The Devil Wears Prada movie

[ceebeegee]

I watched Elizabeth's DVD of The Devil Wears Prada the other day. Interestingly, it's one movie that's actually much better than the book, which I found interesting but not well-written. Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway do exceptional work and really flesh out Miranda and Andrea's relationship nicely. It's much more dimensional than in the book. I also like the plot changes here and there they've made, especially when Andrea goes to Paris instead of Emily--it's actually part of Andrea's character development instead of just a lucky accident. Loved her relationship with Nigel--I especially liked his scolding her that "so many girls would die to work here whereas you only deign to work here." Loved Miranda's monologue on Fashion Trickle-Down, and the opening montage where you see all these young women dressing for the day--armoring themselves, really, dressing well is a form of offense/defense. And thank goodness they took out the Lily melodrama subplot--as much as I would've liked Tracie's part to be bigger, I found it annoying that her addiction problems were supposed to be Andrea's fault. I like Andrea making her choice in the end for her own reasons, and not because her roommate is that messed up. (I find it impossible to believe when someone's in Paris on a business trip, that her whole family and her BF would be lecturing her on why she MUST come home to help her friend--why can't one of them go? Especially if it meant losing her job.)

However it's ludicrous that Anne Hathaway would be considered fat there--she isn't any heavier than Emily Blount and it's annoying that the movie insists this, or that we're supposed to think that Emily is thinner in the second half of the movie. If they're going to try to push this, they should've padded AH and asked Emily Blount to lose weight for those scenes. Also, the guy who plays Christian looks at least ten years older than AH and it comes off as kind of sleazy, especially when they're in Paris together. He just doesn't have much charm, not the way the character in the book has. Another odd thing is--I get that Andrea is supposed to be clueless to fashion in the beginning, but would she really dress *that* sloppily for a job interview, or for her first day of work? No wonder everyone sneered at her--that looks disrespectful.

Comments

[defy-gravity99.livejournal.com]

I've had this same argument with my brother-in-law. I understand, obviously, that Anne Hathaway is NOT fat by many standards, but apparently to these people, she is. I think it's trying to show the shallowness of the biz at that point. I also think it may the clothes she's wearing that cause them to say that she's fat, cause she's not wearing the couture (sp?). I don't know.

I love the movie. I think both performances are equally brilliant.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

But I don't get why they would consider Andrea fat but not Emily--she is no thinner than Andrea/Anne, not at all. I don't see the boniness in her arms in the scene at the museum (where she's sick and Andie helps her out)--that's where she's supposed to be "one stomach flu virus away from [her] goal weight" but she doesn't look any thinner than Anne/Andrea. And I don't think Meryl/Miranda was particularly thin. Understand, I'm not saying at all that any of these actors are fat or overweight at all--I'm saying I don't see much difference among them at all, certainly nothing to justify calling Andrea "the fat girl" as Miranda does.

[carasol.livejournal.com]

I think that's part of the comedy: Anne/Andrea isn't heavy at all, but to these looks-obsessed people, she is, probably for the mere reason that she isn't one of them. When she does "drink the kool-aid," as it were, she announces that she is now a size 4. It isn't that she was ever heavy, it's just that she wasn't like them, and now she is.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

I agree--but the point is, the filmmakers have to make a greater distinction between Anne/Andrea and Emily. I literally do not see any weight difference at all between them. Emily looks to be the exact same weight as Anne/Andrea. If they're going to make the point that Anne/Andrea looks "fat" to them, everyone around them must be absolutely skeletal. The joke is lost when Emily looks just as big/small/whatever as Anne.

[defy-gravity99.livejournal.com]

There you go, that's exactly what I was trying to say. Emily needs to be much skinnier in order to show the contrast. Thank you - that's perfect.

[carasol.livejournal.com]

I also really enjoyed the movie, and found it very thought-provoking. Originally, Miranda had a monologue about fashion design and its importance to the female psyche that was really amazing. The scene was cut, but after seeing Streep's portrayal of Miranda, I could imagine how she would deliver it. It was enough to inspire me to rework my wardrobe and start paying more attention to how I look. Because as much as it's a comedy, the movie did make one really good point: people have a certain amount of control over how the world sees them, and they should take advantage of everything they've got to make the impression they want to.

By the by, the above-mentioned monologue takes place during Daniel Sunjata's character's disastrous fashion show. Miranda calls him on his lousy designs and says, "You don't just dress a woman, you embrace her, give her the love she might never get from a real man. You make a woman feel powerful, special, beautiful. Even if she is none of these things. Her first day on the job, her wedding, her first date, you are there for all the important moments of a woman's life. That is what you were put on this planet to do." I love that.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

It's true. Clothes are a real proactive statement from a woman--I like that the movie acknowledges that (as with the opening montage), and I like that fashion in general has had a higher profile in the past several years (thanks in large part to Sex and the City). Fashion is a lively art--like architecture and cuisine, it's not just theoretical, we live it every day.