The Devil Wears Prada Movie Review: Devilishly Fluffy, yet Profound

In the fashion industry fairy tale The Devil Wears Prada, the princess is a bland fresh graduate and journalist wannabe who becomes a tortured assistant to a wicked, white-maned, and domineering fashion editor. The intersection of careers and personal lives in this story makes a cinematic translation of a formulaic tale about a naive young woman who nearly loses her soul after being caught up in the world of fashion.

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Based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger, The Devil Wears Prada reflects a timid satire depicting a young woman's introduction to the various complications relating to ethical, idealistic, blinding, political, and principled choices needed in the real world. It explores her work and career and her relationship with her dictatorial magazine editor.

More than its glossy look and the parody it presents, The Devil Wears Prada strikes the hearts of career people: those fashion-conscious femme viewers or even those from other professions. As the film relates to how absolute power, fame, and success corrupt people, it makes some salient points about the lengths a person allows herself/himself to be humiliated simply to hold on to a job. It's a story about the willingness to change one's life by changing one's dress size and lifestyle. It presents a slick and yet refreshingly mature take on the "making a career in hell" premise.

The film's fairy tale treatment discusses the journey people take to get that first job and discover how the real world really works. In the case of Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), the main conflict is consolidating her newly-found, outrageous fashion life with what her heart really yearns for.

The
impressively shows a privileged look inside the world of fashion journalism and the fashion capitals Paris and New York. One of the few effective Hollywood films with a completely formulaic premise, The Devil Wears Prada becomes more than just a conventional movie. With its impressively non-black-and-white characterizations, it provides a relatively authentic depiction of how the various characters act out their curious behaviors. This movie offers such an impressive ensemble of great acting performances.

The Devil Wears Prada remarkably amuses with the force of nature of Meryl Streep's character. As the career-obsessed dragon lady Miranda Priestly, the pillar of New York fashion, she plays right on the edge with being comically mean and genuinely sad. From her sophisticatedly menacing minimal gestures that silently whisper roars (her lifted eyebrow, pursed lip, her mere stance when removing her glasses, the tilting of her head with the white meringue of a hairstyle), she creates a panic that tends to shake all of Runway, all the well-respected designers, celebrated supermodels, and the rest of the famous fashionistas from around the world.

The Devil Wears Prada tells a familiar story elevated by complementing performances. Streep's comic timing is absolutely bull's eye in every take. She even manages to get a sizable laugh with the simplest line imaginable as "Go" and "That's all." Her silently menacing and comically witty character practically makes up the whole show. Miranda resembles a Cruella De Vil stance as a wolf in designer clothing. Her mere presence becomes nasty, terrifying, ruthless, cynical, mesmerizing, hilarious, and fun. As the story progresses, she delivers with a deliciously mean, and yet not totally heartless persona. More than her dramatic brilliance, Streep once again proves that she has incredible talent in her ability and expert timing to blend comedy and drama without forcing or faking them.

With the vicious wit of Streep leading the ensemble, Hathaway yields to the redeeming embodiment of grace and humor for the film. The story is also very much carried over by bright supporting performances led by Stanley Tucci (playing as the equally competent fashion editor Nigel) and Emily Blunt (playing as the impassioned fashionista Emily, Miranda's first assistant who continuously strives to please and emulate her).

The film makes a great appeal in turning fashion obsession into fun and profundity. Great mainstream production values and performances enliven the film's mere couture and fluffiness. Cutting through the narcissistic confusions around, The Devil Wears Prada offers 109 minutes of "a high on fashion" movie experience.

The movie is quite predictable in between the glitzy glamour and the bitchy stuff, but it keeps up with that needed cattiness and bite. It promotes such a killer cast, killer clothes, and killer laughs.

Andy's journey with Miranda is universal in its theme about a young person finding her way. Any person can relate to the workplace politics as presented in the story. Its consistently whimsical touch supports its fashion layers for the movie to become a breezy and enjoyable piece of pop entertainment. Lightweight but deep, its superficially shallow front actually reflects something much more profound.