Description

The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 American comedy-drama film directed by David Frankel and produced by Wendy Finerman.

The screenplay, written by Aline Brosh McKenna, is based on the 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger.

The film stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt. It follows Andy Sachs (Hathaway), an aspiring journalist who gets a job at a fashion magazine but finds herself at the mercy of her demanding editor, Miranda Priestly (Streep).

20th Century Fox bought the rights to a film adaptation of Weisberger’s novel in 2003, before it was completed for publication; the project was not greenlit until Streep was cast in the lead role. Principal photography lasted 57 days, primarily taking place in New York City from October to December 2005. Additional filming was done in Paris, France.

The Devil Wears Prada premiered at the LA Film Festival on June 22, 2006,and was theatrically released in the United States on June 30. The film received positive reviews from critics, with Streep’s performance earning widespread acclaim; she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.

The film grossed over $326 million worldwide.

Although the film is set in the fashion world, and references well-known establishments and people within that industry, most designers and other fashion notables avoided appearing as themselves for fear of displeasing American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who is widely believed to have been the inspiration for Priestly. Wintour later overcame her initial skepticism, saying she liked the film and Streep’s performance in particular.

Aspiring journalist Andrea « Andy » Sachs has recently graduated from Northwestern University. Despite her lack of knowledge of the fashion industry, she is hired as a junior personal assistant to Miranda Priestly, the editor-in-chief of Runway magazine in New York City. Andy decides to tolerate Miranda’s abusive treatment until she can use her connections from Runway to find a job more focused on journalism.

Andy fits in poorly with her superficial, fashion-forward co-workers, particularly Miranda’s senior assistant, Emily Charlton, and struggles to adjust to the pressures and irrational demands of being Miranda’s assistant. After Andy fails to arrange for Miranda to be flown back from Miami to New York City during a hurricane, Miranda berates her. Andy approaches Runway‘s art director, Nigel, for advice, and he helps her select stylish clothes to wear to work.

After noticing Andy’s change in appearance and increased commitment to the job, Miranda begins to delegate more complicated and important tasks to her. As Andy becomes more glamorous and absorbs the Runway philosophy, she gradually outperforms Emily, who yearns to attend Paris Fashion Week as Miranda’s assistant and, in preparation for the event, adheres to extreme diets that endanger her health.

When Emily arrives to work while sick and forgets important details about the guests at a charity benefit, Andy steps in to save Miranda from embarrassment. Miranda then selects Andy to be her assistant at Paris Fashion Week instead of Emily. Emily is later hit by a car; while visiting her in the hospital, Andy informs Emily of Miranda’s changed plan, and Emily berates Andy for accepting Miranda’s offer. Andy’s boyfriend, Nate, is disappointed that she has become one of the shallow, egoistical women she once ridiculed, and they break up.

In Paris, Andy learns that Miranda’s husband has filed for divorce. Later that night,

Nigel tells Andy that he has accepted a job as creative director with rising designer James Holt. She spends the night with an attractive writer, Christian Thompson, who tells her that Jacqueline Follet of French Runway is set to replace Miranda as editor in New York. Andy attempts to warn Miranda, but Miranda dismisses her.

At a later luncheon, Miranda announces Jacqueline as Holt’s new creative director, much to Andy and Nigel’s shock. Later, Miranda reveals that she already knew of the scheme to replace her, and sacrificed Nigel’s ambitions to keep her job. Andy is repulsed by Miranda’s betrayal of her friend, but Miranda points out that Andy did the same thing to Emily by agreeing to accompany Miranda to Paris.

Not wanting to become the type of person Miranda is, Andy quits her job and storms off. When Miranda tries calling her, Andy tosses her phone into the Fontaine de la Concorde.

Some time later back in New York, Andy meets up with Nate, who tells her he has a new job as a sous-chef in Boston, and they agree to keep in touch as friends. The same day, Andy has an interview at a major New York newspaper. The editor recounts that when he called Runway for a reference, Miranda told him that Andy was the biggest disappointment she ever had as an assistant, and that he would be an idiot not to hire her.

After getting the job, Andy calls Emily and offers her the clothes she obtained in Paris. While walking past the Runway office building, Andy sees Miranda and waves at her. Miranda does not acknowledge Andy, but smiles to herself once she is seated in her car.