THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA MOVIE REVIEW
WHY WE STILL LOVE IT!
One of the Top 10 Movies in 2006, The Devil Wears Prada is an American comedy-drama following the life of a recent college graduate as she struggles to get her foot in the door as a journalist, but must settle for working in a field that she does not care about. Although this movie was released over fifteen years ago, it is still relatable today.
What many people don’t know is that this movie was based on a book, which was based on a true story.
Keep reading to see the full article of The Devil Wears Prada Movie Review.
BASED ON A TRUE STORY
In The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda is based on a real person – Anna Wintour. Anna is the editor-and-chief of Vogue magazine and Global Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast. She is often given credit for turning Red Carpet walks into fashion icon moments, and creating the MET Gala. Anna Wintour is the head of fashion in the same way that Miranda is in the movie.
SUMMARY
The Devil Wears Prada is about a young woman fresh out of college and trying to jump-start her journalism career in New York City. She begins working as an assistant at a fashion magazine, which is not the job she wanted but is a good stepping-stone for her future. Her boss is critical and often cruel, her co-workers are snobby, and her work-life balance is non-existent. This story follows Andy as she struggles to grow into herself and her career.
CHARACTERS
ANDY
Our main character is Andrea or Andy. Fresh out of college, she begins to explore career opportunities but seems to have trouble finding a solid journalism job. She stumbles upon a fashion magazine – a subject she has no experience in – and gets hired as the second assistant. In this role, she grows into herself and becomes a strong and driven woman ready to take on the world.
EMILY
Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada plays a character with her own name – Emily. She is the first assistant to Miranda. Throughout the movie, Emily mentors and trains Andy for her new position. However, Emily is not a nice trainer – she is often rude, critical, and very snobby.
MIRANDA
The Devil herself, Miranda is the antagonist of the story. She is the head of the magazine, and she is a BOSS.
All of Miranda’s employees are terrified of her. She practically rules the fashion industry and is the #1 influence in fashion in the United States.
Miranda is tough and mean, but she is also incredibly smart and driven. Andy was afraid of her at first, but by the end of the movie, they seemed to grow a kind of mutual respect and understanding for each other.
Nigel
Nigel is Miranda’s second-hand. He seems to swoop and save the day several times when Miranda’s other employees don’t produce what she expects. He might very well be the ONLY person that Miranda actually likes and respects.
Nigel becomes Andy’s closest work friend and confidant. Although his demeanor is a little prickly, he cares about Andy’s success and gives her a lot of great advice throughout the story.
NATE
Nate is Andys boyfriend. They are living in New York City together. He is an aspiring chef and works on his career at the same time that Andy is focused on hers. They have some bumps along the way that eventually leads to a breakup, but their love must run deep because they meet up and make vague plans to possibly get together again.
CHRISTIAN
Christian is a journalist that Andy really looks up to. Andy meets him at a party and they run into each other several times. He is very flirty and disregards her relationship with Nate.
WHAT HAPPENS
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA MOVIE REVIEW
OPENING SCENE
The movie opens up with mirror scene of Andy, the main character, and a few gorgeous model-looking women getting ready for their day. Andy haphazardly throws clothes, makeup, and jewelry on. The models carefully select their outfits, holding up options in front of the mirror. They put on their makeup with care and precision. We then find out that Andy is going in for an interview at a fashion magazine – the same place that the models work.
While walking through the office and going through her interview with Emily, we see that everyone who works there is dressed to perfection in the hottest styles. The men are attractive, and the women are practically aliens with how skinny their bodies and high their cheekbones are. Miranda, the Editor and Chief, comes to work early, and the entire office is in a panic to prepare for her arrival. Clearly, she is the “devil” that the title refers too.
IN WALKS THE DEVIL HERSELF
As soon as Miranda walks in, she is ready to work! She walks, talks, and makes demands and everyone else, namely Emily, struggles to keep up. Miranda then decides to interview Andy herself, which is not normal. The Editor in Chief/ devil that wears Prada is a tough person to interview with. She does not hold back on her questions or criticism. Andy, who needs a job and doesn’t even like fashion, is honest about the fact that this is basically her last option.
After being dismissed by a less-than-impressed Miranda, Andy turns around at the last second and stands up for herself… but is then interrupted again. However, whatever she said must have worked because Miranda hired her the same day.
