Cast driver, and with a winning cast

Rating: Null/10 (18 September 2006)

None of these is new  corporate warfare and ladder climbing, back-stabbing, masterful coups. What is perhaps a little unusual, at least to the lay audience, is the arena: the glossy, glamorous world of high fashion. Nor is it anything unusual that deep in the trenches are members of the gentler sex (an archaic reference?), as it has been decades since women are no strangers to power struggles at or close to the top, and indeed often come out victorious.
Such a one is Miranda Priestly (still using ex-husband's family name, with no consequence whatsoever), who helms the top fashion magazine "Runway". A terrifying tyrant who is deliberatedly soft spoken, she throw barbed satirical insults as fast as a machine gun can spill bullets, and concludes her one-sided conversation with her groveling underlings invariably with "that's all" (translation: get the hell out of my sight, you idiot). Meryl Streep needs no introduction, but those who have watched "Prime" (2005) and then this movie are reminded once again of the breadth and excellence she brings to the movie screen, every time without fail.
Playing opposite Streep is perhaps just as awe-inspiring as working for Miranda Priestly, and the lucky girl here is Anne Hathaway ("girl" not used disrespectfully, but just to echo the term "Miranda girl" used in the movie), who just could be on her way to become eventually one of the successors of Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts, to be counted among the likes of Sandra Bullock, Kate Beckinsale and Reese Witherspoon. She plays the journalism grad Andy (for Andrea) Sachs who hopes that surviving as a glorified (job title: "second assistant") girl Friday for the fashion world goddess for a year will open doors everywhere.
The movie rests essentially on the relationship between the two. While the movie makers could build the whole thing on satire (I'm don't know if that's the route the original novel has taken), they eventually end up leaning towards the feel-good alternative. While Andy started out determined not to be bothered too much with all that high fashion "stuff", a spontaneous little speech this off-hand reference draws from Miranda earns from her respect for the latter's professionalism, which becomes a foundation of their relationship. On the other hand, her handling of the "Harry Potter manuscript" gives her one up on Miranda who is almost impossible to impress.
In the end, there is the old theme of losing yourself, and finding yourself again, somewhat melodramatic but unabashedly determined to be feel-good. There is a reasonable-sized supporting cast, from which two stand out. Emily Blunt capably portrays Emily, the "first assistant" who, with all her superiority complex over Andy, plays decently and fairly with her. (Even when at the first smell of a threat, when Andy is allowed a chance at the nightly task of delivering "the book" to Miranda's residence, Emily gives her all the correct instructions and cautious). The best however is Stanley Tucci, who never fails to add something wonderful to every movie he is in. In this one, he plays Nigel, who voluntarily acts as Andy's kind-hearted mentor and adviser, but ironically cannot protect himself from becoming casualty in the ruthless corporate arena.
"Prada" is very much a cast driver movie and with Streep, Hathaway, Tucci and Blunt, it's a winner.