The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Sadly Over-hyped

Let's be realistic.

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

This film stands out from the rest of typical films. It's about world of fashion and how difficult it is to really live a life in that sphere. The main character Andrea is a young and naive smart girl who is looking for a job and she is very diligent to complete every task of her boss. And her chief gives her so many tasks that while watching I understand who is the Devil here. Despite all the difficulties the main character stays sincere and true to herself. The film probably teaches us that there's always a choice and everything comes at a cost. While so many people envy those who wears fashion clothes and luxury things very few understand how difficult it is necessary to work to get those things. The ending is also beautiful and maybe the best moment of the film is when Andrea throws away her mobile phone when her chief called her and decides to leave her job and world of fashion to start a new life with a new job.

The movie is based on a novel (2003) written by Lauren Weisberger which has been translated to more than 35 languages. The Director David Frankel had read the novel and later thought of making it into a movie. There were several screenplay writers who worked to finalize the movie script, but the credit was ultimately given to Aline Brosch McKenna.The movie is based on a real life true character the editor of Vogue Anna Wintour where Lauren had worked as an assistant for a short while. In the movie the role of real Anna is named Miranda (played villainously by Meryl Streep) and that of Lauren is named Andy (played by a new comer Anne Hathway).The choice of Meryl was obvious but Anne had to push herself to get the role, but the new debut of Miranda's first secretary Emily played by Emily Blunt was after auditioning 1000 aspirants.Meryl based her role and enacted it just imitating a brutal MAN running his company. The story is about how Andy who wants to be a journalist gets sucked into the fashion industry through this magazine where she gets job as a secretary to Miranda, who is a brutal task master - one who is obnoxious and never satisfied.The first secretary Emily aspires to be with Miranda, but with time Andy rises the ladder in the organization and does not realize that she is losing her love, her friends and her soul in the work she is doing.When she realizes it she quits the job and joins a firm as a journalist and there the movie ends showing Andy liberated and happy.The movie takes a shot at Fashion industry and takes a dubious view-point and presents it with enough guts to expose the underbelly of it.So this time on my second viewing - I felt that - you take any industry - and when you work in it and climb the ladder - and if you are sucked into it defending it and living it - you will not be aware of the dirty underbelly of that industry. But if one has to protect one's soul - one has to protect even if one works as a journalist - or even as a social worker or any other thing.The moment your soul takes precedence - you will feel that the work you are doing does not fulfill your search and what you are seeking. So to show the Fashion industry in bad light is a one-dimensional take. As much as fashion designers are superficial - so are journalist - so are any other professions. So this was the take of mine - while watching the movie a second time.The movie was a dud on USA box office but raked mullah on international release and became the biggest block-bluster internationally.What happened actually was that people went gaga over the designer clothes worn in the movie rather than taking the message home.I think, in my first viewing there was so much of critical buzz, that one gets dragged in the flow of positive reviews. Now after 10 years, it is a right frame of mind from which one watches the movie and gives a balanced review.Overall - it was a okay movie. I will go with 5.5 out of 10.

I didn't knew what this movie was about before watching it. I just knew Meryl Streep and Anne Hattaway were in here so I decided to watch it, expecting a fun movie but nothing more. Well, it's true that it's a fun movie, but it's not only this. It tells the story of Andrea (Anne Hattaway), a young girl who wants to be a journalist and she starts as an assistant to Miranda Prestley (Meryl Streep) in one of the most recognized fashion magazines, Runway. Anne Hattaway gives a great performance, with this feeling of innocence at the beginning, running from one place to another to get the tasks of Miranda done, but at the end she starts to understand what does it means to be in the world of the fashion and it's consequences. But the true star in here is Meryl Streep, who gives a devilish and glamorous performance, but also at parts with a human touch, but only her presence in the movie is worth the watch of it.Well not only Meryl Streep is what makes the movie worth the watch. Also, I was impressed on the costume designs. How many different dresses they wear through the movie! From Meryl to Anne Hattaway to Emily Blunt or even Stanley Tucci, they all have such a great variety of clothes that will make you keep staring at the movie. This and also the great soundtrack provided by Theodore Shapiro which transmits the feelings of rush and evilness of Miranda, and the innocence and sadness at parts of Andy.I recommend it to every one who wants to watch an entertaining movie with an awesome performance by Meryl Streep and who wants to discover the price you have to pay for being in the world of fashion and glamour.

Despite this movie had tremendous success and stardom, I must confess that I was avoiding this flick through the years. Somehow I built the image, and the marketing around it helped, that this would be a very empty, futile, pointless experience and that I will learn nothing useful. I was wrong. This can be very relatable, namely the office emotional abuse by an authoritarian and disrespectful boss, the jealousy of a close colleague, and the everyday struggles of a young well educated woman in this century. I also really need to emphasize the stupendous acting performance by Maryl Streep has Miranda Priestly, the very real arrogant boss. When she realizes that she needs Andrea's dedication, commitment and competence to make her life function almost and every day, she finally sees her worth. But this time Anne Hathaway character go forward with her professional ambitions and finds a new job, in the traditional journalism area where she belongs.