THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

Directed by David Frankel

Starring Meryl Streep

Reviewed by Byron Merritt

THUMBS UP FILM REVIEW RATING!

Can you say Oscar nominee? If you can, then Meryl Streep’s performance in The Devil Wears Prada should be first on your lips and list. Her witty, cool, and wickedly abrasive character portrayal of Miranda Priestly certain warrants at least that.

Simply put, The Devil Wears Prada is about corruption. Not political or business, but personal. The big question we're asked is "How much of yourself are you willing to let go of to get what you want? Or what you think you want?" In this Summer’s blockbuster comedy-drama, this question is not easily answered.

Miranda Priestly has given up everything to become the president of Runway Magazine, the most expensive, most popular fashion periodical to ever hit the racks. Raising the magazine to such a prestigious level has caused Miranda to sacrifice everything — marriages, vacations, family. Her latest need, however, is fairly simple: a new office assistant. Enter Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway, HOODWINKED) a frumpy looking young lady who recently graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism. Andy tries to use her position at Runway Magazine as a stepping stone to bigger and better jobs but is soon sucked into the high-price, high-pressure world of fashion. She rapidly becomes Mrs. Priestly’s direct assistant and has to be on-call 24/7. This wreaks havoc on her relationship with boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier, ACROSS THE HALL) as she shows up late for dinners and even bypasses his birthday party.

A dawning awareness of what she’s become (or might become) soon hits Andy and she’s forced to make a decision that’ll affect the rest of her life. Should she stay with Mrs. Priestly and end up a wealthy but ulcerative design assistant? Or should she follow her original dream of becoming a journalist? In a set of excellent circumstances where Mrs. Priestly really needs her, Andy finally makes her decision. It’s a "stand up and applaud" moment for many viewers and even Meryl Streep’s Miranda character seems pleased with Andy’s choice ...right before she yells, "Go!" to her driver at the end of the film, indicating she may have approved of Andy’s choice but she’s already made her own.

Anne Hathaway pulls in a "beauty" of a part as Andy Sachs. Mrs. Hathaway is a great looking lady (even when "frumped" up) but I’d be willing to bet she’s never been a size six! She’s so tiny!

Meryl Streep’s performance is simply amazing. Her bitchy, bossy, hardheaded, businesswoman performance was absolutely perfect! When she first meets Hathaway’s character and says, "You don’t have any fashion sense."

And Andy says, "Well I do, it’s just—"

"That wasn’t a question," Streep interrupts.

That exchange sets the stage for this dynamite relationship between the two.

If Streep doesn’t get at least a few award nominations this year for her performance, I’ll be highly disappointed.

Click here for The Devil Wears Prada Movie Trailer!