The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

February 13, 2024 11:56 AM

[TRAILER] Andy (Anne Hathaway) is a recent college graduate with big dreams. Upon landing a job at prestigious Runway magazine, she finds herself the assistant to diabolical editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). Andy questions her ability to survive her grim tour as Miranda's whipping girl without getting scorched.

Also starring Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker, Emily Blunt, Adrian Grenier.

Directed by David Frankel. Screenplay by Aline Brosh McKenna. Based on the book of the same name by Lauren Weisberger. Produced by Wendy Finerman for Fox 2000. Cinematography by Florian Ballhaus. Edited by Mark Livolsi. Music by Theodore Shapiro.

75% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently streaming in the US on Max. JustWatch listing.

posted by DirtyOldTown (24 comments total)

I'm posting some very popular movies that somehow never appeared on FF.

Might fuck around and post the Twilight series. Dunno.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:10 PM on February 13 [9 favorites]

Might fuck around and post the Twilight series. Dunno.

Doooo itttt :)
posted by Carillon at 12:29 PM on February 13

I have seen this once and mostly find it pops up as memes of the "is that the -" "the [sub in your phrase for Chanel suit]? Yeah." variety.

Also in discussions of boyfriends who stifle your dreams.

My vague memory is that none of the clothing was terribly good, and I found that confusing in a movie ostensibly about fashion.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 12:37 PM on February 13 [2 favorites]

This is a fun, comforting movie. Hathaway is great & Tucci improves everything he's in. Streep is always Streep but I think she gives Miranda a certain humanity and vulnerability that serves the character (and the movie!) well.

“Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking.” is a quote that pops into my head quite a bit. It can be used in a lot of situations. As can the whole two belts "It's a tough call, they're so different."

But my god, her friends are the worst. Her boyfriend -- who works in the restaurant industry! -- complains about her schedule???? These aren't real people and she was good to be rid of them.

Two headcanon things:
-You can go from The Princess Diaries to this movie to Rachel Getting Married to Colossal and pretend Hathaway is essentially playing the same character as she progresses through her life.
-Emily Blunt's Emily from this movie and Blunt's Rita Vrataski from Edge of Tomorrow are likewise the same character.
posted by edencosmic at 2:48 PM on February 13 [16 favorites]

This is definitely the prequel to Edge of Tomorrow.

My related head canon is that Atomic Blonde, Fast Furious 8, and Fury Road are a continuous trilogy.
posted by autopilot at 2:52 PM on February 13 [5 favorites]

A fun film, mostly for Meryl Streep performance, that soft steely voice (and hair, that hair!) and lots of clothes I don't want to wear but enjoy seeing. Handbags, so many handbags, and teetering about on shoes. Anne Hathaway does a good job of transitioning to a true clotheshorse, she really looks like a fashionista. The wheeling and dealing, this designer is in now they're out, free stuff.
But. The boyfriend, ahem, when in the holy (insert expletive) did any working chef have so much free time in the evening that they could be butthurt about a missed birthday? It's far more likely to be the other way around, the only thing I can think of is they made him a chef because of 2000's trends, instead of some kind of financial job/ NY type.
Anyway, Stanley Tucci is his twinkling self, and Emily Blunt is so good as the completely-invested-in-fashion Charlotte. As a Cinderella story goes, it's fine, but I always find at the end that I don't care what happens to our heroine as much as wanting to see more scurrying around in terror about belt colors and people taking it much too seriously.
posted by winesong at 2:57 PM on February 13 [2 favorites]

Agreed 100% on all of edencosmic's comments. And here's an example where the movie is much better than the book.
posted by queensissy at 4:09 PM on February 13 [1 favorite]

I thought Emily Blunt's character is named Emily.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 4:24 PM on February 13 [2 favorites]

This could have had another 45 minutes of workplace hostility and fish-out-of-water spices and montages and I would still be here for it. The actual plot is much less gripping.
posted by janell at 4:35 PM on February 13 [4 favorites]

In constant rotation in house Cocoa.
posted by cocoagirl at 6:13 PM on February 13

Two headcanon things:
- You can go from The Princess Diaries to this movie to Rachel Getting Married to Colossal and pretend Hathaway is essentially playing the same character as she progresses through her life.

