The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

The Devil Wears Prada was first a novel written by Lauren Weisberger whose profile very much resembles that of ficticious Miranda Priestly's assistant. Ms. Weisberger worked for Vogue magazine for a short while, where she was assistant to editor, Anna Wintour.

There has been so much talk about Meryl Streep in this movie, that it has turned out to be the chick flick of the summer. And yes, I do believe that it is a chick flick even if you can get 'him' to go to the movie theater with you. This is not a knock, the movie is great fun. It is just perfect for a day out with the girls. See the movie, then head off for a knosh, some laughs and girl talk.

The movie stars Meryl Streep, Anna Hathaway and marvelous Stanley Tucci as Miranda's right hand guy. In The Devil Wears Prada, Streep captures “the devil, Miranda Priestly”. Priestly is ill-tempered, ill-mannered, self-absorbed and rude. She has no redeeming qualities, except one; she is brilliant at what she does. Priestly, the editor-in-chief of “Runway”, a slick Vogue-like, magazine cannot keep an assistant because she runs them ragged and saps every ounce of their dignity.
I loved this movie. Great for girls night out-eat, drink and trash the powers-that-be.

Vannie Ryanes, <br />
Classic Film Maven

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

**½
USA

A glorified make-over movie with mild pretensions of a fashion world satire, which are quickly smothered by the makers' fetish for trashy but expensive-looking couture (as well as a crummy sense for comic timing). Anne Hathaway tries very hard to pretend she isn't plucky and puppy-hungry for your love as she plays an aspiring journalist who loses touch with her true self while working for a major fashion magazine. As the boss from hell, Meryl Streep attempts multiple variations on the one note. The only time she's particularly interesting to watch is a brief patch where she's stripped of make-up and her destitute middle-aged-ness is underlined. And even then she's on auto-pilot.

(Read Less...)

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (2006)

BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Based on the hilarious best-selling novel, this sinfully funny movie starring Academy Award winner Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway is sensationally entertaining in every way. As assistant to impossibly demanding New York fashion magazine editor, Miranda Priestley (Streep), young Andy Sachs (Hathaway) has landed a job that a "million girls would die for." Unfortunately, her heaven-sent appointment as Miranda's personal whipping girl just might be the death of her! Featuring stand out performances by Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt, plus a closetful of must-have DVD "accessories", THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is a fresh, funny, fabulous masterpiece.

FILM REVIEW: "The Devil Wears Prada" is really "Working Girl" for the fashion industry. It's not really new but it does offer an exclusive look in to the world of the fashion industry and offers a very memorable character in the form of Miranda Priestly played by Meryl Streep. She commands the screen every time she shows up and you can't help but be entertained by her ruthless efficiency and dark, funny demands (ie she demands Andy get her the unpublished manuscript of the latest Harry Potter book for her kids). Watching Streep devour this character and have such fun with it is a pleasure to watch. On this point alone, this film is absolutely worth a look.
Aside from the fashion angle, this film is not particularly remarkable, following the typical coming-of-age story that was done so very well in films like "Working Girl" and even to a much lesser extent "The Secret of my Success". In many ways, this film is reminiscent of these types of 80's films. It's a lot of fun, light, and gives you an insight in to the fashion industry (and numerous real-life references, including a cameo by Valentino) which we haven't seen on display in a mainstream film like this before. The attention to detail is exemplary in this film; a lot of research went in to the fashion on display to ensure all of the major brands were in the film and shown in the best light.
The acting is first rate, with some funny performances from Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt. Less spectacular is the lead, Anne Hathaway. There isn't really much of a character transformation on offer (aside from the fashion changes). It's a coming of age story which in turn demands some kind of character transformation, but for some reason, she seems exactly the same at the end as she does at the beginning (again, aside from the fashion changes). If she had been a bit more special, the film might have gone up a notch or two.
"The Devil Wears Prada" is an entertaining film that is unlikely to bore you and worth spending 104 minutes of your life on. How much you like it really depends on your interest in fashion.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The film has been given an extremely good transfer given that it's only on a single disc and packed with extras. The pop soundtrack is entertaining, especially hearing hits such as Madonna's "Vogue" and "Jump" transposed against some memorable fashion images. Overall, an excellent job and will put your home theatre through its paces.

