A sharp, poignant comedy, driven by a terrific script and a towering central performance by Meryl Streep

Rating: 8/10 (23 October 2006)

Meryl Streep has a wonderful gift: she is one of the few people in the world who can take any role in any movie and play it to perfection. And even though she's best known for dramatic parts (Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie's Choice, The Deer Hunter), she can shine in comedies as well. The latest example is The Devil Wears Prada, where she delivers another Oscar-worthy turn.
She plays Miranda Priestly, editor-in-chief of Runway, one of the most prestigious fashion magazines in America, and is famous for her tyrannical attitude and continuous demands. Unfortunately, her new secretary, Andrea "Andy" Sachs (Anne Hathaway), doesn't know this when she first sets foot in the office. Once there, though, it doesn't take her long to realize that working for Miranda will turn out to be a nightmare. Especially if you're a naive young girl who knows absolutely nothing about fashion...
Andy has to face the truth: she's a fish out of water in this world where a size 6 (hers) is the new 14, everyone wears clothes they don't even like, as long as it's expensive and gorgeous, and the high point of the year is going to Paris and meet all the big personalities. As for our "ugly duckling", she really struggles to fit into that universe, with some support from Miranda's gay assistant Nigel (Stanley Tucci, absolutely hilarious) providing comfort between the impossible assignments, whether it's finding a manuscript of Harry Potter 7 for her boss's twins or booking a private flight when all regular airlines are blocked by a storm.
First-time director David Frankel (who previously worked on Sex and the City) approaches the fashion world with a poignant eye, showing it for what it really is: populated by cynicism and appearances, with just an occasional glimpse of unexpected humanity surfacing here and there. Instead of pandering to mainstream rules, Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna keep the movie mean, and therefore relentlessly fun, until the end. By doing that, they provide us with one of the year's best comedies, given increased value by some deliciously quotable dialogue ("...You have no sense of fashion.." "I think that depends on..." "No, no, that wasn't a question") and memorable acting: Hathaway manages to gain the audience's sympathy thanks to her simple charm and unpretentious behavior, while Tucci turns what could have been an annoying stereotype into a likable, genuinely amusing supporting character, yet they're both second to Streep's impeccable, mesmerizing work. If the film's great, it's largely due to her.
Want to see something truly, undeniably funny this year? Make it Clerks II. Something less risky and profane? Then watch The Devil Wears Prada.