3.5 out of 5 Prada bags (Above average)
It could be the somewhat stressful few weeks I’ve had at the time of writing this, but I surprisingly enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada. It was a landmark comedy in 2006 that cemented then-rising star Anne Hathaway‘s career outside of the Princess Diaries films, made money hand-over-fist, and bursts to the gills with quotes you’ve seen on Hot Topic shirts in your friend’s apartment. However, the reason Devil works for me as a 31-year-old guy is how well it nails the feeling of a chaotic workday with an excellent soundtrack, funny, well-pitched performances, and unexpected emotional maturity.
Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is a bright-eyed go-getter and recent college grad wanting to enter journalism. Despite knowing as much about fashion as I do about the inner workings of a VW bug, she applies to Runway magazine, a juggernaut in the fashion industry run with the firm, icy grip of Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). Mocked for her lack of fashion sense by workaholic Emily (Emily Blunt in her star-making turn) and taken pity on by the flamboyant fashion director Nigel (Stanley Tucci), Andy must learn to navigate and work in this alien world without sacrificing her values, her relationship with boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier) or most importantly, her sense of self.
The Devil Wears Prada is considered a comedy classic, and while I don’t love it as much as many others, it’s a film that works far better for me as an adult than as a teen or college student. Having been in the workplace for 7 years now, I know the feeling of a nonstop workday with a million things to do and not enough time to do them, and this movie gets that across with ease, humor, and relatability. The movie is still funny 20 years on and the 4 leads land their laughs, but it also provides them with depth and shows the believable struggle of a work-life balance.
Meryl Streep is excellent as one of cinema’s worst bosses and Anne Hathaway plays Andy’s frumpy-to-fashionable character arc well, but the MVP for me goes to Emily Blunt for bringing equal amounts of snark and anxiety to her scenes. Each character feels like a grounded, complex person by the end of the story and makes us question how we would react in their situation, all the while keeping the jokes coming. I also appreciate the costume design for showing Andy’s slow transition from looking like an average jane individual to more uniform like her Runway coworkers and the energy is well-judged for humor and dramatic moments.
Flaw-wise, the middle feels a little repetitive sometimes a running gag about Andy’s size grew tired, and I felt the film’s length a bit by the end, but overall, I enjoyed this more now than expected and see why it resonates for so many. The Devil Wears Prada is a funny, surprisingly honest, and mature comedy that looks fashionable on the outside and has more going on beneath its sequined surface. See it on DisneyPlus.
Rated PG-13 for Some Sensuality