EXTRAS REVIEW: The extras on this DVD cover different elements of the film, mainly focusing on the fashion and Miranda Priestly angle. There are six featurettes running a grand total of 40 minutes, covering the film's development, the fashion utilised in the film, the costumer designer and in interview with the editor in chief of Elle-Italy. Suprisingly, a lot of information is packed in to these featurettes, but they are still just featurettes. The audio commentary makes up for the lack of documentary, featuring a very scene-specific and detailed description of what it took to make the film. There are nine deleted scenes, a gag reel (Meryl Streep's variations on one particular line are hilarious) and a theatrical trailer. Overall, for a single disc we get a fairly good range of extras that give you a solid insight in to the film if not an extensive one.

BOTTOM LINE: Must have DVD for fashion fanatics, but for the rest of us, put it in your collection once it goes on sale.

FILM RATING: 7.5/10 -- EXTRAS RATING: 7/10 -- OVERALL DVD RATING: 7.5/10 

Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

The Devil Wears Prada

Guess who's the devil?

The Gist

Anne Hathaway looks for a job in New York and finds one on Runway magazine, one that most girls would die to work for. Being the only one without fashion sense, she was hired because she showed more common sense, which was not common amongst the interviewees. Meryl Streep gets one of the best assistants of her life. Not one of, but THE best ever. Hathaway gets the worst boss ever.

What Do I Think?

I'd recommend this movie to all employees and employers alike. Employees, this movie tells you how you can become a good one. It also lets you know what to expect from an employer, for the case of TDWP, it shows you the worst things to expect. Employers, learn how not to be like Meryl Streep. It also lets you know that you may or may not find one employee like Anne because she's one in a million. Make that ten million. Employers, please be aware that us employees have our personal lives as well. Oh yeah, that is not your problem. I forgot.

No one will get awards for this but Streep and Hathaway were perfect for their roles.

Rating: 8/10
Inspired me in some way.

(Read Less...)

Last updated: 2009-08-11 21:46:29 by joekhor

The Devil Wears Prada

Apparently this film is based on the book of the same name. There a few differences, but the plot is still the same.
Yes, this is a chick flick, but it has beautiful women in it that aren’t running around have mental breakdowns at the drop of a hat like in your typical chick flicks.
The cast is excellent in this film, led by Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep.
I’ve loved Anne Hathaway since she first appeared in The Princess Diaries. Since the she has devloped into a beautiful woman and continues to grow as an actress. How many can say they’ve held their own on screen with the likes of Juile Andrews and Meryl Streep.
Speaking of Meryl Streep, she steals the show as Miranda. She’s icy cold, yet not evil.  Top notch performance from a top notch actress.
Emily Blunt has a breakout role in this film. Such a shame that she all but disappears about 3/4 through the film.
Adrian Grenier and Stanley Tucci portray the male leads. Grenier and Andy’s boyfriend, and Tucci and the (allegedly gay) art director at Runway and Andy’s confidant.
If I have one issue with this film, its that, there is not a single mention of Prada anywhere except in the title. Small little thing, I know, and probably something money related, but still you’d think they could have slipped some in there somewhere.
One thing about Anne Hathway, up until this film she was nice and healthy looking and pretty much was Andy, but after this film was released she became the “glamazon” version of Andy. She’s lost a ton of weight just to fit in with what Hollywood thinks is beautiful. She says this is because of her work schedule and breakup this past summer, but I’m not so sure. We’ll see what happens. She’s still beautiful, but lost some of my respect by conforming.
This is a really well written, well acted, excellent film. I highly recommend it to any and everyone.

http://thankyounetflix.wordpress.com