If you're an Entourage fan like I am, this eighth and final season is probably leaving you with a feeling somewhere between excitement for what's going to happen and bittersweet anticipation of the looming end. (How will it all unfold with Ari and Mrs. Ari? Is Vince really fine with being sober? Will Johnny Drama eclipse Baby Bro's stardom?) With only five weeks to go, I can't help but wonder what I'll do with my Sunday nights without Vince and the boys. Fortunately, I do know that any time I need my Vinnie Chase fix - I mean, my Adrian Grenier fix - I can always turn to this week's Fab Flick Friday pick, The Devil Wears Prada.
Based on Lauren Weisberger's novel of the same title, The Devil Wears Prada stars Anne Hathaway (also known as the girl all of my friends want to be besties with) as Andy, a recent college grad who wants a serious career in publishing and sees an opportunity at Runway magazine as her way in. What she doesn't anticipate is how her new position as editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly's second assistant will consume her life. It's a film full of fashion, friendship, and that tricky balance between working towards what you want while risking everything that you have in the process.
The impeccable casting is a big part of what makes this movie so fantastic. Anne Hathaway is charming, funny and relatable (as always), and plays perfectly off of Meryl Streep's powerful, complicated, and somewhat scary Miranda. The true success of The Devil Wears Prada, however, lies in what's beyond its two stars. Emily Blunt is flat out marvelous as Miranda's stuffy, snooty, and hilarious first assistant Emily, and Stanley Tucci is a delight as the loyal yet betrayed art director, Nigel. Of course, you can't have a movie like this without a dreamy boy, and The Devil Wears Prada has got a double dose. As writer Christian Thompson, Simon Baker plays the rakish cad perfectly, with just enough charm to make girls everywhere understand why Andy goes where she does, even while we yell at her to run the other way. And then, there's Adrian Grenier's Nate, Andy's sweeter-than-whipped-cream boyfriend, who breaks my heart every time he says "You look really pretty," after she blows off his birthday.
Look at those eyes...Who could ever blow off his birthday??
The Devil Wears Prada does something that not every chick flick does: It centers not solely on a relationship, or friendships, or getting the dream career, but on how all of those things affect each other. It's about one woman's journey, and whether we're sympathizing with Andy for not knowing the ropes on her first week of the job, or feeling angry at her for bailing on her family and friends, we always, always root for her, and want more than anything for her to succeed by following her own rules.
And why wouldn't we? It's Anne Hathaway. We want to be her best friend!
Maybe its just a symptom of how much I love Anne Hathaway, but all through this movie I felt like her character's friends and family needed to chill out. There's that one scene where she, Adrian Grenier, and their two other friends meet for drinks at a bar, and Meryl Streep calls Hathaway for something, and her three "friends" play keep away with her phone. And then when she gets understandably angry, they all give her these shocked, hurt looks like, "how COULD you?!" Oh that scene makes me angry every time! This is her DREAM, people. She's trying to make it happen for herself and they not only make a joke out of it, but they also potentially jeopardize all of her hard work, and then have the nerve to act like there's something wrong with her. I mean, sure, Meryl Streep's character doesn't end up being the right kind of role model for Hathaway, but just because Hathaway doesn't want to end up power-hungry doesn't mean that she was wrong to have been trying to work her butt off in order to make her dream happen. I bet Nate wouldn't have appreciated it if she was all "stop working so hard at being a chef and give me more attention." You've got to give a girl a break, is all I'm saying Nate. No matter how cute you are.
ReplyDeleteLove this movie! Anne Hathaway is def a fave of mine, nobody else could have played this role like she did. I loved the book even more! I actually really enjoy ALL of Lauren Weisenbergers books. My fave is "Late Night at Chateau Marmont." I want them to make that into a movie - and I think Anne should star again!
ReplyDeleteOops - correction. LAST (not late) Night at Chateau Marmont.
ReplyDeleteOops - correction #2. Weisberger.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, Meghan. I didn't before because I've only seen this movie once, but it's like, chillax, guys. I know it's fashion, but she likes it. Just talk amongst yourselves while she talks on the phone!
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