The Devil Wears Prada Review
By David Kempler
Sometimes the devil does good work
I'll pretend I did not hear that.
I know zero about fashion. One glance in my closet is all it takes to know that I'm telling the truth. Because of this, I wasn't exactly panting to go see "The Devil Wears Prada". I know that Prada has something to do with fashion but whether Prada is a designer, a shoe, a gown, or a hippo at the Central Park Zoo, or all of the above, is unclear to me.
Yet, I enjoyed watching this movie despite its contrived plot and basically unbelievable series of events. There is only one reason for this, or perhaps two. The one shining reason is the performance by the amazing Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, the goddess who runs the fashion magazine, "Runway". More than running the magazine, at times she appears to be running the entire international fashion industry. A secondary reason is the also wonderful acting job by Stanley Tucci as Nigel, Miranda's most important employee. Tucci resists the temptation to play the homosexual Nigel over the top. Instead he maintains a level where we can believe that Nigel really lives. These two consummate pros save the day. Without them we'd be left with a bag of badly used shoes.
The story is of the bumpkin (but not country) Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), a young and mostly innocent woman who wanders into the lion's den at Runway Magazine. In a "My Fair Lady" sort of way she of course overcomes every obstacle that Miranda can toss her way. Andy has a boyfriend who she is drawn away from and other folks in their circle of friends but none of them makes a difference. They are no more than props here. You don't have to see it to know how the plot will unfold but despite this it still holds your attention. Director David Frankel, a recent graduate of television directing does a nice job keeping the film moving at a good clip. Score one more bull's-eye for Ms. Streep. She, at least, will never go out of fashion.
