Utter utter sexist rubbish.

Rating: 1/10 (9 October 2006)

I have to confess that this movie really was extremely likable, except for its conclusion, which was the worst of the worst kind of hideous schmaltz, and this is what ruined it for me.
Taking the positives then; Streep is fantastic, Hathaway looks great when she's been through the makeover, Emily is very funny and Tucci is very endearing as the art director. The film is sharp and witty whenever it is dealing with the fashionistas, and the world of fashion is well rendered. In fact, it is quit a warm portrayal of the business.
The problem is that Andy Sachs (Hathaway) has a bunch of friends who, deliberately, I guess, are dull and nerdy. They all envy Andy's job, but fail to support her as she presses on with her big break - she leaves parties, she misses her boyf's birthday - and the implication is clear; she's a woman who should be supporting her man and her friends, not the other way round. Eventually Andy gives in to the crass idea that these fair-weather idiot friends are worth pursuing relationships with instead of committing herself to her job. She abandons her prized ambition in some dreadul faux-enlightenment scene in order to work on a crappy newspaper and return to the little goals she had when setting out. If your friends can't accept that becoming the editor of Vogue is a good ambition, and that they should perhaps show some support along the hard path, then you should ditch the friends, not the ambition.
I hate films that set up this ridiculous dichotomy for women. No film like this would ever be made about a man (ironically a similar point is actually made in the film), and no woman should ever be led to the point of view that if your man doesn't like it and chucks you that he's automatically right.
I would have liked this film enormously if Andy had said 'balls' to her 'friends' and proved that bright, intelligent, motivated women can really have it all these days.