Formative Performances: Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada”

A few years ago, I watched The Devil Wears Prada. This movie attempted to teach me many things about life. It attempted to teach me that you should always be true to yourself no matter what. It attempted to teach me that you should put your friends and boyfriend before your work. It attempted to teach me that learning to be successful is important, but you shouldn’t learn to be too successful, or your friends will be mad at you.

That’s not what the movie actually taught me. It taught me that if you have friends who try to “playfully” steal your phone while your boss is calling you, it’s time to get a new set of friends. It taught me that if you have a boyfriend who makes you feel guilty about your intense work schedule when he’s working as a chef, he’s a hypocrite, and it’s time to get a new boyfriend – one who isn’t from the cast of Entourage, because ew. It taught me that if you have the opportunity to work for Meryl Streep, you work for Meryl Streep, and when she says “jump,” you say “how high?” with a smile on your face.

Seriously, how am I supposed to watch this scene and think that I was supposed to root for anyone but Miranda Priestly? I know I’m supposed to look at this scene and think that Miranda is picking on some poor girl who’s just trying to make it as best as she can in a ruthless industry, but instead I look at this scene and think that Miranda is schooling some little snot who thinks she’s too good for the industry she’s chosen to work in.

Okay, this post wound up being more about the movie than Meryl Streep’s performance, so let me backtrack: Streep takes what could be a one-dimensional villain of a character and turns her into someone who manages to be both scary and fabulous, and even a little human. It’s too bad we couldn’t have her as a guest star on Ugly Betty once or twice.