The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Miranda Priestly	Meryl Streep
Andy Sachs	Anne Hathaway	½
Emily	Emily Blunt	½
Nigel	Stanley Tucci	½
Christian Thompson	Simon Baker
Nate	Adrian Grenier	½

Review

If someone gave you the task of making the most formulaic and narratively insipid film possible, you might, if you succeeded, end up with something like The Devil Wears Prada. Centering around the fashion business, and taking an inside look at fashion magazine life, the film's purpose is to combine semi-clever comedy with semi-moralistic social satire. However, although it succeeds slightly with the former, the points it makes when it comes to the latter are nothing but puerile, soporific clichés. David Frankel's direction is pallid, but the main problem is Aline Brosh McKenna's unimaginative and painfully predictable script. We're taken through all the expected narrative phases required by genre conventions. And she can't even compensate with funny dialogue.

As for Meryl Streep's award winning performance, it's one of her least inspiring to date. Her interpretation of Miranda is grey and monotonous. Streep has always been the Oscar-pet, but that she's given Academy Award nominations for performances like this only undermines the nominations she's earned in the many movies in which she's excelled (e.g. Kramer vs. Kramer, The Bridges of Madison County). The other performances are mostly forgettable, apart from an amusing Stanley Tucci. Unfortunately, it's not enough to elevate this boring and unnecessary film. The Devil Wears Prada has nothing of importance to say, and is only sporadically able to entertain.