The Devil Wears Prada

Oh, the magic that IS Meryl Streep.

Even in the (not "a" but "the") Provincetown movie theater...which seats 45 people..., Ms. Streep had done it again. The subtle eyes, the placement of a hand, that extra moment she decides to give to or take from you... her brilliance shines once again in The Devil Wears Prada.

Well, not even shines...explodes.

The movie from beginning to end had the audience (myself included) cheering, clapping and screaming... it was pretty brilliant. The story, as if you didn't know already, is (according to IMDB): a naive young woman (Anne Hathaway) comes to New York and scores a job as the assistant to one of the city's biggest magazine editors, the ruthless and cynical Miranda Priestly (Streep). But it's SO much more than that. It's about relationship struggles, reaching for your goals, fighting to keep your sense of self and knowing sometimes you can't... it's EVERYTHING we've all been through or will go through at one point in our lives. (but of course dressed in D&G, Lagerfield and Chanel as opposed to the Banana Republic, Filene's Basement and Burdines we're use to.)

(OH! Remind me to tell you about the time I was a Personal Assistant to a Beverly Hills Socialite for almost two years. She was married to one of the richest men in Los Angeles... WORSE than Miranda Priestly... and honey, have I got stories!)

Anyway, where was I?

This film has everything: Love, passion, hate, greed, envy, hope, charisma, loss, power and most important of all: a makeover. Who knew getting bangs would put your life on the right track?

Bangs and the right shoes of course.



The comedy is there, like Richard Simmons in sequins but without the perm: Big, Flashy and in your face, while the heart and message is what sneaks up on you like a case of Herpes. You know what I mean? It's like you feel something happening, but you don't see anything and then all at once you're crying because it was there all along. SHUT UP! I KNOW! I cried twice! (Not because of the herpes people, because of movie...)


Now for the screening I went to, a couple of things happened.

1. The Devil Wore Khaki Shorts and Birkenstocks. The most evil lesbian EVER slipped on the way to her seat (not dropping any of her popcorn mind you) and then turned around, went to get the theater manager and came back pointing and yelling about how her attorney was going to sue them because blah, blah, blah....

"Yikes" was all the poor little theater manager girl could get out. It was very thematic. (As I think back, I wonder if it was actually one of those pre-shows like they have at The El Capitan... hmmm...)

2. The film stopped during Meryl Streep's first monologue letting Miss Hathaway HAVE IT! Picture it: Provincetown, 2006: The audience was leaning forward getting wrecked listening to Miranda Priestly tell this newbie all about how just because the newbie thinks that the simple blue cable knit sweater she's wearing to show everyone that fashion has nothing to do with her is actually the point that fashion makes. You know, that fashion makes whatever point you want it to, even trying to exclude yourself from it by dressing a certain way shows that you ARE included in it because you've already used it for what it's supposed to do and-

***POW**** the screen goes black, the lights come up and the theater manager (yep, same one) pops out of some Wizard of Oz "Who rang that bell?" portal and says it'll be about 5 minutes. SHUT UP! I KNOW! x2. (The Devil Wore Khaki Shorts and Birkenstocks went INSANE!) Then of course the movie doesn't start back at the top of the monologue or even where it stopped, but cuts half way into the next scene.

Ugh. I (heart) Provincetown.


Anyway, GO SEE THIS MOVIE, then come back and answer me these questions:

1. How can you choose: Career or love? Isn't one a means to the other?

2. Why do people always say people don't change? People ALWAYS change...don't they?

3. What does it take for you to give up?

4. Sometimes we make choices or do things because "we had/have to". That isn't our fault, is it?

5. Can someone actually wear a boatneck sweater over a button up top, or is Patricia Field really just a God?