Comment

Oct 16, 2014mswrite rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Uch--I had such issues with this movie. Loved the performances, including the wonderful Stanley Tucci as the wise and witty Nigel, the appealing Anne Hathaway as the beleaguered newcomer Andy, Emily Blunt as the hapless, hard-bitten assistant and gatekeeper, "Emily," and, especially, the towering Meryl Streep as the feared fashion Editor-Goddess Miranda Priestley. But what exactly were we supposed to take away from this film and the conflicts between Andy and Miranda? That naive and decent Andy was the "better" of the two? At the film's end I silently wished Andy well as I watched her come to a decision about her future. But I couldn't help feeling that Miranda and the tough lessons she had been forced to learn about career, love, motherhood and marriage were being given short shrift; our sympathies were supposed to be for the youthful Andy. Which is annoying. Because Streep could have played Miranda as a cold, unfeeling bitch and left it at that but of course she doesn't. She lets us see, through Andy's wide eyes, the dignity, pain and vulnerability of the aging, lonely woman under the sophistication, hard glamour and high accomplishment. She teaches Andy important things, even when she doesn't mean to, whether Andy wants the lessons or not. Miranda's life is both an inspiration and a cautionary tale. I didn't like the total lack of support Andy gets from her best friend Lily (Tracie Thoms) who after all was also striving to make something of herself in that biggest and most competitive of American cities. And her boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier) was a whining, self-absorbed jerk who seemed to have no patience or understanding for the growing pains Andy endures as she attempts to navigate the demands of a glamorous but impossible job. If anything he seemed jealous of her dedication and determination to rise to the occasion. (Sweetie, you can do better than this, I kept thinking.) "The Devil Wears Prada." I loved it. I hated it. I'd watch it again someday. I recommend it.