Meryl's Streependous, and Anne Hath a Way

Rating: 8/10 (6 July 2006)

I'm from NYC, and my earliest jobs were in publishing, both book and magazine. Compared to some of the mind-bogglingly neurotic, fear-driven, tear-your-hair-out-soon-as-look-at-you women I encountered, some in managerial positions far less 'powerful' than Miranda Priestly's, lemme tell ya, Meryl Streep's character in this movie is almost like Mother Teresa.
I'm sharing the above in case anyone doubts that a boss can be as insufferable as Priestly. Now, to the actual film:
Streep's performance alone is worth the price of admission. Her Miranda Priestly is constructed from the inside out, as all Streep's characters are. It's what she holds back, what she doesn't show but subtly hints at, that gives her character 3-dimensionality and humanity and gains our sympathy without ever asking for it. She is one of those rare actors who is able to convey more with an eyebrow, or by merely pursing her lips, than with an entire page of dialog, and the script here serves her well and vice versa.
What I appreciated most (aside from Streep) is how the movie is superbly restrained throughout - it never turns into one of those over-the-top shriekfests, with hysteria running rampant. I also appreciated how Tucci, who can do no wrong in my book - the Tuccinator, I call him - is never reduced to a cartoon figure; none of the characters are, in fact. Everyone is sufficiently fleshed-out (maybe that's not the choice of words the women in the movie would like, but you know what I mean), and the movie never gets heavy-handed either, even toward the end.
Hathaway is thoroughly believable as "the new Emily" aka Andrea aka Andy, an individual who has so much character that she's loyal to her boss even though her boss hasn't overtly earned it. A tricky part, but our girl manages to pull it off, with style to spare.