Clackers

Rating: 7/10 (2 July 2006)

Greetings again from the darkness. Having not read Lauren Weisberger's best selling novel, I am not sure whom to credit with the terrific dialogue and sparkling one liners throughout the film. There are some doilies! As if there were any doubts, this movie belongs to Meryl Streep (how can there be any debate that she is the greatest working actress of our time?). If one was not familiar with her staggering resume, recognizing that this is the same woman singing into a microphone in the recently released "A Prairie Home Companion" would be impossible. Ms. Streep is the master of her craft and is simply mesmerizing on screen. Studying the details of her performances should be where every actor wannabe starts their training. Streep complements her stream of non-stop dialogue with facial gestures and body language that convince you she is Miranda Priestly. By the way, her character is a cross between Cruella DeVille and Gordon Gekko - not the most likable or accessible personality one could design.
The rest of the cast is fine, although doe-eyed Anne Hathaway gets pretty much chewed up and spit out in her scenes with Streep. Probably what the casting director had in mind. Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt (as the real Emily, not the new Emily) really add some punch to their roles and Simon Baker (L.A. Confidential) and Adrian Grenier (Entourage) add eye candy for the ladies - as if the shoes, clothes and accessories aren't enough.
What keeps the film from reaching the next level is simply the direction of David Frankel. His TV background is obvious as most every scene as the feel of a "Sex and the City" episode and not a full blown Hollywood movie. The same material in a true movie director's hands would have been a step up.
Can't help but mention, from a guy's perspective, that there is more lipstick in this movie than in the movie "Lipstick". Make-up, hair, jewelry and clothes are overdone to the point of being laughable. Again, it's all part of the show, but it does help to point out what a joke the fashion industry plays on women every year.