Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is an unfashionable–and thus unqualified–assistant to Runway magazine editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), a boss who makes Donald Trump look like a pushover. Adapted from the novel by Lauren Weisberger, former assistant to Vogue’s Anna Wintour.
Big question: Can “Prada” duplicate the book’s success while appealing to anyone who’d prefer reading the dictionary over chick lit?
Skip it: Gussied up in chick-flick apparel, this is actually a bitterly honest movie about decent people selling their souls to make it in the cutthroat fashion world. By sticking to genre conventions of uneven characters and unbelievable resolutions, “Prada” never fully gets to show its horns.
Catch it: For Streep’s usual splendor and a better-than-the-character-deserves performance by Adrian Grenier (“Entourage”) as Andy’s neglected beau.
Bottom line: The movie’s veiled endorsement of superficiality should give you reason to shout at the devil. Though if you award free passes to movies that provide a sense of fantasy and style, stamp this one “cute” and buy your ticket.
Bonus: Think your boss might be taking advantage of you? If you’re stuck doing science projects for her kids, trust your instincts.
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MPAIS@TRIBUNE.COM
