I have seen it in the big screen long ago but had finished reading the novel only recently (although it’s been months too since I purchased the book)
For novels-turned-motion picture, I’d usually prefer to read the book first before watching the film. Aside from Harry Potter (which didn’t win my interest to get me read it), The Devil Wears Prada is an exemption. I rented its VCD for P16 while patiently saving for the 350-peso book.
I have to disagree with the one who posted a review saying that the movie is “faithful to the book”
The similarities were enough to portray maybe at least the exhausting routine of Andrea Sachs as Junior Assistant in Runway. Indeed there was the daily run to fetch the lattes, the “job a million girls would die for” cliché and Miranda’s monotonous “That’s all” remark but these did not suffice to consider the movie “faithful” to the original story.
I’ve noted some of the deviations:
The Movie: Andy’s boyfriend is Nate (Adrian Grenier) who works in the culinary.
The Novel: Alex is her boyfriend and he is a teacher for special kids.
The Movie: Miranda Priestly’s husband is Steven – the man she’s arguing with upstairs when Andy delivered the book in her home.
The Novel: Miranda lives with her third husband, Mr. Tomlinson a.k.a. B-DAD. He’s a cheerful old man.
The Movie: Andy started working at Runway right after she was interviewed by Miranda. Emily had to run after her to say she’s been accepted.
The Novel: An HR staff had to call her to announce that she got the job. She started working while Miranda was away for vacation hence she has been working for a month already before Miranda came back.
The Movie: Miranda ordered Andrea to have 15 Calvin Klein skirts be brought in her office.
The Novel: Miranda was in Oscar de la Renta’s estate when she phoned Emily to have a skirt flown to Dominican Republic. She just needed one skirt (not specifically CK); Emily has had various designer skirts brought in to choose what to send to Miranda.
The Movie: Andy was having dinner with her dad when Miranda called her to charter a flight back to New York on a stormy night so she could see her twins’ stage play.
The Novel: It was Emily whom Miranda demanded to charter a flight that particular night. Miranda was with B-DAD and just wanted to fly back home; the twins don’t have a play.
The Movie: The party where Andy first met Christian is hosted by James Holt who’s a designer himself
The Novel: James (surname not mentioned) is an Associate Beauty Editor for Runway and he was the one who invited Andrea to that party which was actually a party of Marshall Maden, a renowned hair colorist.
The Movie: Miranda asked Andy to get the unpublished
Harry Potter as a punishment for bringing the Book upstairs the previous night. Christian helped Andy with the task.
The Novel: Miranda and the twins were in Paris when the fourth HP book is to be released that’s why she phoned the office to have the books flown there. Christian has no contribution to its accomplishment.
The Movie: Miranda held a benefit show at the
Metropolitan Museum where she brings her assistants to greet the guests.
The Novel: The event at the Met was an engagement party for Miranda’s brother-in-law.
The Movie: Emily met an accident that’s why she wasn’t able to go with Miranda for Paris Fashion Week.
The Novel: Emily wasn’t able to go because she got seriously sick of a type of flu.
The Movie: Andy and Nigel went with Miranda to Paris.
The Novel: Nigel didn’t come with them and Miranda flew to Paris alone. Andrea followed few days after.
The Movie: French Runway’s Jacqueline Foyer seems to be an antagonist who attempted to replace Miranda.
The Novel: Briget Jardin is Editor-In-Chief of French Runway. She has no conflict with Miranda.
The Movie: Andy quitted her job because she doesn’t want to be like Miranda.
The Novel: Andy quitted because she got fed-up with Miranda when the latter demanded her to find a way to have the twins’ passports renewed so the kids could join them in Paris that same night.
Aside from these, some characters were “under portrayed”. Nigel for instance is really loud in his style whereas actor Stanley Tucci who played the role was quite conservative with his suits and jackets. The real Emily and Allison would actually wear midriffs to work although their stylish dresses in the movie aren’t bad either. And I was looking for at least one scene where Meryl Streep was wearing Miranda’s trademark white Herme’s scarf.
The book describes Miranda as the meaner devil boss that she is and the Runway workplace in its more hellish state but at least the movie still succeeded in giving the non-readers adequate visual of fashion obsession.
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