TO JOBS THAT PAY THE RENT
Andy and her friends go out to celebrate her new job as an assistant at Runway magazine. Her boyfriend and friends make little jokes at her expense, basically implying that she has no sense of fashion and it is a miracle that she got hired. They all talk about their jobs, and how they aren’t doing what they love now, but they are working on it. They all toast to “jobs that pay the rent”. The struggles of being an adult…
RISE AND SHINE
The following morning, Andy receives a rude wake-up call… literally. Emily wakes her up at 6:15 AM and demands that she come into the office and bring Miranda her very specific coffee order on the way.
After delivering the coffee (late), Emily begins training. This is a process that all new employees have to go through, but Emily is tough and a little mean.
The Book – the sacred Book that contains all of the fine details, notes, and edits for the upcoming issue. This book is not only important to the magazine, but also the story’s plot.
IN OVER HER HEAD
Possibly one of the best moments in the movie, Andy has to answer a phone call, and she does not do well. To be fair, we all have to start at the bottom before we can get to the top. However, Andy’s first moment in the spotlight doesn’t end there. She is then called into Miranda’s office, where she is given a lot of directions and no details, and she realizes that she is clearly in over her head.
NO TIME FOR FOOD
Andy finally gets a break… or not. She meets Nigel in the line to get lunch. He gets a salad and she gets corn chowder and bread. Nigel is not nice to her, but Andy takes his criticisms well. He insults her size, her wardrobe, and her disregard for fashion and its effect on her life. Their break is canceled before it even begins because Miranda is on the move.
IT’S NOT JUST A BLUE SWEATER
As Andy stands back and attempts to learn how showings work, she accidentally brings attention to herself when she laughs at the idea that two similar-looking belts are “totally different”. Miranda notices her presence and Andy suddenly becomes a deer in headlights as her new boss puts her in her place.
LONG DAY AT WORK
At home, Andy recounts the day’s events with her boyfriend, who is making a lovely dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches. She tells him about her crazy boss, her co-workers (the Clackers), and her opinions about how entitled they all are.
Andy seems to be getting the hang of her new and stressful job. Miranda is consistently demanding and holds impossible expectations, but Andy is doing better than she was on the first day.
DINNER AND A … CRAZY BOSS
Dinner with her dad is wonderful. Like a caring and concerned father, he gives her some money to help her pay rent. Before they can continue with their night, Miranda calls with an urgent and impossible request. So impossible that Andy isn’t able to help.
When Andy goes to work the next morning, she assumes she will be fired for failing. She doesn’t get fired, but she does get chewed out by Miranda. Andy then visits Nigel for some advice and help, but he tells her a harsh reality – that she isn’t trying hard enough.
FREE STUFF
Although Andy’s job is hard, it definitely has its perks. In the next scene, Andy meets up for drinks with her friends and she passes around some goodies that she was gifted at work. Some Clinique beauty products, lotions, and perfumes, an overly expensive and silly-looking phone, and a sold-out Marc Jacobs bag made her friends VERY happy.
Despite the gifts, Andy’s friends do not seem to respect her role or Miranda. Their game of hot potato with Andy’s phone as Miranda calls does not sit well.
NETWORKING
Andy must rush off on an errand for Miranda. At a party, where she is given top-secret sketches to bring back to her boss, Andy has the chance to meet a journalist whom she admires. Since we are only about half-way through the movie at this point, I think it’s safe to say that we will be seeing him again soon.
THE DEVIL’S OPINION IS THE ONLY ONE THAT MATTERS
The next morning, Miranda makes a last-minute decision to see James Holt’s collection now, instead of waiting for the scheduled day and time. Miranda’s whims always put people at ease…just kidding, but they all seem to prepare quickly and efficiently.
The showing is a learning experience for Andy, which Nigel guides her through. Unfortunately, James Holt’s collection is very disappointing. Miranda puckers her lips… therefore, it’s the end of the world.
KEEPING UP WITH THE JOB
As they are leaving the showing, Miranda dictates orders to Andy, but Andy proved that not only can she keep up, but she is able to anticipate Miranda’s needs and take action. As her reward, Andy is now allowed to bring The Book to Miranda’s house. Our main character is moving up in the world… one very tiny step at a time.
BAD DIRECTIONS
Unfortunately, Andy’s shining moment becomes overshadowed by her next grave mistake. While delivering The Book to Miranda’s house, she becomes confused by Emily’s vague directions and has to seek help from Miranda’s twin daughters. They coerce her into walking upstairs to give them The Book, but on the second level, she runs into Miranda having an argument with her husband. The look on Miranda’s face gave me chills.
THE UNPUBLISHED HARRY POTTER MANUSCRIPTS
The following morning at work, Miranda is clearly not happy. Instead of yelling or firing Andy, she does something that is, arguably, even worse. She tells Andy that her daughters need the new, unpublished Harry Potter manuscript to take on vacation with them. Let me say that again… Andy needs to someone get two copies of the UNPUBLISHED HARRY POTTER books within just a few hours. I’m stressed out for her.
