Streep delivers fine performances in sweet hearted drama

Rating: 8/10 (29 October 2008)

Ambitious young woman Andy Sachs (Hathaway) starts a job as the assistant to one of fashions most important businesswomen Miranda Priestly (Streep) and is soon under immense pressure to survive in the industry.
In this warm and entertaining comedy drama, Meryl Streep (Kramer vs Kramer) proves why she is one of the finest actresses of all time with an Oscar nominated performance as the domineering figure that is Miranda Priestly. To watch Priestly is to enjoy a bowl of your favourite ice cream free of charge, she is that delicious and scrumptious to see on screen we viewers have simply been given a tasty treat here with one of the finest female performances of the 21st century. Streep's charisma and intelligence cannot be questioned as she dives deep within the character to produce one of the cruellest and dominating people of all time.
Streep dominates the whole film with that fine performance and good support is given by Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries) who uses that sweet elegance to create a likable central character. Her character revolves around a few drama clichés but Andy is so likable that you won't care. Sweet and caring it's hard not to associate with her, especially during that first day of work.
Emily Blunt (My Summer of Love) is the character every viewer wants to hate and she does that so brilliantly that you will forget that it isn't Blunt.
Based on Lauren Weisberger's novel, The Devil Wears Prada focuses upon the fashion industry and follows what is now a stereotypical view of models and what happens behind the scenes, which includes models who are size zero, women not getting along and celebrities having fifty cameras in their faces. Stereotypical representations do not always work but the screenplay and direction help achieve a deep dramatic look at the industry and the hardship that Andy has to go through. The film could have easily done without the dramatic boyfriend scenario which was just ridiculous along with the poor climax to an interesting character driven story.
Though these clichés put a damper on the narrative, there is still a charm about this 2006 drama. The feistiness and the grit of the behind the scenes of the fashion industry are occasionally funny and the entire narrative is interesting regardless of its use of clichés