If youre associated with me in any form and arent aware that The Devil Wears Prada is my favorite movie, then I am verrry disappointed... Its not often thought of as an Oscar film. Even critics are quick to dismiss it as a frivolous, shallow comedy. (Commence deep breathing exercises...) Its not just important to me, its important to a lot of people. For one, the film is aware that many view fashion as a joke (this... stuff), but it makes certain to give the fashion world credit for the multi-billion dollar industry it is. (ie: The Blue Sweater Monologue.) It also tackles female representation and the role of women in the workplace - perhaps not flawlessly... but it does pass the Bechdel test within the first fifteen minutes. We meet Andrea and Emily, and there is no talk of boyfriends, crushes, or male bosses. And then theres Miranda Priestly. Anyone who labels her as a flat character is seriously mistaken. She is initially presented as a nightmare-boss-dragon-lady, true. We see her complexity, though, as the plot progresses, and she is redeemed. No longer is she a bossy woman. She is the head of a magazine whose success rests on her shoulders. Even skeptical Andrea admits, If Miranda were a man, nobody would notice anything about her except how great she is at her job. (AMEN, girl.) Andrea, in the end, (spoiler alert, I guess) leaves Runway. Not because she feels her sole purpose is to marry Nate and immediately bear children, but rather to pursue authenticity in her career path. Emotional attachment aside, there is much to appreciate about The Devil Wears Prada. Not only its brilliant performances (This is MERYL were talking about. Also Stanley Tucci. So good.) but also its treatment of important social issues. Im not saying it is a pinnacle of feminist film perfection. Nor is it a cinematographic masterpiece. But its a well-crafted film and it deserves to be taken seriously. So before you dismiss it, watch it with me. Deal? Deal.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 00:23:44 +0000