There are certain movies that interest you not just because of the story, but more because of the roles and the acting of the actors. “The Devil Wears Prada” is one of them. I won’t say that the story is not interesting at all, but I appreciate it more because of the performance of the leading and supporting actors. Especially, the living legend Meryl Streep in this movie! I don’t know, but she truly is the one that attracted me most and, although on the other hand she is one factor that gives power to the movie, somehow she makes the story unbalanced because the rest of the cast should work on her “level”. But, of course, this is not her fault.

So, who is this devil that wears Prada? Andy Sachs (played by Anne Hathaway) is a naive, fresh-graduate woman who unexpectedly hired to work as a second assistant of Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep), the executive editor of the biggest fashion magazine in the city, Runway magazine. Miranda is a cynical and ruthless boss—and she is the devil, but with the advice of Miranda’s first assistant, Emily (played by Emily Blunt), and the magazine fashion stylist, Nigel (played by Stanley Tucci), Andy learns to understand her. Problems come when she gets more obsessed with her job, as she put aside her friends and personal life, including her relationship with her boyfriend, Nate (played by Adrian Grenier).

I think I have to mention that this review is based on a rewatch. I watched "The Devil Wears Prada" for the first time like years ago and I noticed that I was very interested in it. Some may say that due to the fashion theme of this movie, girls will like it a lot. But for me, the opinion of "The Devil Wears Prada" being specifically addressed to girls is just plain stupid (more than that, every statement that lead to opinion of specific movies are addressed to specific gender is stupid). This movie is for all viewers, especially for those who run for a solid career and reach for a dream job. There is a nice value in this movie. "The Devil Wears Prada" is about being obsessed by your job, building up your career, competing with your co-worker, balancing yourself with your private life, and most of all, dealing with your "devil" boss. This movie has all that, and those freshest fashion stuffs will be just an extra bonus.

Well, just like what I said on the first paragraph, I am attracted by the performance of the actors more than the story—and I'm gonna explain why in the next paragraph—but it's important for you to know that the story was not a garbage. How the premise or the story idea is wrapped in a comedic plot is somewhat appealing, making me sit still throughout the duration without even bothered about when this movie is gonna end. There are parts when this excitement went flat—mostly because some important roles didn't work the way I expected—but as a whole, this is a good comedy that is not only funny and entertaining, but also enlightening and inspiring.

And thank god for Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly. I guess this is one of the most iconic roles of her. I mean, wow, she's just perfect! In her hand, Miranda Priestly becomes a real devil in Prada. She exceptionally turns this movie into a more interesting entertainment and, to be honest, she is a big reason of why "The Devil Wears Prada" turns out to be this interesting. Anne Hathaway is good, but in some parts I hardly found an obvious difference of her being an obsessed career woman and her being a good, down-to-earth friend as she used to be. Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci are great and characterized perfectly, giving most of my laugh.

But, while all the roles around the Runway magazine are well-characterized, the remaining minor but important roles are not given the same amount of attention. Nate, Andy’s friends, and Andy's dad, in my opinion, should have the same amount of treatment because the focus of "The Devil Wears Prada" is to Andy, not to Miranda or Runway. If they really want to show a character development from Andy, a balanced characterization of the roles inside and outside the Runway is compulsory. Maybe that's the reason why I found there's a problem with Anne's role: she is not developed well that her "before" character has no obvious difference with her "after". When the focus of the story is about the Runway, the movie goes interestingly, but when the focus shifts to Andy's personal life, it becomes flat.

Finally, “The Devil Wears Prada” becomes more memorable because of Miranda Priestly and the fashion. The story is great, the idea is nice, but I think there’s a kind of wrong focus in this movie. Miranda Priestly is the star, not Andy Sachs. The message of this movie, however and luckily, is still transferred to the viewers in a charming way. It easily becomes one of my favorites. That’s all.

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 ▲  Meryl Streep, good moral value in comedy, all-out fashion theme

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THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA | COUNTRY USA YEAR 2006 RATING Rated PG-13 for some sensuality RUNTIME 109 min GENRE Comedy, Drama, Romance CAST Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Adrian Grenier WRITER Lauren Weisberger (novel), Aline Brosh McKenna (screenplay) DIRECTOR David Frankel MORE INFO