The Devil Wears Prada

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
By Reymundo Salao

In the dizzying world of New York fashion, where size zero is the new 2, six is the new 8, and a bad hair day can end a career, Runaway Magazine is the Holy Grail. Overseen with a finely manicured fist by Miranda Priestly--the most powerful woman in fashion--Runway is a fearsome gauntlet for anyone who wants to make it in the industry. To make Runway the fashion bible of New York and therefore the world, Miranda has let nothing stand in her way--including a long line of assistants that didn't make the cut. It's a job no self-respecting person can survive, yet it's an opportunity a million young women in New York would kill for. A stint as Miranda's assistant could blast-open the doors for recent college graduate Andy Sachs. More college drab than haute couture, she stands alone among the small army of "Clackers" on staff at Runway--superslim fashion divas clacking their stilettos down the halls of the magazine's Manhattan headquarters. But when Andy comes in for the job, it dawns on her that making it in this industry will take more than drive and determination. And her ultimate test stands before her in head-to-toe Prada. Miranda can spin the fashion world like a basketball but has a devil of a time finding and keeping a good assistant. Andy is completely wrong for the job. But she has something the rest of them don't: she refuses to fail. To become the perfect assistant, Andy will need to make herself over in Miranda's image. Soon, much to her boyfriend's dismay, she can talk the talk, walk the walk and never again confuse Dolce with Gabbana. But the more of life she sees through Miranda's eyes, the more she begins to grasp that Miranda's world is a fabulous but lonely one--and that sometimes great success depends on great sacrifice. But at what cost? (Synopsis taken from rottentomatoes.com)


First of all, I have not read the book from which this movie is adapted from, nor am I knowledgeable of "fashion world stuff". So, if you’re looking for a dead serious review of this movie from somebody who has read the book, then this review may not be the one for you to read. Furthermore, I must warn you that the two reasons why I watched this movie is that, first, I have not reviewed a movie for more than 2 weeks because I am just not in the mood to watch all these sucky films which have come out, and second is that I find chicks in trendy clothing to be quite a turn on (and on this movie, Anne Hathaway is just oozing with alluring vibrancy, & I’ll get back to that later)

The Devil Wears Prada is not a new story, upscale glamorous life versus real life & simple living, a tale of a lady who is about to be gobbled up by the world of fashion and glamour. But it is a story that is well told in this movie. The characters may be amusing and sometimes dark but lovable. Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly is one icy villain, ruthless but cinematically lovable, but she does not make it too comical & delivers just the right mix of acting balance that she pulls off quite a realistically dominant character. i love the ruthless, sarcastic, and witty lines by Miranda (Streep) such as (something that goes like) "please do move at such a glacial pace" Streep’s Miranda is such an iconic villain that carries almost 80% of why the movie is so good.


Anne Hathaway is damn lovable. She truly has progressed in her acting career from the Princess Diaries to Brokeback Mountain and into this fictional character of a very popular bestseller. Not only is Anne Hathaway beautiful, she is also stunning in this movie, all dressed up in stylish clothes that really fit the way she looks. Most of her shots look very poster-worthy.

Obviously, this is a chick flick. The movie is bundled up with fashion jargons, brand names, cameos from whoever-those-people-are, and a love story. The best audience for this movie may probably be fashionista-crazed females, trend-conscious gays, and guys who would be dragged by their girlfriends to watch the movie. The film, however, is not a total chick movie so much so that a guy would need subtitles for whatever's going on the screen. There is also that love story, which I'm sure guys can also relate to. At least this movie was not as chick-flick as Superman Returns, while that movie sucked with its lack of action and overall soap opera atmosphere, this movie had spunk and an alluringly lovely babe to drool over.

Despite the chick flick aura, I was never bored (perhaps because of the alluring visuals). But the movie is indeed engagingly funny, stylish, and has a great script that most would say that is as good as the book.