TIME TO QUIT?
While running around the city trying to get Miranda her special steak lunch, Andy makes a dozen phone calls that are unsuccessful. At the office, Miranda takes one look at the beautiful steak and says that she doesn’t want it, she made lunch plans. Naturally, Andy is upset. Now, here is a really unrelatable moment – instead of eating the beautiful and expensive steak, Andy throws the whole dish into the sink. Even if she isn’t hungry now, she could have saved it for later or brought it home to her boyfriend.
Andy is now incredibly frustrated and disappointed that she can’t get the Harry Potter manuscript. Just after calling her boyfriend to tell him that she quits, she receives a call from the journalist that she met (Christian). Apparently, she did something right in reaching out to him, because he was able to get the manuscript. It pays to have connections.
Now, all Andy needs to do is bring it back to the office by 3 pm and her job will be saved.
SUCCESS
But of course, this is Andy. Simply handing the manuscript over to Miranda isn’t good enough. Andy takes it a step further and gives two copies of the bound, covered, and formatted manuscripts to the twins and gives the rough copy to Miranda. It is one of the best moments for Andy in the movie. She proved her worth not only to Miranda but also to herself.
Since Andy did such an incredible job getting the Harry Potter books for the twins, she gets to keep her job. This means that, when Andy’s boyfriend comes home, he finds her making the twin’s science project. For some reason, this is really disappointing to him. Instead of being happy that she was able to accomplish the impossible and prove how smart and tough she is, he is disappointed that she is staying at this job that is toxic, yes, but is also a great opportunity for her.
Don’t worry about how this affects their relationship though. They clearly have chemistry that won’t be going away anytime soon, especially not over career choices.
WHAT IS WORK-LIFE BALANCE?
Andy grows frustrated with her work-life balance or lack of it. She brings it up to Nigel on a shoot in the park, but he reassures her by explaining that the better she does at work, the less of a social life she is going to have. Which one is more important? Her friends, family, and life… or her career goals?
A rare scene without our main character comes up. Miranda is in a meeting, discussing plans for the next issue. If you have any interest in fashion, or just enjoy watching shows and movies about fashion, then this scene is a big highlight! They mention top designers that are still trending and pitch ideas for photoshoots. As usual, Nigel is the only one who Miranda respects.
Emily walks in and is clearly very sick.
COVERING FOR YOUR COWORKER
As a result, Andy now also has to go to that night’s benefit to assist Emily. She has to find an outfit (which Nigel helps with) and memorize about a hundred names of the events guests and their plus-ones.
While at the event, everyone looks very chic. There are photographers and paparazzi everywhere. Emily tells Andy about her new diet, where she only eats a cube of cheese when she feels like fainting. The things women do for “beauty”…
SECRET MEETINGS
This story isn’t all about Andy, it seems. Miranda and some other characters have drama and secret plans are in motion. As the movie progresses, these vague moments will be clarified.
Andy has another moment where she can be proud of herself. Up until this point, she has been a silent second assistant in the background. When Emily can’t remember the name of a guest walking up to greet Miranda, Andy steps in and tells her. This event causes good and bad things to happen.
BOYFRIEND VS CAREER
For one, Andy misses her boyfriend’s birthday party and gets home very late. Because she is already late, she passes on a networking opportunity with the editor of a top New York magazine.
Andy is given another amazing opportunity. Well, she is practically forced into the opportunity – to go to Paris with Miranda. The consequence of going to Paris is that she is stabbing Emily in the back. The consequence of not going to Paris is losing out on months of hard work and not getting Miranda’s approval to move up in Runway or any other magazine as a journalist.
Again, Andy must make the choice between friendship and career.
PARIS
Andy doesn’t feel like she has a choice, she agrees to go to Paris, but when she tries to tell Emily, Emily gets hit by a taxi. The universe acts in mysterious ways. Now Emily is in the hospital, broken and banged up, but at least she gets to eat real food now.
The pattern in Andy’s life seems to be that, for every good thing that happens, two bad things come along.
NOT A GOOD FRIEND
In the next scene, Andy attends her best friend’s art gallery showing. It is a beautiful exhibit with black and white photos of the city that cover every inch of the space. Andys new friend, Christian, see’s her at the show and they flirt, which Andy’s best friend, Lily, catches. Naturally, Lily calls her out on being different and not a good person. Like I said earlier, Andy’s bad moments come in two’s, so in the next moment, Nate comes up and him and Andy have an argument. He pretty much finishes what Lily started. They break up.
