Streep is sensational!

Rating: 8/10 (21 July 2006)

"The Devil Wears Prada" is a smart, amusing look at an industry that few take seriously yet one that affects almost everybody in some way.
I thought all the performers were up to the task, but the brilliant Meryl Streep as the demanding editor-in-chief of a Vogue-like fashion magazine creates a character that is absolutely unforgettable. Lesser actresses would have chewed up the scenery as a shouting, wild-eyed boss-from-hell; instead, Streep underplays it with a kind of resignation that no one can possibly meet her standards, that she is doomed to be surrounded by failure and incompetence.
In one marvelous scene in which the top editorial staff is planning the next issue of the magazine, Streep wearily dismisses all suggestions as uninspired or yesterday's news. But when the art director finally offers a truly original idea, there are no smiles or words of praise from Streep. She simply says, very coolly, "I'm glad someone came to work today."
You don't have to labor in the high-fashion world to relate to Meryl Streep's driven executive in this movie. "The Devil Wears Prada" is highly recommended.