Meryl Streep gives a masterful comic performance in this smooth and crisp (if also lightweight) adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's novel about the world of haute couture. As Miranda Priestly, longtime editor of a style-defining fashion magazine (and, to her young assistant, the boss from hell), she creates an indelible character. Elegantly dressed and impeccably coiffed, Streep's Priestly radiates an air of quiet authority and supreme self-confidence that is absolutely terrifying. Anne Hathaway plays the nice but dowdy journalism graduate who becomes Priestly's unlikely aide at New York's Runway magazine and before long she's being seduced by the resident glamour—the issue, of course, is whether she'll be permanently sucked into the Dark Side or save herself before it's too late. Unfortunately, although Hathaway's character is suitably ingratiating, she's also bland, and while Stanley Tucci has a field day as Runway's flamboyant arbiter of taste, he's little more than swishy decoration. The fact is that without Streep, director David Frankel's The Devil Wears Prada wouldn't be much more than a fluffy tale of a young woman who ultimately has to choose between becoming a clone of her work-centered boss or remaining carefree. But Streep's performance here is an acting master class, which is more than enough to warrant recommendation. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary (by director David Frankel, producer Wendy Finerman, costume designer Patricia Field, screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, editor Mark Livolsi, and cinematographer Florian Ballhaus), 15 deleted scenes with optional commentary (22 min.), “The Trip to the Big Screen” featurette (12 min.), a “Fashion Visionary: Patricia Field” featurette (9 min.), a “NYC and Fashion” featurette (7 min.), a five-minute gag reel, “Getting Valentino” on Valentino Garavani's cameo in the film (3 min.), a three-minute “Boss from Hell” featurette on real-life weird boss stories, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so film anchored by a knockout central performance.] (F. Swietek)
The Devil Wears Prada
Fox, 110 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.99, Dec. 12 Volume 21, Issue 6
The Devil Wears Prada
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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