The Devil Wears Prada

Channel 5 made me happy with yet another rerun of this wonderful movie. I think I've watched this movie so many times I can safely repeat the more memorable lines.

I've always enjoyed watching movies. It's amazing how people can identify key issues and in turn, churn these parallels into absorbing plots. Throw in larger-then-life characters such as Miranda (played by the iconic Meryl Streep), fresh faced Andy (the lovely Anne Hathaway), an awesome soundtrack (my fave being Whitelijah Falls) and an array of colourful misfits and what you can safely say the stage is set for a lesson that lingers long after the final curtain is drawn.

Enter Andy.

Eager to make her mark on the world of journalism, Andy finds herself suddenly thrust face first into an alternate universe she finds both bizarre and yet alluringly seductive. She is startled to find the glitz, glamor and power, people in the world of fashion seem to possess. None more so then her boss.

Enter Miranda.

Infamously aloof, her reputation as a cold blooded mover and shaker in the realm of fashion is rivaled only to her quest for perfection.

And slowly, Andy unwittingly finds herself embroiled in this exciting new universe that starts to transform her into something she could never phantom before. From grandma chic to chanel kissed, Andy metamorphs into every man (and woman's) dream. Clothed only by the most reknowned fashion houses. Her arms always flanked with IT bags. Surrounded by the IT crowd.

However, it is this stylized image that gnaws relationships she's built over the years. Ah, but this strange beauty that hovers can't mask the nagging smell of stale humanity. At first, she tries to rationalize. Surely it cannot be this innocent job? Complete with all its resplendent perks.

"Everybody wants this. Everybody wants to be us," Miranda.

Well, how easy it is for anyone to walk that same path. If you're quick to deny, ask yourself : how often have you allowed yourself work a little extra for some cash to buy something you've been coveting? That bag sure looks nice. Or a trip that you've been dying to go? Bali. Greece. Moscow. Europe?

That effort you put into your job took time off from the people that should matter in your life.

So you see, we're all little Mirandas.

Unless of course you donated the earnings. Then you're a fucking blardy little Mother Theresa. Though I seriously doubt so.

That is the exception and not the norm.

Fortunately, the movie ends on a high note with Andy sobering up to realize what she wants in HER life. Without judgement to the people within either circles of her life, she withdraws under Miranda's wings to fall back down to earth.

Choosing real relationships. Real life.

Stark Reality.

Temptations is life never cease. People can and do sway. But at the end of day, if you can pick yourself up and have the courage to make the right decisions, life has a fighting chance of righting itself out. Mistakes are simply part and parcel of experiences that make life truly meaningful.

And kudos to Andy for tossing her cell phone into the fountain. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to re-enact her feat. Firstly, littering carries hefty fines in sunny Singapore. And secondly, I have no money to buy a replacement. Wahahaa..

So what's my take on this movie? Priceless :)