A splendid actress playing a highly driven and slightly insensitive woman wears prada.

Cody. This one is for you. This will be my first movie review.

I had the pleasure of going out with my wife and her sister to a movie last week. We saw a film entitled, "The Devil Wears Prada." I saw the trailers online and was excited to see Meryl Streep be truly mean and nasty. In this I was not disappointed.

Anne Hathaway plays a recent college graduate living in New York who is unable to find a job in her chosen field, which is writing. She finds a job almost by accident working for a tough and demanding Meryl Streep who is the editor in chief of "Runway" fashion magazine. Though it is not a writing position she feels correctly that it will open doors for her in the pursuit of her career.

On the subject of the technical aspects of film-making I am pretty rusty. I have forgotten most of my freshman year film class curriculum. I know that a movie will use light and angles and color to affect my mood and manipulate me into certain emotions. I choose to almost totally ignore this phenomenon unless it becomes painfully obvious to me that I am being deliberately manipulated. That did not seem to be the case in this film.

I loved the two female leads in this film. I adored Meryl in her role. The cold way in which she always dismissed her underlings says it all. She would look at her intimidated young victim with absolute disdain, having just given 37 impossible instructions, without allowing any time to take adequate notes, and say "that's all," in the loftiest of tones. It was priceless. I could just envision Meryl Streep sitting in a darkened room studying old television game show clips looking for inspiration. What she said was, "That's all." What she meant was, "You ARE the weakest link! GOODBYE!!"

Anne Hathaway also did a wonderful job. She was believable, although type cast in her role that involved being sweet yet terribly bewildered and unprepared for her new responsibility ala "Ella Enchanted," and "The Princess Diaries;" Though "The Devil Wears Prada" was undeniably more serious in nature.

My only real complaints have to do with the writing and story line. It seems to me that someone was very bitter following a period of employment within the fashion industry, and went on to write a book vilifying those who are dedicated to it. They seem to have been partially successful in hurting the industry.

The writer appears to give the role of moral compass to a boyfriend who lives with the main character, and works in a restaurant. His occupation is relevant because his underpaid job seemed to establish his superior morality in their relationship. This boyfriend is always there to criticize and belittle his girlfriend for "selling out," to the evil fashion industry, and not caring enough for him and their friends of yore, though he is unwilling to show his devotion by giving the girl a ring. grrr.

My impression of the situation was that, Anne's character was using a great opportunity to work in a difficult environment and get closer to her goal of becoming a writer, and Meryl's character was very typical of successful business women. She got where she was by working hard and being superior to those around her. Anne was doing what she needed to in order to advance her career.

Sadly, a woman like that is usually regarded as a bee with an itch about her, while the same qualities in a man are hailed as heroic, bold and strong. Though there is one small line in the film acknowledging this phenomenon, it is delivered by Anne while "falling to the dark side," and is therefore devoid of moral weight. The rest of the film propagates this unfair duality.

That said, I liked the film overall. It was fun. The acting was spectacular. It allowed me to re-examine my views of the world. I did not feel on the exact same moral page as the writers, but that is nothing new.

Worth a rental fee.