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The Devil Wears Prada

Heart, humor, and haute couture"”The Devil Wears Prada has them all! A satirical look at the cutthroat world of fashion magazines with a tyrannical editor and her lowly assistant at its core, The Devil Wears Prada uses biting wit and racks of designer ensembles to excellent effect. Much like tottering on a pair of sky-high Manolo Blahnik's, the film achieves an almost perfect balance of the superficial and the practical.

With a swoop of silvery hair, a fur coat draped over an impeccably stylish outfit and gold-tinted sunglasses shielding an icy-cold glare, Miranda Priestly is the wickedly demanding boss from hell. Fashion Goddess or Devil-in-heels? You decide. Either way, she is the dominating, all-powerful editor-in-chief of Runway magazine, a Vogue-like incarnation that has the first and last word on everything fashion.

Played with scene-stealing perfection by Meryl Streep, Miranda spits out evil demands and harsh critiques in a hushed voice without a hint of kindness or gratitude. The calmness of her delivery is what makes her so delightfully creepy and utterly intimidating to all who cross her path. With a stare, a blink and a purse of her lips, she can influence a designer to rethink his entire clothing line. And with a swift "That's all" Miranda has the power to end a conversation and leave her subjects reeling. One disapproving look from Miranda is like a pointy stiletto heel to the gut.

Andrea "Andy" Sachs (Anne Hathaway) becomes very familiar with that look of disdain when she gets hired as Miranda's second assistant. A fresh-faced young girl with aspirations of becoming a serious journalist and a "who cares" approach to fashion, Andy could not be more wrong for the job. She's a"”gasp!"”size six and she doesn't know Dolce from Gabbana. Nevertheless, she's smart and Miranda gives her a chance.

With her new assistant position, Andy is at Miranda's disposal 24/7. Whether it's undertaking the impossible task of booking Miranda a flight in a hurricane or tracking down a copy of an as-yet-unreleased issue of Harry Potter for Miranda's twin brats, Miranda's demands are nothing short of ridiculous.

But working for Miranda has a surprising effect on Andy. The more her boss demands, the more Andy is determined to please. The job she once took only as an alternative to “Auto Universe,” slowly starts to take over her life. Once a vision of J.C. Penny sweaters, knee-length skirts and last season's chunky Steve Madden's, Andy transforms herself into a designer diva with the help of longtime Runway art director Nigel (Stanley Tucci) and some quick raids of

the Runway wardrobe closet. Her model-makeover impresses Miranda and surprises even her snobbiest colleagues.

Playing haughty with a heart, Emily Blunt creates an original out of a cliché with her portrayal of Miranda's first assistant, Emily. She delivers some of the best lines and scalding insults in her deadpan British accent (describing her insane diet is particularly hilarious). Blunt is an up-and-coming actress to watch.

Anne Hathaway is also a star in the making. After ditching her Disney tiara for more grown-up roles like the sassy cowgirl turned hardened businesswoman in Brokeback Mountain, Hathaway hits her stride in The Devil Wears Prada. She's luminous as Andrea. Her looks are gorgeous in a down-to-earth way and she makes Andrea's varying emotions throughout the movie completely relatable.

Besides the top-notch actors, the other star of this film has got to be the fashion! And costume designer Patricia Field (Sex and the City) does not disappoint. Runway's closet is a treasure trove of Chanel, Fendi, Cavalli, Calvin Klein, Valentino, and, obviously, Prada. Miranda adorns herself with enough luscious furs to drive PETA mad and Andy looks positively chic in her Galliano gowns, Chanel beaded necklaces and amazing winter coats (the shamrock green vintage number with the leopard cuffs was my personal favorite look).

The more polished Andy's clothes become, the more tattered her life becomes. She misses her sweet boyfriend's birthday (Entourage's adorable Adrian Grenier) and finds herself making decisions that the "old Andrea" never would have made–including stealing an opportunity from a colleague and flirting with a smarmy, smooth-talking publisher (Simon Baker).

Miranda Priestly begins as a scary, imposing figure but ends up becoming a cautionary tale for Andrea of what happens when priorities slip out of order and a career ends up becoming your life. Streep infuses Miranda with a humanness underlying her chilly demeanor. We're able to imagine why she is the way she is, and feel pity for her knowing that it is too late for her to change. But, at least there’s hope for Andy!

Any reader of the best-selling novel by Lauren Weisberger upon which this movie is based will realize the glaring differences and changes made to this adaptation. Understandably, more complicated details were omitted for the sake of clarity and a more filmable storyline. But some of the book's sass and spark were lost in the process. The main plot-line was entirely reworked, thus the effect is completely different. Readers of the book may be slightly disappointed because, as with most movie adaptations, the book is better. Not to mention the ending feels a bit too neat and tidy.

Nonetheless, The Devil Wears Prada is a viciously fun glimpse at the exclusive, intriguing fashion industry. Just as Andy gets seduced by the lure of fabulous clothes, The Devil Wears Prada seduces with its sleek fashion montages and enjoyably original characters.

The movie

may have devil in the title, but it proves to be a fashion-lover's heaven.

Movie Grade: A-

Synopsis:

Based on the best-selling novel, The Devil Wears Prada stars two-time Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep as high-powered fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly. Anne Hathaway also stars, as Miranda’s new assistant, a small-town girl in her first job out of college, trying to navigate a world she’s only glimpsed in print "” while surviving her impossibly demanding new boss.