THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA Review

For twenty years, The Devil Wears Prada has been an essential piece of media for anyone wishing to start a career in the fashion industry. The dream of working for a publication is one any girl would kill for. However, for Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), it is her desperate, final attempt to work for a reputable publication after graduating from Northwestern University. A journalism major, Andy looks down on Runway and those in the fashion industry for being frivolous and not being real journalists. This is until Andy drinks the Kool-Aid and slowly starts to understand the mystery of Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). 

Otherwise known as the Dragon Lady, Miranda Priestly is the Editor-in-Chief of Runway Magazine and rules the office with an iron fist. Everything goes through Miranda, and nothing gets past her. Never daring to misstep, if you work at Runway, you'd better be no bigger than a size 2, never eat carbs and wear stilettos to the office every day. This is until Andy becomes Miranda’s second assistant and stirs up the status quo. With her Mary Janes and discount sweater, Andy sticks out like a sore thumb, and she likes it that way. Andy does not wish to change herself for a job she does not view as long-term. What Andy gets wrong is that she does not need to change; she must adapt to the fashion world to succeed. 

Rather than being open to this new field, Andy scoffs at the idea that fashion could have any depth. Seeing two blue belts compared to one another, Andy cannot comprehend how there is any distinction between the accessories. Forever stapling The Devil Wears Prada as a classic in Hollywood, Streep delivers the Cerulean monologue in which Miranda rips Andy a new one for her narrow thinking, and educates her on how high fashion influences even the department store sweater she is wearing. 

Yes, The Devil Wears Prada is a film about fashion, but concluding that it is just a fashion film puts you in the same position as Andy. Naive and a wise-ass. The 2006 film is actually about fighting for your rightful place. It’s a dog world, and “any girl would kill for [Andy’s] position”. Maybe Andy is a good writer, but that doesn’t mean she is a good fashion writer. Andy must prove herself and show Miranda that she deserves to work in the industry. This is what I love about the film, showing us Andy’s successes, but also her failures. 

One of my biggest gripes with the film, like many others, is the lack of support Andy receives in her personal life. Dating an inspiring chef, Nate (Adrian Grenier), there is only room for one ego in the relationship, and it is not Andy’s. Despite the couple breaking up at the height of Andy’s success at Runway, the two get back together in the film's conclusion. Personally, I always felt Andy leaving Runway and getting back in a relationship with Nate showed her regressing, rather than progressing. Their relationship was not balanced, and it hindered Andy’s career. 

The fight for women to take their rightful place is a reality for many of us, so seeing Miranda and Andy bring Runway to life is inspiring. The grit and tenacity of coming back to work even after making a fool of yourself is what you do to prove you are the right person for the job. You do not back down. You pick yourself up and adapt. The Devil Wears Prada shows us the power women can hold, and with that power, the influence they can create.

🍿SCORE = 87 / 100