The Devil Wears Prada - 2006
Quick Summary
In New York, the simple and naive just-graduated in journalism Andrea Sachs is hired to work as the second assistant of the powerful and sophisticated Miranda Priestly, the ruthless and merciless executive of the Runway fashion magazine. Andrea dreams to become a journalist and faces the opportunity as a temporary professional challenge... (imdb)
My Thoughts
Le Diable s'habille en Prada is an entertaining, if somewhat gentle, satire of fashion.
The characters are a bit silly and superficial. They try too hard. Admittedly, this is a satire, so it's only to be expected that the characters overdo it, but here it's sometimes a little heavy-handed. But that doesn't stop the film from having a few nice, funny scenes.
The music is not bad, but nothing more. I don't find the story very interesting, but maybe that's just because the fashion theme doesn't appeal to me. The direction, on the other hand, is pretty good, clear and precise.
Despite these mid-points, I appreciated the critique of American working life, so decried but so imitated... Basically, Anne doesn't live for her work, and realizes this once she's been well exploited, then as a nice happy ending Meryl congratulates her and helps her out. Well, that's all well and good, but we don't really believe it. Nonetheless, this deviance, so often shown and noticed, is infuriating, so a good review at this level is rare, and all the more appreciable.
The evolution of the main character is well done. She gradually becomes absorbed by the fashion world, and ends up getting rid of it overnight, like a drug. This performance and this twist are the only things we'll retain from this film, but that's not bad!
To Watch or Not to Watch
Worth seeing once, simply for the development of the main character, who is the only really interesting element in the film.