Andy seems to have lost her best friend of sixteen years AND her boyfriend within ten minutes.
WORK VACATION
Miranda and Andy arrive in Paris, and Andy is having a great time surrounded by top models and fashion designers, photographers, reporters, and the amazing Parisian atmosphere. She meets up with Nate and they flirt. After all, she is a single woman now.
When Andy returns to the hotel, she sees Miranda has been crying. It seems like they are both single women – Miranda’s husband is divorcing her. Based on Miranda’s monologue, she has been through multiple husbands because she puts her career first.
WHO DRESSED WHO?
Nigel comes to Andy’s suite and is very impressed with the outfit that she has on. There is the implication that most of Andy’s iconic outfits throughout the movie have been curated by Nigel.
They grab some champagne and toast to “the dream job. The one that a million girls wanted.” Nigel is moving up in the fashion industry. No longer tied to Miranda’s side, he will soon be partners with James Holt’s new global fashion company. Don’t worry, he isn’t abandoning Miranda, he has her blessing and recommendation.
ONE NIGHT STAND
Andy spends dinner, and the night, with Christian. As per usual, her night of fun and happiness is broken with bad news. She struggles to save the day and must sit by while her friend, Nigel, is screwed over because of Miranda’s ambitions.
Although this review contains scene-by-scene summaries, this is a spoiler that I will not share. The bad news that Nate shared with Andy will affect the entire fashion industry on a global scale, and Miranda must make some tough decisions to make things right.
This is the turning point for Andy. She realizes that this is not the life she wants. Andy confronts Miranda about her decisions. Instead of feeling comforted, Miranda says that Andy is a lot like her – they have a lot in common.
Andy comes to realize that her friends were right. She is becoming a selfish and career-driven “glamazon”, so she takes drastic measures to get away from her toxic boss. She leaves Miranda’s side, throws her cell phone into a nearby fountain, and walks away from everything.
MAKE-UP AFTER THE BREAK-UP
Back in New York, Andy meets up with Nate and she tells him that he was right about everything. They have only been broken up for a short time, but their conversation leads them to make vague plans to get back together, either while they both chase their dreams, or sometime after.
Andy, now jobless, must apply to other magazines and news publications. During one interview, she is told that Miranda recommended her. And because Miranda is such a big name in the publication industry, she was immediately hired.
CO-WORKER BUDDIES 4EVR
In an attempt to right her wrongs, Andy calls Emily and gives her all of the clothes that she got from Paris. After they hang out, Emily tells the new second assistant that she “has some very large shoes to fill”.
The same day that Andy has her interview and is hired for the job, she sees Miranda across the street. They don’t say anything, and Miranda barely even looks her way. Andy is unfazed and walks away ready to take control of her own life. Mirada doesn’t even acknowledge her, but as she sits in her town car, she smiles and chuckles to herself.
In the end, Andy walks away with more confidence and a career that she loves. She also gained Mirandas respect.
RELATABLE MOMENTS
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA MOVIE REVIEW
BREAKFAST
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There are two shots early in the movie before any of the dialogue begins. Each shot is only about 4 seconds, and we don’t see anyone’s face. The first moment is a bowl of almonds – a woman is very meticulously placing one almond into a bowl at a time (she is clearly counting to a specific amount). The next moment, Andy is grabbing a bagel. We later find out it’s an onion bagel.
A handful of almonds versus a bagel. Which would you rather eat for breakfast? I’m more of a pancakes and bacon kind of girl.
THE INTERVIEW
Interviews are never fun. They cause stress and anxiety for days, and then you have to wait around forever to get a response (IF you even get a confirmation on whether or not you are hired). The interview between Andy and Miranda is no different. Andy is a little overwhelmed, but excited about the opportunity. I have personally had plenty of interviews where I didn’t WANT the job, but I needed a job, so I feigned excitement. In the movie, Andy’s pretend eagerness doesn’t last long. She quickly breaks and honestly tells Miranda that this job is not her first choice. Oddly enough, she gets hired.
” TO JOBS THAT PAY THE RENT”
If you live alone, or with roommates, or you are living out of your parent’s house (college doesn’t count), then you understand that sometimes you just need a job, ANY job, so you can pay your bills and survive.
QUITTING TIME
The next biggest relatable scene comes at the end of the movie when Andy finally walks away. Toxic jobs aren’t uncommon, but for personal reasons, many people choose to stay. There is always a breaking point though. You might spend years in a job that you hate and then one day, some incident tips the scale and you decide that you deserve better. Good for Andy! That is not an easy decision to make.