Full of the stuff fantasies are made of

In the world of fashion, getting a job in the powerful Runway Magazine is what every career girl in New York dreams of. This is her chance to be part of the governing body of fashion. It means dictating the trends, weeding out the hicks and basking in the glow of Miranda Priestly’s fame.

As created by Lauren Weisberger in her best-selling novel The Devil Wears Prada, Priestly is the editor of Runway, the No. 1 fashion magazine and she lets nothing stand in her determination to keep it that way. Devil, sadist, tyrant, dragon lady, etc., Miranda rattles off orders and expects them to be understood and obeyed immediately. Tongue-lashings are regular. She throws things at her minions and then expects them to pick these up and not squirm. Worst of all is her capacity to conjure up impossible tasks for her assistants. Like finding copies of the still unpublished Harry Potter novel because her kids want to read it now.

Despite the attraction that the job has for young girls Miranda has a hard time keeping assistants because of her nature. Employees end up terrified. One day, while again in search of a second assistant, Priestly hires Andy Sachs, who has never heard of, let alone read, Runway. This happened only because Miranda wanted to put her first assistant Emily, in the girl’s proper place. She can always dispense with Andy later.

Andy, who comes from the Midwest wants to be a journalist. She sees any job where she can write as a step towards this. Unknown to her, Runway, Miranda and the multi-billion dollar fashion industry will drastically change her life. First, she is initially hesitant but Andy eventually accepts the fact that she must get rid of her open-faced innocence and nice girl values. Easy. Working for and thinking of Miranda 24 hours a day is guaranteed to put anybody inside similarly stressed out brains and boots.

Then she must retire her serviceable wardrobe to fit in. Easier. Andy discovers that one of the perks of the job is the availability of samples. In no time at all, she is garbed in things Prada or Chanel or shod in Jimmy Choos or Manolo Blahniks. When Andy, played by the lovely Anne Hathaway gets into this Pretty Woman moment, I realize that while The Devil Wears Prada is totally unlike the effects-studded box-office hits of today, it is, in a way, also full of the stuff that fantasies are made of. That is female fantasies.

When the dream of the perfect suburban housewife fell out of fashion during the ‘60s, there arose another. This is the image of the career girl in the big city, ever unmindful of the men whom she tramples with her stilettos, on her way to the top. Of course while this is happening she is always immaculately coifed and dressed in one glamorous outfit after another. Think Audrey Hepburn wearing Givenchy or of the fashion parade in those Ross Hunter movies.

And here at last is Miranda Priestly, the latest realization of that fantasy. For all those who have read the book, Meryl Streep probably seemed like an unlikely choice for the role. Can she be Miranda? The results prove though that she is an actress who can do anything. Would you believe drop dead entrances and barbed one-liners. I have to admit that the movie version has been somewhat altered to make her less of a villain.

Was this intentional on the part of director David Frankel or is this the consummate actress subjecting us to her skills, showing us layers of a character we didn’t see in the book. The novel was very clear about Miranda being evil and how nobody should allow their bosses to treat them the way she does Andy or other people. Meryl’s Miranda reminded me of a Hitchcock leading lady, an icy, beautiful blonde with feminist tendencies, hiding fear and loneliness beneath the façade of the cunning manipulator.

Hathaway has, of course, already been through the transformation process in her past films, Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted, and is every bit Andy, the perfect assistant, who even gets the Harry Potter novel for her boss. She proves herself adequate as she runs through naivete, discovery and joy as she allows herself to be seduced by the job, the mercurial people around her, being in Paris during Fashion Week and clothes, clothes, clothes. Her boyfriend played by Adrian Grenier of the TV series Entourage, says that she is losing touch with the things that really matter. Just like Miranda. Her father wonders why she is working so hard for something like Runway Magazine. Just like Miranda.

In real life questions like those would not have gotten a coherent answer from a girl caught in a master class on power and a perpetual shopping spree. Shoot what matters and let me enjoy this! The book takes the high ground as far as this conflict is concerned. Using light-hearted language, Weisberger got readers thinking about fitting-in, employee-employer relationship, women empowerment and the dwindling regard for virtues like principles, sincerity and just being nice to people. Andy grows up with the realization that there are more important things than power, like your dreams and the people you love.

I doubt though if moviegoers will think about those things, while watching the style eye candy that is The Devil Wears Prada. Let us fantasize. Oooh to be able to afford that bag! Oooh to be Andy on the threshold of power. Oooh to be Miranda who has everything. But then again, does she, really?

Meryl’s performance brings out such questions. She starts out as the villain but ends up a sympathetic character. Great as always. She could have totally run away with the picture if not for the presence of the marvelous Stanley Tucci as Runway’s fashion guru who becomes Andy’s friend. This guy is always a delight to watch. Remember The Terminal and Shall We Dance? In a film where men are kept in the periphery of the main plot, he steals the show.