Review of The Devil Wears Prada (2006) by Emilie H — 08 Dec 2017

The Devil Wears Prada.

It is hard to find a film that has a plot line that can not be predicted within the first ten minutes. Better yet, it is hard to not only find that, but also one that is entertaining, funny and rewatchable. The Devil Wears Prada is a film that captures originality and entertainment all in one. It is sure to have it's audience intrigued and entertained throughout.

In the movie, the main characters name is Andrea [Anne Hathaway]. She is from a small town and is a recent college graduate looking to pursue a career in the editorial business and show her father that she can be independent and successful on her own. Unlike other woman in the business, she doesn't know how to dress the part and is unprepared for what the future holds. She ends up getting a job working for one of the biggest fashion magazines in the Country, and her boss is the one and only Miranda Priestly [Merril Streep], or as the movie title would hint, the devil that wears Prada. Throughout the movie, Andrea is tested and her patience are pushed. She molds herself into what society and the fashion business thinks she should be, all while leaving behind who she really is.

If you love Anne Hathaway then this movie is pure gold. It could be closely compared to The Princess Diaries in the fact that she is changed from an old version of herself to a new and improved version. She also has a person above her that she needs to impress and has a tough relationship with. Her role in the Devil Wears Prada is creative and unpredictable. Although it is sometimes dramatic and over the top about the magazine business, that is what entertains the audience and keeps the comedy alive throughout. It is a film that you can watch multiple times, and it never gets old. The film not only touches on the energetic satire of the fashion world, but also the drama that viewers crave. In the film, Andrea is given a total makeover. She is completely changed head to toe. Her friends are left behind and work becomes her entire life, especially keeping her boss happy. In the film it shows her doing tasks such as fetching an original copy of the new Harry Potter book that hasn't even been through printing or dropping of a copy of their new editorial without making eye contact with Miranda's daughters. She is told constantly throughout the movie that girls would kill for her job and that she could be let go with one mistake. These over dramatic and hilarious situations are what keep the film entertaining and make it one of my all time favorites. One mistake, and she could be fired from the one job that is helping her pursue her ultimate goal.

I think that the overall best part about this film, is that it provides a lesson to the audience. A film makers goal is to make the audience walk away with something, and as cheesy as it sounds, this movie does it. It shows that while it is important to go all in and do our best to meet our goals, we can not alter ourselves in negative ways hoping that is will bring positive outcomes. Andrea put her entire life on hold to be a servant to her boss, and while other girls may kill for that, she felt unhappy and unfulfilled. Andrea struggles with losing everything just so that she can gain her bosses affection, and at the end of the film she finally realizes that she threw away everything that made her who she truly was so that she could be what the industry wanted her to be. We can not change ourselves to what other believe we are supposed to be because in the end, it is not others who make us who we are.