The Devil Wears Prada
We all have hopes of landing the perfect job right out of college—after all, now we’re educated and fresh, and who wouldn’t want us? Andrea (Andy) Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is no exception. With dreams of high-class journalism, the new grad with a—shall we say—casual approach to fashion ironically lands a job as the second assistant to New York notoriously high-maintenance fashion editor of Runway magazine, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). In her mind, this is a one-year stint that will get her the contacts she needs to become a serious journalist, but when Miranda’s demands rapidly devour Andy’s life, she is forced to confront what it takes to get ahead in her career.
The “devil� in this movie rather clearly refers to the “Dragon Lady� editor—she is unrealistic, condescending, aloof, and generally rude. But, as my fellow critic pointed out afterwards, there is a definite reference to the fashion industry in general, and how insidiously it captivates us all, whether we know it or not. Particularly interesting to me was the flagrant mockery of the “number game.� While I was initially concerned by the jokes that Andy was “fat� (a whopping size 6), it soon became a running joke about how ridiculously thin models have to be, and the drastic measures they take to maintain a size 0 (which was the old size 2, by the way). As a woman who has felt the pressures of the number game, I appreciated the way Prada pokes fun at the emphasis on size and diet, making it evident that it’s all pretty much irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. After all, Miranda Priestly is no toothpick—in fact she has a very flattering womanly shape—and no one comments on her being “fat�!
Another prominent theme throughout the movie is that of choices—and what we do when we feel like we don’t have them. Several times when Andy has neglected her group of close friends, including her boyfriend, she bemoans the fact (or at least her perception) that she “didn’t have a choice.� After the third of fourth repetition of this rather pathetic whine, it’s pretty clear that we’re watching Andy learn that she’s making choices all the time, and they have consequences. She does have a choice, and her choices to proverbially kiss Miranda Priestly’s demanding hiney eventually cost her her closest friends. But what’s a career-minded girl to do?
Ultimately, the tension revolves around Andy’s choices—and how she reconciles these choices with who she is and who she wants to be. One of the strengths of the movie is that, until the end, the audience isn’t absolutely certain how she will choose—will she abandon the high-class fashion industry altogether? Or will she make choices that will allow her to continue in her career without sacrificing her relationships? It’s a choice Andy will make, and it may not be the one you expect.
Artistically speaking, Prada isn’t a blockbuster, but a truly ensemble cast (including Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt) makes for a (somewhat surprisingly) three-dimensional movie. Streep plays the invincible Priestly to a “T,� and when the façade cracks for just a moment, Streep captures the depth of character in a truly stunning and engaging manner.
Prada certainly made for an enjoyable evening, as well as numerous post-viewing discussions. While I imagine it will appeal more to the women in the audience, it shouldn’t be relegated to the “chick flick� bin—there’s plenty of meat to chew on for the men, too.
Because real women eat carbs.
The “devil� in this movie rather clearly refers to the “Dragon Lady� editor—she is unrealistic, condescending, aloof, and generally rude. But, as my fellow critic pointed out afterwards, there is a definite reference to the fashion industry in general, and how insidiously it captivates us all, whether we know it or not. Particularly interesting to me was the flagrant mockery of the “number game.� While I was initially concerned by the jokes that Andy was “fat� (a whopping size 6), it soon became a running joke about how ridiculously thin models have to be, and the drastic measures they take to maintain a size 0 (which was the old size 2, by the way). As a woman who has felt the pressures of the number game, I appreciated the way Prada pokes fun at the emphasis on size and diet, making it evident that it’s all pretty much irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. After all, Miranda Priestly is no toothpick—in fact she has a very flattering womanly shape—and no one comments on her being “fat�!
Another prominent theme throughout the movie is that of choices—and what we do when we feel like we don’t have them. Several times when Andy has neglected her group of close friends, including her boyfriend, she bemoans the fact (or at least her perception) that she “didn’t have a choice.� After the third of fourth repetition of this rather pathetic whine, it’s pretty clear that we’re watching Andy learn that she’s making choices all the time, and they have consequences. She does have a choice, and her choices to proverbially kiss Miranda Priestly’s demanding hiney eventually cost her her closest friends. But what’s a career-minded girl to do?
Ultimately, the tension revolves around Andy’s choices—and how she reconciles these choices with who she is and who she wants to be. One of the strengths of the movie is that, until the end, the audience isn’t absolutely certain how she will choose—will she abandon the high-class fashion industry altogether? Or will she make choices that will allow her to continue in her career without sacrificing her relationships? It’s a choice Andy will make, and it may not be the one you expect.
Artistically speaking, Prada isn’t a blockbuster, but a truly ensemble cast (including Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt) makes for a (somewhat surprisingly) three-dimensional movie. Streep plays the invincible Priestly to a “T,� and when the façade cracks for just a moment, Streep captures the depth of character in a truly stunning and engaging manner.
Prada certainly made for an enjoyable evening, as well as numerous post-viewing discussions. While I imagine it will appeal more to the women in the audience, it shouldn’t be relegated to the “chick flick� bin—there’s plenty of meat to chew on for the men, too.
Because real women eat carbs.
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