five hundred and sixteen
7. You Get Several Gratuitous Shots Of Both New York and Paris
"And most importantly I get to go with her to Paris for Fashion Week in the Fall. I get to wear couture, I go to all the shows and all the parties."
Ask anyone what city they would most love to visit and I'd wager that most people would say either New York City or Paris. I know I'd definately say the former as it is, imo, the best city in the world. I visited in 2004 and my short five day stay there was enough to make me want to live there permanently. I also visited Paris but I was only a kid and there purely for Disney World. One day, I'd like to go back. Along with Milan, these two cities are often described as 'the fashion capital of the world'. Both have great places where you can shop; both stage various (important) fashion shows throughout the calendar year and both are just visually stunning, fashion or no fashion. Visiting either is a must for any holidaymaker.
6. You Get An Unintentional Laugh Out Of Simon Baker's Eyebrows
"Did you mention my good looks? My killer charm?"
Simon Baker is pretty. There's no denying that little factoid. But in Prada... Gosh, I don't know what happened to him. It is as if the makeup artist, whoever she (or indeed, he) may be, decided to crazy experiment and frost his eyebrows instead of his hair. Either that or they were looking to turn them into that of something vaguely similar to a catepillar. They're so distracting that everytime I see him, I feel they're just gonna pop right out at me. The Christian character, in the book at least, is supposed to be this tall, handsome, dish of a man. Here, he's awfully smarmy, irritating and clearly a little too into his looks. This isn't necessarily Baker's fault, but really, those freakish eyebrows give off more of a laugh than they ought to.
5. You Get To Revel In All Things Pretty In The Fashion World
"Runway is a fashion magazine so an interest in fashion is crucial."
I will be the first to admit that I'm not really a girly-girl. Neither am I fashion concious in the slightest. But part of what makes me adore Prada is the utter revelry I get out of seeing the pretty people running around in some equally pretty amazing outfits - as well as feeling a smidge of jealousy towards every one of them. The one item that I badly wanted to steal out of the movie was those devastatingly stunning boots from the opening credits. They're fantastic. Granted, I might not look all that great in them but that didn't stop me from desiring them. And as for that outfit that Miranda and Nigel put together? Man, that was hideous. I mean, is that really what some people deem fashionable? It looks like a mismatched, muddled mess. But, that being said, it kind of works - but only in context, i.e. Miranda's fabulouso speech about items of clothing being plucked out of "a pile of stuff". Only someone like Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly could put a positive spin on that monstrosity. On one final note, though, Prada wouldn't be a genuine fashion-themed movie without snagging a surprise appearance from someone who lives in that world, so to Mr Valentino, we thank you!
4. You Get The Ugly Duckling Protagonist Transformed Into A Swan
"Same Andy. Better clothes."
Okay, so the title of this reason is a bit of a lie as Anne Hathaway is hardly what one would label ugly but she is, undoubtedly, the Queen of Movie Makeovers. The character here, Andrea Sachs, is a hardworking just-out-of-college grad who comes to New York to fulfil her dream of becoming a journalist. She takes up the position of assistant to one of the most respected but feared magazine editors, Miranda Priestly. Soon Andrea finds herself pitted against the pitfalls of working for said tyrannical boss, as well as trying to hold on to her private life. Initially she is rather naive about the environment she has to work in and it takes a few stumbles along the way for her to realise that if she wants to taken seriously she needs to prove that she wants this life. In other words she's gotta dress to impress her superior. Step in Nigel with a handy makeover and, predictably before our very eyes, we see Andrea go from a fashion outcast to a more self confident fashionista. And boy, aren't we jealous of the clothes she gets to wear!
3. You Get Inklings of Glorious Femslash By The Bucketload
"You look good. What? She does."
"Oh shut up, Serena."
