The Devil Wears Prada (DVD)

Loved it in the theater and again on DVD this is one of the better movies of 2006 even if I keep hearing people rattle on in my ear at how much better the book is. Well, guess what people, I am yet to hear from anyone that has read any book and then seen the film adaptation of said book and thought the movie was better, that's the nature of the beast so get over it. The Devil Wears Prada may have taken certain zigs where the book zagged, but altogether it is a good film and should be seen by all.

Here we have the story of Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), fresh out of school and looking for employment and employment she finds as the assistant for Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the big cheese at Runway magazine, the top fashion magazine in the industry and Miranda intends to keep it there even if it means several failed marriages, ill-treatment of her staff and an overall negative personal image around town. In her case she seems to believe it is more advantageous to be feared rather than liked. Unfortunately for Andy she becomes the shit on the bottom of Miranda's metaphorical pumps as she is stepped on, yelled at and disrespected at every turn. Andy must ask herself if this is what she truly wants or if she should just search for other ways to build a writing career.

Streep has been receiving Oscar buzz all year long, and deservedly so, this is her movie, even if she isn't the central character. Anne Hathaway or any young female actress could have been placed in the role of Andy Sachs and survived, it is Meryl's way of creating a demanding yet flawed character really sells this story and keeps you cheering for those that oppose her as the film goes on.

As for this DVD it comes with a wealth of special features for the interested bunch as these features are pretty much fashion specific, which is not at all a bad thing. Come on this is The Devil Wears Prada, fashion fits I would say.

Let's look at the special features:

Trip to the Big Screen - Here is your story of why the film is not exactly like the book. For those of you not happy with the adaptation learn why certain changes were made.

NYC and Fashion - Why is fashion so important to the film? Fashion is the film, how people are dressed is pretty much the definition of where they stand in society, but it is also used to explain a character's confidence in themselves and this points out those traits quite well. It then moves to why New York..., not exactly a question for the SAT.

Fashion Visionary Patricia Field - For a costume designer to be asked to create the wardrobes for this film you have got to be one hell of a costume designer, and this one dives into Patricia Field and her vision. Field designed 13 episodes of "Sex and the City" as well as "Hope and Faith" and an endless number of fashion magazines and celebrity wardrobes. If you are into fashion you know her name.

Getting Valentino - How they got fashion designer Valentino Garavani to be in the film, not exactly a feature I can see a lot of people caring about. I know I didn't.

Boss from Hell - Miranda is the boss from hell and here you will listen to others tell you about their own bosses from hell. It actually isn't to bad, there are some messed up people out there. It's a canned feature that was made to promote the film before its release, but it is still pretty good.

Deleted Scenes - Fifteen scenes that were either deleted or cut shorter for the film. There aren't really any hidden gems here, but you might get a kick out of a couple of them, especially an extended scene when Andy considers quitting when she is coming up short in finding the Harry Potter 7 manuscript.

Gag Reel - pretty much like any other gag reel. Tripping, flubbed lines, goofing off, it is all there.

Audio Commentary - If you are really looking for anything of substance this is probably the place to go as director David Frankel, producer Wendy Finerman, Patricia Field, screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, editor Mark Livolsi and director of photography Florian Ballhaus get together to chat about the film. It really is one of the most intense filmmaker commentaries I have heard in terms of the people involved. Granted I just like the film and wasn't too interested in this, but I am sure it is going to find a home with several buyers.

For me the special features didn't matter, I would buy this DVD for the movie and probably never even watch these features if I didn't have to review it. I can enjoy a traditional chick flick just as much as any "chick," but beyond the movie I don't really care. The Devil Wears Prada is a fantastic movie; it's light, fun and funny, buy it for those reasons and consider the rest gravy. I enjoyed it in the theater and enjoyed it again at home. Granted if you don't like the chick flicks then you should probably skip it, but then again if you don't like these kinds of movies I am sure you didn't even get this far considering the red high heel on the box art.