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On The Silver Screen: "Everybody Wants This. Everybody Wants To Be Us."

If one thing gets everyone excited, it's when a good book gets a good film adaptation treatment. Let's be honest: it's not a secret that many film adaptations deviate from their source material, and while sometimes this is for the better, almost every other time, it is to the film's detriment. But that is not the case today; it is far from it. This month, we are talking about a book that was one of the chick lit genre's most renowned works and whose film adaptation met its expectations. Too often, book fans are left underwhelmed and disappointed, but the film adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada hit the mark. Released back in 2006, the film remains one of the best film adaptations and a beloved cult classic for both fans of the book and the film.


Like the novel, The Devil Wears Prada film follows Andy Sachs, who has just gotten a job working as the second assistant for Miranda Priestly, editor-in-chief of the high fashion magazine Runway. Andy is quickly called out for being a fish out of water in the world of fashion and the New York magazine scene. Her wardrobe is the subject of scrutiny, her actions---along with her competency---are questioned, and her abilities are put to the test. Despite working for a brash, straight shooter like Miranda, who never shies away from calling Andy, or anyone else, out on their bullshit, Andy tries to make the best of the situation. But like many other industries, the glitz and glamour of the fashion world serve best as a facade to hide the brutal and cutthroat reality behind the curtain. So get comfortable because this story goes far beyond the runway, and you're about to get a crash course in fashion.


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Strut Your Stuff

The Devil Wears Prada follows Andrea Sachs, or Andy, as she lands a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work as the second assistant to Miranda Priestly, editor-in-chief of the high fashion magazine Runway. Andy is quickly drawn to the fashion world with its unrealistically attractive models. Yet, the reality soon shatters her illusions as Miranda seamlessly manages to have everyone cower at her feet with her witty one-liners and unrelenting candor. As Andy tackles each obscure and outrageous task set to her by Miranda, she finds herself tested at every turn. Still, she perseveres because she knows what the end of the tunnel holds: a recommendation letter from Miranda that will land her the magazine job of her dreams. Andy is determined to get that letter, even if it means long days that turn into long nights of being at Miranda's beck and call. But Andy must decide when enough is enough and how far she will go for that letter.


An extravagant and well-told exposition that focuses on everyone's favorite boss from hell, The Devil Wears Parada perfectly exemplifies the essence of the chick lit genre. Andy must navigate the harsh realities of her career while facing questions that will test what he's made of, not just in skill but mentally, and dealing with new friendships, colleagues, and romance. Simultaneously, Miranda emerges as the unlikely star of the show, as readers can't help but want to know more about the boss who is so unliked and feared that she has the power that she does. But what we see on the outside is usually not what is happening behind the scenes. But, hey, if you're going to live up to the reputation of being the boss from hell, you might as well do it while looking fierce.


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A delightfully dishy novel about the all-time most impossible boss in the history of impossible bosses.


Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job “a million girls would die for.” Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of Runway magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts Prada! Armani! Versace! at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym. With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child.


THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA gives a rich and hilarious new meaning to complaints about “The Boss from Hell.” Narrated in Andrea’s smart, refreshingly disarming voice, it traces a deep, dark, devilish view of life at the top only hinted at in gossip columns and over Cosmopolitans at the trendiest cocktail parties. From sending the latest, not-yet-in-stores Harry Potter to Miranda’s children in Paris by private jet, to locating an unnamed antique store where Miranda had at some point admired a vintage dresser, to serving lattes to Miranda at precisely the piping hot temperature she prefers, Andrea is sorely tested each and every day—and often late into the night with orders barked over the phone. She puts up with it all by keeping her eyes on the prize: a recommendation from Miranda that will get Andrea a top job at any magazine of her choosing. As things escalate from the merely unacceptable to the downright outrageous, however, Andrea begins to realize that the job a million girls would die for may just kill her. And even if she survives, she has to decide whether or not the job is worth the price of her soul.


Strut Don't Stutter

Before the novel was even released in 2003, Carla Hacken, executive vice president at Fox, read the first hundred pages and an outline of how the plot of the book would go and the studio quickly went in to obtain the film rights to the novel. If that isn;t an indication of somethign magnifficent to come, then we don;t know what it. The film was handled by the same team that oversaw the cult-classic Sex and the City and featured Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!) in the iconic role of Miranda Priestly, Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries) as Andy Sachs, and Emily Blunt (Gideon's Daugter) as Emily Charlton. The trio of superstars were cast as the leadin gladies of the film that would go one to become an international hit.


The cast also featured Stanley Tucci (The Terminal) as Nigel Kipling, Simon Baker (The Ring Two) as Christian Thomson, Adrian Grenier (Entourage) as Nate Cooper, Gisele Bundchen (Taxi) as Serena, Tracie Thoms (Rent) as Lily, and Rich Sommer (Mad Men) as Doug. Joining them were Daniel Sunjata, James Naughton, Colleen Dengel, Suzanne Dengel, David Marshall Grant, Tibor Feldman, Rebecca Mader, Alyssa Sutherland, Ines Rivero, Stephanie Szostak, David Callegati, and Paul Keany in supporitng roles. Cameo appearances included Valentino Garavani, Giancarlo Giammetti, Carlos de Souza, Bridget Hall, Lauren Weisberger (author of the novel), Robert Verdi, Heidi Klum, Jen Taylor, and Nigel Barker.


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After graduating from university, Andy lands the dream job that "a million girls would kill for": assistant to Miranda - the chief editor of Runway, the top-selling fashion magazine in the industry. It is a job set to fast-track her career in journalism, if she can survive a year working for Miranda. From here, Andy, with no sense of fashion at all, begins a fish-out-of-water drama as she is thrown into a lifestyle full of the fast-paced, three-inch-minimum-heel-height, diet coke and coffee substance abuse. Andy works really hard to deal with Miranda's endless unimaginable demands. She even becomes trendy and classy. However, she gradually finds she is working 24/7 and soon her life with boyfriend Nate and best friend Lily is slipping away from her. Then, she realizes that she is losing what really matters. She does not want to lose herself no matter how many pairs of Monolos and Jimmy Choos she can score along the way.

The film has positive reviews with its Rotten Tomatoes score coming in at a 75% on its "Tomatometer" from critics who claim thst it is "a rare film that surpasses the quality of its source novel." The "Audience Score" also sits almost identically at 76% amking it clear that audiences agree with the critics in this case. It is a first here at The Book Hive that we have highlighted a film that has been universally agreed upon by both critics and audiences. The film did face some hesitancy, however, in the form of Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, on whom the character of Miranda Priestly is allegedly based. However, Wintour, who attended the premier of the film in New York, stated in an interview that "anything that makes fashion entertaining and glamorous and interesting is wonderful for our industry. So I was 100 percent behind it."


Paging The Models

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Lauren Weisberger, Author

Lauren Weisberger is the New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Wears Prada, which was published in forty languages and made into a major motion picture starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. It was announced in 2017 that musician Elton John and Paul Rudnick will adapt The Devil Wears Prada for the stage. She is also the author of Where the Grass Is Green and the Girls Are Pretty, When Life Gives You Lululemons, The Singles Game, Everyone Worth Knowing, Chasing Harry Winston, Last Night at Chateau Marmont, and Revenge Wears Prada. Her books have sold more than thirteen million copies worldwide. A graduate of Cornell University, she lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.


You can keep up to date with Weisberger and her works by visiting her social media accounts.


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