Don't forget The Intern! (self-Twitter link, please edit out if naughty). That's where Andy finally finds her footing, and struggles with the trappings of success.

Great minds think alike, edencosmic!
posted by kandinski at 7:43 PM on February 13 [2 favorites]

I know it was a 'joke', but the constant fat shaming of Anne Hathaway bothers me. Aside from that, I have a real soft spot for this movie.
posted by Literaryhero at 9:49 PM on February 13 [2 favorites]

That year at the Oscars, Hathaway and Blunt were presenting and went into a bit pulling off the movie. Streep was in the front row, as she always is. At some point Hathaway and Blunt realized that they had forgotten Meryl's coffee and the always game Streep lost her smile and freaking channeled Miranda to a frightening degree. It was hilarious.
posted by Ber at 4:54 AM on February 14 [3 favorites]

Yeah, my starkest memory of this movie is the quote towards the end where one of the characters "embraces" Hathaway's character's size with something like "you rock, size six!" And Hathaway coyly responds, as if it's the greatest achievement in the world, "size four!"

Yuck.
posted by obfuscation at 5:56 AM on February 14

I thought Emily Blunt's character is named Emily.

“Emily” was the name of the assistant Hathaway’s character is replacing. Miranda doesn’t bother learning her real name until she’s proved herself.
posted by dnash at 8:20 AM on February 14

This movie embodies 2006 in a way that few others do - a time capsule of sorts - Hathaway's normie/"frumpy" outfits, her "glamorous" new haute fashion outfits post-transformation, the cell phone/blackberry technology, the must-have Harry Potter fandom, print magazines still being culturally relevant, and most of all affording a one bedroom in manhattan as a line cook + magazine assistant.
posted by windbox at 8:39 AM on February 14 [1 favorite]

I have never seen this movie...I am sick, so the idea of watching a movie is enticing but I'm not sure this is for me... (I like Emily Blunt and did not know she is in this!)
posted by supermedusa at 8:54 AM on February 14

I have never seen this movie...I am sick, so the idea of watching a movie is enticing but I'm not sure this is for me

Oh you totally should. It's a bit dated, and there's some problematic elements that are characteristic of any 2006 comedy. But it is entertaining as hell, feel-good, fish out-of-water/climbing-the-ladder story with great pacing and character development, and amazing acting from A-listers. I would call it a *perfect* sick movie.
posted by windbox at 9:02 AM on February 14 [1 favorite]

My main memory of this movie, and it's one I've complained about here before, is the scene where Miranda does the monologue about how high fashion controls what we all wear. It's a great scene but doesn't actually prove the point that fashion matters.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:44 PM on February 14 [2 favorites]

My related head canon is that Atomic Blonde, Fast Furious 8, and Fury Road are a continuous trilogy.


Love Actually and The Walking Dead.
posted by biffa at 4:02 PM on February 14 [1 favorite]

I also watched this for the first time on an airplane and I think it's better than most airplane movies, but also, it's a great one.
posted by edencosmic at 5:35 PM on February 14

"Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking.” is a quote that pops into my head quite a bit.

"Why is no one rea-dy?" is mine.

And proving the staying power of that entire scene, this recent Twitter post featuring Meryl and Beyonce.
posted by NorthernLite at 7:24 PM on February 14

“Emily” was the name of the assistant Hathaway’s character is replacing. Miranda doesn’t bother learning her real name until she’s proved herself.

Emily really is Emily Blunt’s character’s name. Miranda first calls for Andy as “Emily” when the real Emily has stepped away from her desk and left Andy alone. (Nigel has to nudge her with “She means you.”)

Why yes, I’ve seen this a few times.

Her friends are terrible, especially the boyfriend. And Christian Thompson.
posted by jimw at 9:28 PM on February 14 [2 favorites]

As an impatient person, my most-quoted line is, "By all means, move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me."

This is one of those movies that I cannot not watch or finish if it's on TV, available on a plane, etc. I just re-watched it last week and was surprised by how much dialogue I have memorized. It has some good moments.
posted by gursky at 5:39 AM on February 23 [1 favorite]