something about Pravda

Rating: 6/10 (16 May 2007)

Devil Wears Prada :Want to get ahead- figure you need to sacrifice your current ambitions by serving as an intern or taking less pay in your chosen field or tolerating a boss from hell.This movie is about one girl's challenging year as a personal assistant to a notorious Dragon Lady(Miranda Priestley as played by Meryl Streep).The movie is supposed to be a comedy- and it does provide some laughs- but also a ton of cringes and moments of deja vu- as you watch the main character (Anne Hathaway) continually subvert her own personality and values and social life to try and keep pace with the world of high fashion and her over-demanding underpaying boss.I have worked for several folks that have been described as bad bosses- and usually they are not so terrible- just demanding-but in the case of the main character in this flick - I would have loved to see her slip and fall(and not just on the gag reel)-Streep does a good job portraying such an unlovable and ambitious character- and she overwhelms the picture- so the whole coming of age story arc seems predictable and boring by the time it plays out for Anne Hathaway's character.The supporting actors do a good job filling their slots-Stanley Tucci as the high strung homosexual copy editor,Emily Blunt as the vicious,jealous and browbeaten size zero clacker,the African American female artist as the Wanda Sykes character,etc.The movie wants to be an homage to fashion- but it continually pokes fun at the absurd diets and meticulous habits of the denizens of Runway magazine.Not the over the top comedy I thought it would be- but a decent movie about finding how much you are willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals with a few chuckles thrown in.It is disturbing that a gal like Anne Hathaway is called fat or not skinny-even if it is in a movie about fashion.The DVD has a commentary track,deleted scenes and a gag reel.Worth a rental. B-