The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada arrives as a comedy directed by David Frankel, and its first strength is a clear sense of purpose. Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep give The Devil Wears Prada a recognisable human centre before the larger mechanics take over. The central situation in The Devil Wears Prada comes into focus without a long explanation: With an aspiration to become a journalist, Andy, a smart but sensible young graduate, travels to New York. Across its 1h 49m running time, David Frankel keeps The Devil Wears Prada clear enough to keep the emotional line visible.

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As director of The Devil Wears Prada, David Frankel proves clear enough to keep the emotional line visible in the transitions between intimate material and larger demands. A strong scene in The Devil Wears Prada often begins with a modest detail before David Frankel lets its meaning expand. For The Devil Wears Prada, its modest pleasures remain genuine because the central tone remains visible even during busy passages. The weakness in The Devil Wears Prada is that a few supporting ideas remain thinner than the central one, although David Frankel usually finds the original rhythm again.

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The Devil Wears Prada uses its comedy framework to consider embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. For the character played by Anne Hathaway, that idea gives The Devil Wears Prada stakes beyond the next immediate obstacle. The recurring pressure of New York prevents the theme in The Devil Wears Prada from feeling like decoration added after the story. David Frankel makes The Devil Wears Prada more thoughtful whenever the implications remain inside action and reaction.

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Rather than summarise every event in The Devil Wears Prada, it is enough to note how Andy places New York under growing pressure. Anne Hathaway gives that tension a face, which stops The Devil Wears Prada from becoming a mechanical sequence of developments. Aline Brosh McKenna uses Miranda Priestly to widen the stakes of The Devil Wears Prada without losing sight of the original problem. Where the central character becomes predictable, The Devil Wears Prada recovers interest through the consequences surrounding it.

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The acting in The Devil Wears Prada is anchored by Anne Hathaway, who treats even functional scenes as opportunities to reveal character. Meryl Streep answers that approach with a different energy, giving The Devil Wears Prada welcome friction whenever the pace begins to settle. Around them, Adrian Grenier helps The Devil Wears Prada feel like an ensemble piece rather than a vehicle with decorative support. Under David Frankel, the performances in The Devil Wears Prada share a tone even when the writing gives them unequal depth.

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The Devil Wears Prada gains much of its identity from comic timing built around character, a choice that makes the world readable as well as attractive. The contribution of Fox 2000 Pictures allows The Devil Wears Prada to combine comic timing built around character with a consistent visual language. Within its United States setting, The Devil Wears Prada makes particularly good use of well judged reactions when the story needs to change scale. Sound and editing preserve the personality of The Devil Wears Prada by supporting detail instead of announcing every intended response.

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My final view is that The Devil Wears Prada provides a solid choice for the right audience for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. Anne Hathaway supplies the emotional memory of The Devil Wears Prada, while David Frankel keeps the genre machinery readable. A concern remains because a few supporting ideas remain thinner than the central one across part of The Devil Wears Prada, yet the better passages retain their force. What earns The Devil Wears Prada consideration is not perfection but the presence of choices that feel made for this story.