First time I heard about this film, sounds like chick-flick to me. First time the film rolled, looks like another chick-flick to me. By the time Meryl Streep appeared, chick-flick or not, I like this film. It's not just a miracle that I liked a "chick-flick", because it rarely happens and hates chick-flicks as much as romantic comedies (the last time I grew to like a chick-flick was when I checked out She's The Man and Mean Girls), but also a miracle to see Meryl Streep pulling a jaw-dropping, formidably loathsome boss-from-hell Miranda Priestly, Editor-In-Chief of the fictitious Runway Magazine. Apart from making her very terrifying, ultimately over-the-top, insatiable and predatory, Meryl Streep gives a remarkable performance that is hilarious, hair-raising and most of all, touching. This is Streep's movie and she conquers every single bit of it. I just feel a little bit sorry for Anne Hathaway, although she had done quite considerably well as Andy, the geeky, struggling second-degree secretary of Ms Priestly.

But first, let's talk of Andy and her story. She's a recent graduate of Northwestern Univerity, studying journalism, and applied as an assistant to the editor in the Runway Mag. She was hired rather pitifully as a second assistant next to the supercilious Emily played by the splendiferous Emily Blunt. By then, Andy becomes the official coat-hanger of the office and also the coffe-maker (rushing to Starbucks to gather help). She's a simple character, Andy, and Anne Hathaway was acceptable to the fact that she had done well and that she's just in a good movie, lucky for her. She does not know how to dress very well, as far as Miranda Priestly's eyebrow-raising is concerned, as just like every other chick-flick moment happens, she gets a make-over, and voila! Pretty Woman in the vista. She also gets a lot of job, almost impossible jobs like booking a flight for Miranda in the midst of rainstorms, getting the original unpublished manuscripts of the seventh Harry Potter book for her children, and doing God-knows-what-hell-of-other-jobs she must do for Miranda. Nigel, played by Stanley Tucci, a sympathetic fashio critic, bends Andy straight and advised her to have an attitude towards her job and not just be so judgmental around her environment. As he puts it, Andy is in the fashion world, and fashion world is demanding, therefore she should be outrightly commit with her soul.
That's where Miranda Priestly comes in - she corrupts your mind, body and soul. She's snobbish, uber-demanding, and ruthlessly tough when it talking about job and creativity. She does not tolerate boredom, she wants excellence in the industry. But no matter how cold and insensitive she is, she's quite a character driven by her own principles in life. The moment she sees bad fashion statement, she doesn't react right away, but soon as you see her pursing of the lips and the steeling of the eyes, you will know how dreadful your sense of beauty is. It's no befuddlement why Meryl Streep just recently won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy because this is one of the best performances she has ever gave. Oh yeah, she's astounding in drama but she could be as terrific in comedies as well. I admit, she's my favourite actress of all time, and when she stares, she stares at you honestly. That's where she pulls her punches because she downrightly steals the whole movie from Anne Hathaway herself, which was the protagonist.

This is an excellent film about the extensive stipulations of life, especially speaking about jobs. There are indeed certain times when employees are being tested by their bosses and it's up to the employees on how to react on it. They could live their lives and do the job or let the job drive their lives. It's about choices, The Devil Wears Prada; it's about knowing what you truly want deep inside.

The final scene is the most haunting one where Streep looks priceless in a black Chanel suit exiting the Runway building and sees Hathaway's character Andy on the other side of the road, gone were the days of luxurious fashion in her, just the simple Andy. Streep steeled her presence and mostly ignored Andy, but when she gets into the limousine, here is the miracle of her performance. No matter how devilish Miranda Priestly could be, she smiled. Not because she's evil but she sees something in Andy that she has never seen before, the strength to stand beside her beliefs. And we know for the first time, the boss from hell learned something from her secretary in the end.

Rating: A-