Predictable, but well worth seeing for the legendary Streep

Rating: 7/10 (20 January 2007)

Predictable as hell, but produced and directed in high style and anchored by a central performance (Meryl Streep's) that is revelatory, "The Devil Wears Prada" is well worth your attention. A young woman (Anne Hathaway) with journalistic ambitions goes to work for Miranda Priestley (Streep), the notorious editor of a Vogue-like fashion magazine. We're told that Streep is a monster from the get-go, so Hathaway's mission is to last longer than her boss's previous assistants. Will she or won't she? As I said, this is predictable Hollywood trash, but it's amazingly entertaining trash because Streep and her supporting cast make the absolute most of the stock situations. Characters follow their pre-destined trajectories and arcs and everything is tied up nicely. Director David Frankel keeps the energy levels high and steps lightly over potentially heavy-handed dramatics at times. Streep, who was born to play this role, amongst many others, keeps her tongue in her cheek and takes full command of her artform.