CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Critical Analysis of the Movie “The Devil Wears Prada”



Critical Analysis of the Movie “The Devil Wears Prada”

Introduction

The movie “The Devil Wears Prada” is a 2006 released comedy-cum-drama film. The story was the adaptation from the novel of the same name written by Lauren Weisberger, in 2003. The movie was a great success, reaching the second spot in the Box-Office during the summer of 2006. The success of the movie resulted in the success of the book, as well, which had not gained that mush of attraction from the people before the release of the movie. The movie addresses some key issues, such as the role of women in her career, the power of women, and the impact on the relations of women due to her job. These all are discussed in the coming part of the paper.

The Storyline

The story of the movie revolved around Andrea Sachs and Miranda Priestly. Andrea, from New York, was a recent graduate in Journalism. As she was searching for a job, she got hired by a fashion magazine, named Runway Fashion Magazine, as the second assistant to Miranda. Miranda was an attitudinal and ruthless boss. In trying to impress her boss, Andrea seeks help from Emily (the first assistant to Miranda) and Nigel (the Stylist). This approach to impress her boss leads Andre's life in complete disarray. Her relations with her friends, family, and even with her boyfriend Nate affected badly. After some ups and downs in her life, caused due to her job, leaves Andrea to learn from her mistakes, and eventually she comes back to her normal life in the end of the story (The Guardian, 2006).

Gender and Power in the Devil Wears Prada

The entire movie is revolving around women, and her role towards this modern society. The movie depicts the role of women as the power enforcer, and how they use their power in the workplace. Miranda was seen, throughout the movie, using her power and post to influence her subordinates. There was also shown the use of power by women in order to flourish her career path. The movie was solely based on showing the dominant view of women in the corporate world. However, the approach of each of the two leading characters of the movie, Andrea and Miranda, towards utilization of their power as a female was totally different. On one hand, Miranda was shown as an authoritative person in the film, which might be a role model for the working women. Her expressions and dialogues are designed in such a manner that clearly portrays the image of powerful women. On the other hand, there is Andrea, who in order to make a name for her, is willing to do anything to get to the top (Lui, 2009).

Female Power in the Devil Wears Prada

In the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, we are presented with the dualism of female power prevalent in the society. The characters portrayed by Miranda and Andrea symbolize two different role models for women to realize ...