Thanks to Ann, I actually know what Prada is, and I've even been to the store in LA, so I wanted to see this movie. My mom likes Meryl Streep so she came along. I think we both liked it--it was more complex than most chick flicks--although I know that's not saying much.
The strongest characters were definitely played my Meryl Streep, a leading fashion magazine editor, and Anne Hathaway, her new, non-fashionable assistant. In order to fulfill Streep's exacting, unreasonable demands Hathaway works 24 hours a day, changes her wardrobe, and is always being nearly killed running through NY streets with coffee. At first she complains, but tnen she realizes that Streep's job demands excellence and ruthlessness and steps up her efforts to please. In the end, it is the ruthlessness of the industry that causes her to quit her job and regain her boyfriend.
Despite her hard-boiled nature, Streep's character is not portrayed as evil or wicked. Once Hathaway defends her boss by saying to a sleazy-but-handsome pursuer who is criticizing Streep, "If any man did what she did, then people would say he was dedicated to his job." And, despite her quiting, Hathaway still gets a job recommendation and a smile in the end.
The male characters, except for the gay Nigel, are weak and annoying. Hathaway's boyfriend spends most of the movie sulking because she is being caught up in the fashion world and not pursuing her dreams. Although she gets back together with him in the end, this seems mostly to be a symbol of her regaining her personal life and integrity.
The message is that it takes sacrifice to succeed in competitive industries, and people have to choose whether or not they'll make it.
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