THE DEVIL WEARS PRADAReview by Queer Beacon

Very good movie. As you should know by now, this is the film version for the wildly popular novel The Devil Wears Prada. Both the book and the movie are really supposed to be based on the hell it is to work for Anna Wintour (seen in a Peta ad below), editor-in-chief of the U.S. edition of Vogue since 1988. The book and the movie, however, do not use the real Anna. Our devil in the movie is called Miranda Priestley, and the magazine she runs is called Runway.

Miranda's assistant in the movie is played, well, by Anne Hathaway, and the devil is played by Meryl Streep. Meryl was fantastic as usual. She played a deliciously evil bitch who abuses Anne with all sorts of impossible personal and professional tasks.

There was no explicit gay content in the movie, but it was pretty clear to me that Stanley Tucci's character was gay. In the movie, we see him talking about how he used to go to football practice just to try to be one of the guys, but all he really wanted to do was go and read Runway magazine under his bed covers with a flashlight.

Also, in one scene, Stanley sort of makes eye contact with a guy, suggesting he was interested in the guy. But the movie did not give us any hard evidence that he was gay. Stanley Tucci was portrayed in a great light. Down to earth, friendly and a very competent professional. He helped transform Anne into this:

Another bit of possible gay content came to us via Rich Sommer, who is one of Anne Hathaway's friends. He says early in the movie that he knows about fashion and brands etc. because he is really a girl. Although that was a pretty good evidence that he was gay, he could have been joking -- that's what it sounded like anyway. Later, Tracie Thoms, also a friend of Anne Hathaway, says she is going to introduce someone to Rich, someone he would like, but we do not see the actual introduction (it could have been a guy or a girl). So, no hard evidence here either. In any event, Rich's character was portrayed positively -- he was a regular guy, with good taste. I hoped for some real nice gay content in this movie (yes, just because it deals with the fashion world), so I was disappointed that there wasn't much there.

You should definitely see this movie anyway, it is very entertaining... and it gave us Adrian Grenier (pic on the right), who is kind of cute as Anne's boyfriend. We also got a little gratuitous shirtless scene with Simon Baker (I like the caterpillar eyebrows).

UPDATE: Out.com just posted an interview with Stanley Tucci. Tucci discusses the matter of his sexuality in the movie: "Nigel’s demeanor implies he’s gay, but he never really discusses it. He glances at an attractive man in the film, and he discusses how in his youth he would hide under the covers reading the latest issue of Runway instead of going to soccer practice. Was it your choice to not focus on Nigel’s sexuality? [Tucci's answer:] That’s the way it was written. To me there was no other way to play it. He’s gay. No need to spell it out."

Comments

[Kenneth]

Find out why I call this the Most Fun Movie of the Summer:

"The Devil Wears Prada: One Stomach Flu Away from Perfect"

http://beta.journals.aol.com/gayesteditorever/WorthRepeating/entries/283

[Ricardo, Lisbonne, Portugal]

I can't wait to watch it here! I guess Meryl Streep never looked like that - ravishing, overwhelming - in any of her movies before. I'm thrilled!

[Hal]

It's a piece of crap based on an even crappier book by a crappy sitcom director. Meryl's the only good thing in it. There's no reason to care about Anne's character at all.

[Diarmaid]

Meryl Streep looks so different from her last film in which she plays a jewish analyst with Uma Thurman.

I have to see that film.

When are we going to get it in France?

[jacknasty]

This movie was much better than Super-Man or Pirates of the Caribian.

Meryl was very funny as was the red-headed assistant "I don't eat, and when I feel like I'm going to faint I eat a cube of cheese"

Hal- You forget, Meryl's last movie was A Prarie Home Companion when she played a folk singer with long blond hair ;)