Femslash, femslash, femslash... It's present in almost everything - even if you don't initially see it. Some elements of femslash are obvious and in your face. Other hintings are more subtle. Indirect, even. Truth be told, I'm not quite sure where Prada sits on the scale of 'Teh Ghey' but it definately has its fair share of girl/girl potential, namely in Emily/Andrea, Andrea/Miranda as well as hints of Emily/Serena. When it comes to fanfiction, the former is pretty much the Holy Grail whilst the latter seems to be the universal choice amongst that same group of fans. I personally don't see the Andrea/Miranda attraction because Emily/Andrea has always been my Prada weapon of choice. Their relationship is rather strained but its full of banter and unresolved sexual tension all at the same time. Emily's dislike to Andrea is as obvious as the days are long, yet she continues to begrudgingly help her settle in at Runway. It is from the wonderful chemistry between Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway that gives off this impression and you can't help but think that somewhere, secretly, every day Andrea and Emily are taking little trips to the bathroom or storage closet for some hot make-out sessions. The Andrea/Miranda pairing, on the other hand, is more the traditional boss/employee fantasy. Miranda is a tough task master and rides Andrea until she cracks from the pressure. It's probably from this as well as the fleeting, quasi-flirtatious glances that Miranda bestows upon Andrea that has won them their legions of loyal fans. Finally, Emily/Serena is more of a minor pairing but there does seem to be something there worth exploiting. Or perhaps I've just had too much Waldsen from Gossip Girl that I look for similar signs in BFFs from various other fandoms. The bottom line is, however, that no matter what your preferred pairing is, there is plenty of imagination riot running to be had.
2. You Get To Watch Emily Blunt Steal A Lot of Scenes
"It's for Paris, I'm on this new diet. Well, I don't eat anything and when I feel like I'm about to faint I eat a cube of cheese."
26 year old Emily Blunt is a great British Ingenune. Or perhaps, more fittingly in the context of Prada, the Great British Scene Stealer. Because that is essentially what she does throughout the movie. And so damn consistently well, too. She hams it up and it pays off every time. Scenes which do not contain either Blunt or Streep aren't nearly half as fun. Streep wasn't lying when she stated that Blunt ought to be given a carbon copy of the movie so that she didn't steal the movie outright. It's a pretty justified statement to make as pretty much every supporting player doesn't quite match her outlandishness. Stanley Tucci tries his best to outdo his English counterpart in the comedy stakes but always seems to comes off second best. Blunt's character is choc full ofacidic remarks, quips, comebacks, bitchy glares even witty improv, dreamt up by Blunt herself. Each disdainful look is accompanied by that sharp, witty dialogue and even the snarkiest, meanest comments manage to rouse a chuckle out of the audience, Do you have some prior comittment? Some hideous skirt convention you have to go to? immediately springs to mind. The character is so on the edge of fashion that she's almost fallen off that metaphorical cliff. Hideously bitchy Emily Charlton may be but adorably clueless she most definately is.
1. You Get To See The Legendary Meryl Streep At Her Most Fiercest
"...Because of the list. The list of designers, photographers, editors, writers, models, all of whom were found by me, nurtured by me and have promised me they will follow me whenever and if ever I choose to leave Runway."
The number one reason why everyone should love The Devil Wears Prada. Predictable in having Meryl Streep top the list? Maybe. But you do know that it is true. Without her, Prada would probably have been your typical run of the mill chick flick. Sure, it would have still had Emily Blunt pulling the rug out from underneath almost everyone who shares screen time with her but it would still be lacking the one thing that holds the picture together and that is the fierceness of Miranda Priestly, effortlessly portrayed by the woman who is, arguably, the greatest living actress on the planet. Let's face it, the Miranda character is downright terrifying. She needn't need to raise her voice or shout in the faces of her employees to be scary. The fact that she remains relatively calm when she's being tyrannical, demanding and/or fuming is scary. It's unnerving. The viewer is never quite sure what Miranda is going to make of a sitatuion and thats what makes Streep's portrayal so memorable. She's the Dragon Lady without actually making this overly obvious or flamboyant. Never has a phrase as simple as 'that's all' sounded so dismissive as it does here.
credits: screencaptures by me
For challenge eight at picspammy.