Review: The Devil Wears Prada
“Everyone wants to be like us”
Now come on folks, let’s be honest, this film is every bit of the pile of schlock you were expecting it to be. BUt soak it up and enjoy this age of chick-lit were living in. There are probably a thousand memoirs a day penned in this city we call gotham, the big apple, new york. But for some reason, it is the stories of internal success that always break through the mold, and lately, women have been doing a better job of getting those ideas out of their heads and onto the page. As a second wave of this shock, we’re being hit with adorable films that warm our hearts. For those heading to the megaplexes this weekend, enjoy “The Nanny Diaries”.But let’s talk about this film I caught a year too late on HBO just now. Everyone said the same thing upon this film’s release, and I am here to echo them. While the narrative slips away from lucidity holding onto teeny tiny hooks of interest, the screen is lit up by Meryl Streep’s delicious performance. While I have always enjoyed the accomplished actresses’ body of work, it was only after her Golden Globe award speech for “Adaptation.” that I really began to consider her a creative force to be reckoned with. In it, while paying respect to Charlie Kaufman’s script for the film, plead to the writers in the room to keep giving them interesting parts because actors really are interesting people.Her role as Miranda Priestly reaffirms this fact of how interesting she can really get on screen. Ms. Streep was given a role of incredible extremes and she manages to slip into them with incredible nuance. She is a bitch, but she is one that, even when we must consider her an antagonist, is able to bring us in and care for her. IN fact, one of the interesting point of the film, is that even when she humiliates those around her in an effort to better her own career, we can feel for her and even agree with her actions.I praise Ms. Streep so strongly because it is so obvious that the script is devoid of any of these fascinating moments of interaction between character and audience. The script is just plain awful, with terrible lines in a plot that no one really needs to care about. In fact if you mull over this film for awhile to check out what in fact moves the action forward, what you’ll find, if anything, is the incredibly trite concept of a girl and her boys. Then again, I am the first to admit that womens’ films/books/tv show operate on a different wavelength than I can comprehend. In fact, many probably came in drove just to see the fashion-porn within the film: funky music played while th camera makes love to shoes and scarves.There is, however, one other thing that makes the film a fun evening. Stanley Tucci, as always commits himself beyond repair to a role that should be nothing more than a footnote. I consider Tucci to be one of those actors that will be studied after we’re all dead (along with Ms. Streep of course). He’s one of those incredible character actors who can actually play any character. I only recently discovered I have loved his work for at least half my life, ever since I saw him play Muerte, the bumbling street thug in “Undercover Blues” from 1993. His grace and style in this part are well beyond many of the finer leading roles being shelled out these days, and for that, Mr. Tucci, I thank you.So if we’ve got two wonderful performances, and a decent cast all around, what could be wrong with this film? Well, for one it looks like it was lit inside of a KINO bulb, not to mention the awful compositing work. The director, David Frankel, seems to have very little coherence with the story. Then again, perhaps he had studio suits breathing down his neck screaming “More Fashion Porn!”. Who knows? But good for him; a successful B.O. and bevy of awards landed him yet another bestseller adaptation. Who can wait for next year’s “Marley & Me”, the true story of a bad dog and his loving owner?In the end, I love witnessing a good performance, and I’ve trained myself well enough to snatch a peek at one even through poor direction. I was given two great ones here, surrounded by a wealth of admirable ones. Of note among them is Tracie Thoms’ limited screen time. I loved her in “Rent” and was amazed by her in “Death Proof”; the tawdry lines offered her came off smooth and nice.See it. What the hell else are you doing with your time?—Watching:
8MM