during a hurricane (despite all
planes being grounded) - as well as trying to deal with the fact that
she is letting her dreams & relationships with friends disappear as
she is tempted by the allure of success, popularity and free
shoes. In addition to all this, Hathaway is also balancing two guys - Entouragespunky
monkey Adrian Grenier and Australia’s own (and even spunkier!) Simon
Baker. Rounding out the impressive cast is an entertaining Stanley
Tucci as the camp artistic director of “Runway”, along with Emily Blunt
in her Golden Globe nominated role as Miranda's snooty first assisstant
who is“Only one stomach flu away from my goal weight!”. However, as any girl will tell you, the main character of Prada is most definitely the clothes. Sex and the City costume
designer, Patricia Field, pulled together the wardrobe for the film (no
doubt thanks to her numerous designer contacts). Valentino himself even
makes a cameo. Manolo Blahniks, Jimmy Choos, Chanel and of course Prada
all appear on screen in the form of some of the coolest shoes, dresses
and handbags on the market to create outfits we all wish we could pull
off for a day in the office.
Prada
is a fun movie that brings together romance, fashion and deals with the
issues that so manyy young girls attempting to start their careers face
- that of how much do you put up with, and sacrifice, in order to
realise your ultimate dream? While some slight changes are
made in the film this is a relatively faithful adaptation of the novel
so is sure to not disappoint the novels legions of fans or those who
are discovering the Prada wearing “Devil” for the first time. Well cast
and directed, this is likely going to turn off the boyfriends, brothers
and husbands off in their droves (but let them use it as leverage so
they can take you to see the next Piates of the Caribbean flick) - but this is a great DVD for a girl’s night in on the couch talking about Gilmore Girls and downing bag after bag of Malteasers! EXTRAS Featured
on the DVD are several featurettes showing the fashion of the film in
more detail, the journey from book to screen and a rather amusing gag
reel. These are a nice additions to the film and give the fans a brief
look at the behind scenes fun on the set of the Devil Wears Prada. Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: 70% 
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