S U N D AY, J U LY 0 2 , 2 0 0 6"The Devil Wears Prada" -- * * 1/2; Streep -- * * * *"The Devil Wears Prada" is a silly, lightweight diversion that showcasesMeryl Streep giving a master class in movie comedy.</p><p> Herboss-from-hell is a quietly devastating presence who can send shiversdown your spine just by muttering her displeasure in the mostreasonable of tones.</p><p> A tilt of the head, a look in her eyes, a gentle "No,no; that wasn't a question" and you are helpless with laughter.</p><p> Notsurprisingly, she isn't a monster but a real character -- Streep deepensher during the movie without sacrificing the character's essentialscariness.</p><p> An Oscar nomination is a given and since it would be in asupporting role, she might just win, despite the movie's overall lack ofsubstance.</p><p> My God, it's been 25 years since Streep won for "Sophie'sChoice" -- don't you think she's due? Anne Hathaway plays the newassistant to Streep, a legendary fashion magazine editor.</p><p> She holds thescreen quite well, proving her star-making turn in "The PrincessDiaries" wasn't a fluke.</p><p> The movie is a lot of fun -- certainly everymoment with Streep is priceless.</p><p> Stanley Tucci is also marvelousplaying a gay editor -- he doesn't overplay it for laughs, a temptationthat would have ruined the character if he had been played by mostanyone else.</p><p> Without giving away plot twists, the movie lost me when itpretended to depict Hathaway selling her soul to succeed in this highpressure job.</p><p> Since the movie wants us to root for Hathaway, it's tooafraid to actually show her turning into someone unpleasant.Hathaway's friends keep telling her she's changed, but I didn't see it.Also, Adrien Grenier of "Entourage" was a wimpy presence as herboyfriend and Simon Baker (who I normally like) oddly uncompellingas a romantic rival.</p><p> But none of this matters: Meryl Streep istremendously funny in a performance that is brilliant in its subtletyand flair.</p><p> I'd work for her in a second.POSTED BY MICHAEL IN NEW YORK AT 1:04 PM 0 C O M M E N T S :Post a CommentL I N K S T O T H I S P O S TCreate a LinkNext Blog»sal1mineo@hotmail.comSEARCH BLOG FLAG BLOGFOLLOW BLOGP O P S U R F I N G .</p><p> C O MS U R F I N G T H E WAV E S O F P O P U L A R C U LT U R EB Y M I C H A E L G I LT Z & F R I E N D SPOPSURFING.COM: "The Devil Wears Prada" -- * * 1/2; Stree...http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/07/devil-wears-prada-12-st... 1 of 37/29/09 12:21 AMFAV O R I T E L I N K SAmericablogFive O'Clock Lightning baseball blogDeep Pop -- Lori Lakin's BlogThe Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPNRadioCine-Blog -- George Robinson's BlogDocuments On Art & Cinema - DarylChin's BlogBrucie G's Wondrous Blog OfAdventure and Mystery -- BruceGreenspan's BlogB L O G A R C H I V E▼ 2009 (17)▼ July (3)1939 -- The Greatest Year ForMoviesSwimming Bans Those Hi-TechSuits!Best Movies Of The Year -- TheMaster List► June (3)► May (1)► March (2)► February (1)► January (7)► 2008 (86)► 2007 (781)► 2006 (2412)► 2005 (5)C O N T R I B U TO R SMichael in New YorkBiboyAaron POPSURFING.COM: "The Devil Wears Prada" -- * * 1/2; Stree...http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/07/devil-wears-prada-12-st... 2 of 37/29/09 12:21 AMPOPSURFING.COM: "The Devil Wears Prada" -- * * 1/2; Stree...http://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2006/07/devil-wears-prada-12-st... 3 of 37/29/09 12:21 AM
