Reel Critic

The film version of Lauren Weisberger's semi-autobiographical "chick-lit" best-seller, "The Devil Wears Prada," is a reflection of the world in which it takes place ? the combination of publishing and fashion, which at any moment is an intersection of slick, stylish and shallow. And in an environment that's competitive and calculating, there is a hidden layer of depth and substance, which comes as a nice surprise.

Andrea "Andy" Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is a Midwestern college graduate looking for some place to jump-start her journalism career in New York. She lands a job as a second assistant at Runway fashion magazine, whose famously powerful Editor-in-Chief, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), is a legendary tyrant. Everyone submits to Miranda and clears a path when she walks, because, as one character explains, "Her opinion is the only one that matters."

As one who admits she's not concerned with fashion or glamour, Andy must quickly learn to please the impossible boss, get along with the snooty, frenzied first assistant (Emily Blunt), placate her neglected boyfriend (Adrian Grenier) and generally stay afloat. Her only help comes from Nigel (Stanley Tucci), the magazine's cynical but savvy art director who refuses to listen to her complaints and opens her eyes to what she really must learn and do if she doesn't want to drown in a sea of sharks.

The film's first success comes from a script that drips with the wit and sting it needs. Miranda's telling Andy directly that she took a chance hiring the "smart fat girl" and that her outfit looks as if it had been purchased at a "hideous skirt convention" aren't nice, but fit in perfectly. These types of evil little gems are flung about constantly and provide the necessary bite.

Good lines need great delivery, and both lead actresses are up to the challenge. Performances like Streep's are confirmation that her stellar reputation is richly deserved. When Miranda is forced to drop her façade and be almost sympathetic ? but only temporarily ? Streep pulls it off with ease. Even the subtle but silent gestures of peering through her glasses and throwing her coats reveal so much about a very complex woman.

Hathaway's transformation from drab to fab is luminous, both inside and out. She's quite believable going from one who is critical of her surroundings to almost falling into their entrapment, learning the ropes and figuring out how to pull herself up. Caught between an earnest boyfriend and an amorous author (Simon Baker) who can help her get ahead, it's Andy's self-assessment and realization that become a thinly veiled social commentary about the price of success and keeping your values intact. Even outside the fashion world, the proverbial mirror reveals more than you think.

It isn't only for women and not just comedy. Try it on ? it might be just your size.