Why Hollywood is falling apart.

Rating: Null/10 (24 July 2006)

I went to see this film last night after reading a few favorable reviews and having had several people told me that they were surprised that they enjoyed it. (Reasons for going - Had to - the GF wanted to see it. It was the only film playing at the time we were there. Wanted to get out of the heat and sit in the air conditioning. etc.) The simple fact is that The Devil Wears Prada is a lazy, sloppy effort by a lot of professionals who know the "basics" of film-making and shot more like a long form music video than an actual film. There is no dramatic tension at all, and in the case Anne Hathaway's character no discernible character arc at all (and it's her story). Unless you consider Anne's Andi character starting out nice and ending the film being really nice.
The sad thing is there are so many chances to torn this film into something really entertaining but it seems like everyone was so concerned with making everyone look good that they just avoided it. And the critics who have been raving about Streep's performance are either A. In denial B. Paid off by the studio or C. Drinking the Kool-Aid. Seriously, I guarantee there were probably ten people on the production crew who were scarier bosses than Streep's Miranda. Most people would kill to have a boss as nice as Streep is. I mean really, she's impatient about her coffee order and takes Andi to big shows and a trip to Paris. Ooooow - scary! The bottom line is this - if you watch Gap ads on TV and wished they could go on for an hour and a half - then this movie is for you. Hathaway is a pretty young woman and she looks good in high end clothes. I'm still not sure if she can act, but then I can't tell if Adrien Grenier can act either. And it isn't their fault - it's the script and the director.
The thing is - this is one of the best films Hollywood put out this year - and it isn't very good. And worst of all - they didn't even try to make it good. Because it wouldn't have been that hard to do. It just would have required a little effort.