Writer: Helena Hon

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Watch this if you liked: "Death Becomes Her","Lemony Snickets'' A Series of Unfortunate Events"

When Miranda Priestley came on-screen in her silver coiffure and haute couture, sending her minions scurrying like mice in the presence of a cat, I almost laughed in recognition of a person I once knew. And when she spoke, flashing a laser glare over a soft tone of voice to mask her hard words of contempt, I actually laughed out loud.

Miranda Priestley is the reincarnation of a real-life woman I once worked for. Like Miranda, she was also the editor-in-chief of a local magazine, but unlike Miranda and Runway, her magazines have gone bust.

What I found most uncanny was the portrayal of this sort of character. The editor-in-chief in question also used to speak in the same even tone as Miranda, never above two decibels, but every word she ever let out of her mouth was two-edged and dripping with sarcasm. She could smile at you and cut you at the same time and you wouldn't even know it - until you find yourself bleeding all over the place afterwards. Yes, our former editor-in-chief made the act of demeaning employees into an art form, just like Miranda. Using fear to control and throwing demands that never get acknowledged, let alone appreciated when they were met, she was always as cold as a blast from the freezer. The movie even used the same term we to refer to this boss: 'Snow Queen'. You can imagine how far my jaw dropped when I heard that. Writer Aline Brosh McKenna certainly did her homework.

So, watching Meryl Streep, as Miranda, torturing Ann Hathaway as the clueless Andy Sachs in director David Frankel's adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's novel, I would say that I couldn't help but instantly relate. Why, I was once in Andy's shoes.

The only difference is, I wasn't the personal assistant.

But Hathaway's Andy is, and she shows up for the interview without any knowledge of fashion. Looking dowdy in a non-designer skirt, she is immediately sniffed out as the doofus by the lacquered packs at Runway, particularly the recently-promoted assistant Emily (played by the scene-stealing Emily Blunt) whose former job is what Andy is applying for. When Andy is hired, Emily is gobstopped but is vengefully curious to see how long the 'fat' size 6 girl will hold out.

Andy complains to her boyfriend, the shabby Nate (Adrian Grenier) about the tremendous pressure she is under to keep Miranda happy. "Find me that piece of paper I had in my hand yesterday", or "Get me that furniture I liked in that shop", Miranda would say. It is Andy's job to decipher these cryptics and woe betide her if she asked for clarification.

But while she is disdainful of the fashion slaves in the office and laughs at the 'clackers' who fuss over fashion and make-up and starve themselves to death just to keep thin, she begins to find herself conscious of her weight and starts to diet. One day, after failing to satisfy yet another one of Miranda's impossible demands, and getting called "stupid" for that, she realises she can never beat them and so, decides to join them. She talks to art director Nigel (Stanley Tucci) and with his help, makes herself over in designer wear from the magazine's immense freebie wardrobe.

Andy loses two dress sizes and begins to change. But the change is not skin deep. Somewhere along the way, her personality also changes and she starts to enjoy her job, making decisions just to get ahead of the competition regardless of the hurt she would be inflicting. In short, Andy is turning into Miranda.

Will Andy get over her own obsession with success or will she go the way of Miranda, a woman whose ruthlessly gotten empire is paid for by a string of failed marriages? Already, Nate and Andy's relationship is going that way, he being chagrined with her constant absence and personality change.

"The Devil Wears Prada" offers us not just an insight into the racy, rarefied, world of high fashion and publishing, but also the people in it, thanks to Frankel's liberal bouts of revelation. His directing is top notch.

Hathaway puts in a stellar performance as Andy, making everyone empathise with her every step of the way. Tucci is highly watchable and fun while Blunt is terrific. But the award goes to Meryl Streep for playing the devil in designer clothing to a 'T'. You may think that "The Devil Wears Prada" is just a parody of a possible scenario and possible characters dreamed up in the minds of the movie's creators or the author, but it's not. Miranda Priestley the 'Snow Queen' really exists, even right here in Malaysia. I take my hat off to the great Ms Streep for portraying her so accurately. I highly recommend this movie.

Cinema Online, 23 September 2008