Prada? I prefer Old Navy

Hi All,

After reading Terre's post a while back on 'The Devil Wears Prada,' I wanted to see the movie. Bean wanted to see it all along, but it opened the same weekend as 'Superman Returns,' so we went for super heroes rather than women in fashionable clothes. And then we just got lazy, and never made it. Truth be told, we don't make it out to see very many movies anymore, because 1) They always underwhelm us and 2) I'm more comfortable at home in my recliner with the big screen whose sound and pauses I can control. Oh, and ticket prices are ridiculous. I got an employee accomodation that allows me as many movie tickets as I want, for $5.00 a piece, for any time showing. So we used these tickets, and went to see 'The Devil Wears Prada.'

It was amusing to us, but not because of the film itself. We got more laughs out of the 'old lady' perfume we smelled ("Streep packs 'em in!" I said, noting the full theater of old ladies), the lack of air conditioning (usually we freeze), and this little girl next to us who asked a hundred questions throughout the movie. When Streep appeared in once scene sans makeup, this girl asked, "Who's THAT?" It was cute. The movie itself was NOT a comedy. In thinking about it, I don't think it was really even marketed as a comedy. I think once we heard 'Anne Hathaway,' 'Prada,' and saw ONE commercial that zeroed in on ONE semi-funny moment in the movie, we all assumed it was a comedy. It's a shame that Hathaway has been forever branded the 'Princess Diaries' girl, because if you saw 'Havoc,' and you expected THAT Hathaway, you'd be in for a rude awakening. 'Havoc,' by the way, is an exceptional film. Very dark, very gritty, and you'd never know it was the same girl. She did her best acting in that film. But don't see it unless you're prepared to see the complete antithesis of the 'Princess' character. She drinks, smokes, does drugs, has graphic sex with strangers, curses a lot...wild stuff. But a good movie.

But I digressed. 'Devil' was kind of what you'd think it might be: all about one young girl's experience working for one of the biggest moguls in the fashion industry. Meryl Streep: Earning Oscars All The Time! Streep was excellent in this film, just as everyone said she was. That doesn't surprise me. Oscar has to reward her. If he doesn't, I'd worry about Oscar. She gave a flawless delivery of all sides of Miranda Priestly (interesting name choice): the businesswoman, the celebrity, the divorcee, the woman who knows she doesn't have a real friend in this world she works in. And deep down beneath it all, she understands the integrity that Andi (Hathaway) has, and respects her for it.

I thought Streep's speech early on about Cerulean Blue (I thought I was watching the X Files episode 'Pusher' for a minute; the villain in that episode talks about Cerulean Blue) was well-written and perfectly delivered. Basically, Andi had laughed to herself about these fashionistas debating which belt was better. Miranda stops the whole room and tells Andi about the evolution of the color and the sweater she's wearing. The point was, basically: Don't mock us, because we're so important that we decide what the world wears, and, by default, how it appears.

Being a die-hard feminist type who hates everything about fashion, I had to try not to explode in the theater. The speech was great; don't get me wrong. But if I'd been Andi, I'd have said: "The real value of a human being has nothing to do with how they appear! We only wear clothes because we're too ashamed of what God created. And we need to stay warm in the winter. The only thing the fashion industry does (and the cosmetics industry; don't get me started) is demean and degrade women (and men) to the point that we don't know who we are anymore. We're a label, or a trend, or a fashion. What happened to being a human being?

As you can see, I'm very opposed to images and judging someone based on looks. It's a natural instinct, in the mating process, and I hate that fact too. I want people to like me for my mind and my heart, not how I look. Hence, I've never slutted it up enough to grab a guy. I'd feel like a fraud if I did. So here's hoping there's a fellow nerd out there who gets it.

But I digressed again! Sheesh! Well, this movie brought out that point to me. I think in the end, we were supposed to understand that: Even someone like Miranda Priestly had a heart underneath (waaaayyy underneath), and even she could see the good in someone, even if they did look like a clown. ha Andi always looked fine to me, but her natural attire was considered quite pitiful by the fashion plates. She's Anne Hathaway, for Pete's Sake. This girl could look cute in a sack. It's those doe eyes! If ever a person looked like a deer, it's her. ha

Overall, I liked 'Devil,' but I wasn't overwhelmed. I kept waiting for that 'so goofy it hurts' moment where Andi loses Miranda's all-important book and has to struggle, comically, to get it back. That moment never came. I kept waiting for the predictable moments, and they never came. I guess that was a good thing, but I'll admit I wanted to see a comedy. This wasn't a comedy. I'd recommend it, though, for Streep alone. Priceless performance. I'm nerdy so I like great performances.

I'd give it a B-. Mainly because it just didn't grab me the way I expected. Even once I figured out it wasn't a comedy, it didn't quite deliver as a drama, either. It's more of a rental, and more for Streep and Hathaway die-hards.

Fashion Faux Pas
1) Mixing red and pink
2) Wife-beaters
3) Swan dresses
4) Zebra-striped shirts
5) Cow insignia
6) Tight pants on overweight people
7) Anything from the '70's
8) Glitter
9) Earrings bigger than your face
10) Star Trek costumes

haha
Kidding with that list.
Except for cow insignia. No matter how you look at it, that's just embarrasing.

Have a great day!