So so, redeemed somewhat by good actors

Rating: 6/10 (8 July 2007)

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not in the right demographic to enjoy a film like this. I'm a guy, I'm not interested in fashion, and I'm not fascinated by fancy parties. So right off the bat this film had to do a lot to interest me.
And as it turned out, it didn't really do much to interest me. Yes, Meryl Streep is a great actress and she did a credible job here - enough to hold my interest. It's not like she had a lot to work with here - the character was largely a cardboard cutout - but she made me pay attention.
One problem the film had was with its basic premise. Ho ho ho, the characters say, how could someone who looks like Anne Hathaway expect to work at a magazine like this? Uh, maybe because Anne Hathaway is an almost ridiculously good looking young woman, and is the kind of person whose face looks as if it was designed specifically to go on the cover of a magazine? Yes, she's not as skinny as a stick like some models, but she is thin, and when the characters talked about her like she was some ugly duckling it completely took me out of the moment. They should have either cast another actress (although that would have been a mistake because Anne's a good actress) or toned down the dialog.
Stanly Tucci was good as always. Adrian Grenier was fine, although didn't have much to work with. Emily Blunt was adequate.
But overall the movie just didn't connect with me. From the first scenes I could predict almost everything that would come, and I don't mean that in a good way. The decent performances save this from utter oblivion, but I certainly wouldn't rush out to get this one, unless you're a nut for fashion.