The Devil Wears Prada is one of my favorite movies, and as much as I would like it to be, it is not a rom com.
Over the weekend I decided to rewatch The Devil Wears Prada written by Lauren Weisberger, a movie that is so often referred to as a romantic comedy. This movie feels like it could be a rom com, it is set in New York, it was released in the early 2000s, and it stars female lead, Anne Hathaway, who is an aspiring journalist. So many of the best qualities of a rom com. But to me, this movie is far from the definition of a rom com.
The movie opens with the lead character, Andrea Sachs, getting the opportunity of a lifetime. Andrea, or better known as Andy, has an interview at Runway Magazine, to be the assistant to Editor-in-Chief, Miranda Priestly. Runway Magazine is the biggest fashion magazine in the country, and this is a job a million girls would wish for, but one that Andy is just content with earning. She has bigger dreams. She wants to be a serious writer for a newspaper, not just be an assistant for a fashion magazine.
The Devil Wears Prada is not centered around Andy finding her one true love, but rather her having to figure out her own life. Of course there happens to be a perfect man she falls in love with at the end of the movie, but I do not think her love interest actually plays a big role in the core of the movie. If I am being honest with you, I had to search up his character’s name because I couldn’t remember it.
Andy goes through her own character arch. She first lands the job, which makes sense to none of her friends, because she never had a passion for fashion, and this job doesn’t seem right for a girl that actually wanted to write.
You could easily tell from the opening of the movie that her boss, Miranda, was not like the boss you always dream of. Miranda takes Andy down an avenue of mental exhaustion from the day she was hired. From running to grab scarves from Hermes, to personally bringing the copy of the Runway Magazine to Miranda’s townhouse each night, Andy worked on call during all hours of the day.
Andy learns quickly what it takes to run a publication at the height that Miranda does. The movie did not try to shine a bad light on Miranda, but rather show the truth behind the competitive job. While fashion, couture, and glamorous lifestyles seem effortless, it takes a strong leader to be able to keep it relevant for so many years, which Andy realizes while working under Miranda.
Throughout the movie, Andy succeeds in her role as an assistant, slowly becoming more like Miranda day by day. She finds through her own self discovery what being in the industry is actually like. The job has forced her to make decisions that make her question her own morals and sometimes betray people she actually wants to help. In Miranda’s world, you make decisions for your own success, and sometimes this means taking opportunities from other people. In working for Runway Magazine, Andy gained a new view on the industry and within herself.
The romance side of the movie does not play a big role. Her boyfriend, Nate (who does not even earn a last name because of his unimportant role) has a screentime of 10 minutes and 53 seconds, which is less than 10 percent of the movie. The point of the movie is not Andy gaining anything from her relationship with him, but rather what she learns from herself.
Don’t get me wrong, my favorite movie genre is rom com, but as much as I love them, The Devil Wears Prada is simply not one.
Love, Haley
