படம் முழுக்க அசத்தினாலும்.. க்ளைமாக்ஸில் ஏக்கத்தை, மனதின் ஓரத்தில இருக்கும் சுதந்திர உணர்வை... Meryl Streep Anna hathaway'ஐ பார்த்து கண நேரத்தில் கண்ணில் காட்டி மீண்டும் தன் ட்ரைவரை பார்த்து மிரட்டலாக சொல்லும் 'போ' வில் ரொம்ப ரசித்தேன்... கண்டிப்பாக ஒரு நாவலை போல ரசித்து பார்க்க வைக்கும் படம்...
While the traditional girly movie sees some allegedly frumpy but
really foxy starlet make eyes at an unattainable babe-magnet before
realising she loves her best guy mate, this focuses on the
oft-overlooked question of what our heroine actually does for a living.
Hence this leading lady lives in a credibly small and grungy apartment,
dresses badly and seems to be unacquainted with either Max Factor or
Estée Lauder. There are dishy men around — Entourage’s Adrian Grenier as
her long-suffering boyfriend and Simon Baker as a predatory writer —
but they’re window-dressing for an altogether more businesslike tale.
Andy’s story is about getting her foot on the career ladder, a
familiar goal even for those who haven’t gone through the meat-grinder
of media recruitment. But her starter job as junior assistant to Runway
magazine editor Miranda Priestly soon sees her life being made over
along with her wardrobe. In the lead, Anne Hathaway continues her
transition from cheery and freshfaced child star to cheery and
freshfaced but accomplished adult actress (see also Havoc, reviewed this
issue), with a down-to-Earth charm that draws inevitable comparisons to
a young Julia Roberts. But, come next March, it will be Meryl Streep
who receives her umpteenth Oscar nod for her role as the deliciously
nasty Priestly.
In the slave-and-tell novel on which the film is based, Priestly is an unkind caricature, allegedly based on legendary Vogue
editor Anna Wintour. Streep, however, manages the formidable task of
giving her capricious tyrant some humanity without diluting her
essential awfulness. Speaking in a soft, almost seductive monotone, she
tears strips out of her assistants and withers unlucky editors with a
glance — all while retaining a strange, charismatic hold over all around
her. Soon her malign influence begins to warp her newest assistant,
until Andy too finds herself adopting the values of her Mephistophelean
mentor. Miranda’s credo may be “fashion is fabulous” rather than “greed
is good”, but make no mistake — this is Gordon Gekko with better hair.
It’s left to two other Runway employees to do the film’s
comedic heavy-lifting. The ever-dependable Stanley Tucci injects pathos
into an underwritten part as the very camp and extremely shrewd art
editor Nigel, Miranda’s right-hand man. But it’s relative newcomer Emily
Blunt (My Summer Of Love) who very nearly steals the film as Miranda’s
senior assistant Emily, veering brilliantly between Miranda-lite
bitchery and moments of real despair (admittedly, despair that is
occasioned by the threat of taking away her couture, but it’s real nevertheless).
From New York high society to Paris Fashion Week, the combination of
low comedy and high fashion works beautifully. There are plot elements
and the odd line that seem forced or formulaic, but the overall
impression is fresh and stylish — an autumn/winter show that’s worth a
look, even for the sartorially-challenged.
No comments:
Post a Comment