Absolute fun to watch.

Rating: 10/10 (15 September 2006)

Meryl Streep was stunning. If I was only allowed a one-line review, that would be it. She was brilliant, and it was such a thrill watching her bask unapologetically in her demanding, diva-like behavior. Her frigid "that's all" would have sent braver men running for cover, and her glare could have crumbled cement. She tossed her list of things to do the same way she did her coat and handbag on her assistants' desk: carelessly, and certain that someone would handle them exactly the way she wanted them to.
That said, she played the part of adoring mother and broken woman equally well, so much so that I couldn't understand how the other occupants of the fashion world could find her so terrifying.
One of my absolute favorite scenes of the movie came at the end, when Miranda and Andy see each other outside of the Runway building, after Andy has resigned. Andy smiles at Miranda, gives her a slight nod, and watches as Miranda slips into her car without another look. What Andy doesn't know is that Miranda is observing her from her window, with a smile -- a rare, rare gift. All of a sudden, the smile slips, and Miranda snaps "go" at her unsuspecting driver, giving him one of her best are-you-stupid? looks in the whole movie. I loved it. It was such a Miranda thing to do. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
Anne Hathaway was not as disappointing as I expected her to be, either, and the performances by Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt and Adrian Grenier (who, as Andy's neglected boyfriend, had me rooting for him throughout the movie) were spot-on, as well. My only complaint is Simon Baker, who, while walking the fine line between suave and sleazy, tipped too far right and landed in unsavory territory for the better half of the movie. He did this without any charm, mind, and any fool could have seen that he was not the type of guy Andy would have fallen for.
The film also had a bit of a Sex And The City feel to it (although that could just have been brought on by the big fashion names) and it was only when I googled David Frankel that I found out that he had, indeed, directed a couple of episodes for the series. There is nothing particularly interesting about his style, but it's very well done and incredibly smooth, which I admire very, very much.
Another thing I enjoyed was the breadth of the film. It covered family, friendship, loyalty, integrity, relationships, dieting, fashion, Harry Potter, success, ambition, stepping stones... the list goes on. Fun for the whole family.
Unfortunately, that's all I have to say about this movie. Aside from rambling on about Meryl Streep's brilliance at playing Miranda Priestley, I don't have much else to say. Better still, I don't have many other complaints, except maybe how predictable certain parts of the plot were. That was salvaged, though, because I was surprised by many other things, like the announcement of Jacqueline as James Holt's partner instead of Nigel, as had been previously alluded to.
Overall, even if there had been anything fundamentally wrong with the film, Meryl Streep would have saved it from being crucified. And since there wasn't, she only added to the stellar quality.