For ages, I felt like I knew enough about this movie already. I even described an outside character as "a Devil Wears Prada type," by which I meant a harsh female boss. But when the title came up on a Disney+ list, I opted for a more informed opinion. Hey, a sequel's slated for next year.
Recent college grad Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) applies for a New York City job as second assistant to Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep) before ever learning that the latter runs the Runway fashion magazine. Andy stands out with her relative disregard for fashion -- and that's why Miranda hires her: to try something new after a string of failures. It's a tough job, but Andy sticks with it and becomes more like others in the industry, which drives a wedge between her and her old friends, not least her boyfriend (Adrian Grenier).
Nobody on screen actually calls Miranda the devil even in private. She's more like an empress, having high expectations for service, including tasks that definitely shouldn't be assigned to employees (e.g., doing her surprisingly young daughters' homework), and never bothering with manners for her inferiors. At least Bill Lumbergh in Office Space gives some semblance of a compliment with "That'd be great." Mind you, Miranda's not likely to fire anyone, just make their jobs worse if they disappoint her. That's another thing: She never gets "angry," only "disappointed," as reflected in her constantly soft voice. She tends to dismiss people with a sing-songy "That's all." I appreciate an example of a bad boss who, while impatient, doesn't evoke Cosmo Spacely from The Jetsons. I also appreciate that she comes to reveal her vulnerability.
Miranda's not the only one to give Andy a hard time either. First assistant Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) is quite open with her barbs, partly worried that a bad performance by Andy will hurt both their careers. Art director Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) joins in frequent mockery of Andy's dowdiness and fatness (by a show business measure) until she consults him. Only seductive writer Christian Thompson (Simon Baker) makes her feel good about herself.
You may well wonder why Andy doesn't quit within a week, letting one of the many applicants more interested take her place. She had wanted to be a journalist, not a secretary, and it's not like she gets paid well for working hard and suffering emotional abuse, unless you count the occasional free high-end clothes and accessories. But I did develop some sense of the intoxicating nature of dealing with famous figures, traveling to elite events, learning the standards, and meeting challenges. Perhaps it appeals even more to a young adult out to prove her adulthood. The real challenge, it turns out, is doing all that without throwing anyone under the bus.
It's apparent that the makers put a lot of work into this. Streep brings her usual level of effort, but Blunt also got a bunch of (non-Oscar) nods, and Hathaway nailed a couple. The movie's also rightly noted for its screenplay and, of course, costumes.
TDWP never got me chuckling, but it sure drew me in. I might just see the sequel in a theater, tho probably not with a male friend.
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