Andrea 'Andy' Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is a recent college graduate and aspiring journalist. To make ends meet, she applies for a position at top selling fashion magazine “Runway” as the second assistant to the notorious Editor in Chief, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep).

Hopelessly naïve and oblivious to the world of fashion, Andrea is surprised to find that Miranda has taking a shining to her and is subsequently hired. Struggling with the over the top demands of her new boss and scrutiny of her fellow employees (including that of fiery first assistant Emily played by Emily Blunt), Andrea conforms to the realities of the fashion industry and with the help of head stylist Nigel (Stanley Tucci) transforms herself into the thing she loathes, in the process alienating her family, friends, and boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier).

A movie in the vein of Wall Street and The Devils Advocate (but directed towards a female audience), The Devil Wears Prada contains fine performances and a witty script, yet had me seeing red over the treatment given to Andrea, the films lead character played well by Anne Hathaway.

A smart and resourceful woman, Andrea is constantly taunted by the snobs who work with her with some even going so far to state that she is fat even though she is a slim six. Of course this is to be expected in such a shallow industry.

The head protagonist is the dreaded, feared ice queen Miranda Priestly played by the exquisite Meryl Streep who gives an excellent, scene stealing supporting performance. With a character such as this Streep could of easily given an over the top interpretation of evil incarnate (much like her performance in The Manchurian Candidate), yet she wisely approaches the role in the other direction. Her voice is at a low controlled pitch, her demeanour ice cold, hardly cracking a smile.

If a comparison could be made, Priestly is to the fashion world what Gordon Gekko is to Wall Street. Both are at the top of their profession and will stop at nothing and no one to get what they want.

If there was one thing that did not work with Streep's performance, it was the effort given to make Priestly a sympathetic character. While the plot device of having her character go through a divorce (the characters second) may work in showing how the demands and stress of work can (and will) affect your personal life, it did not make this viewer harbour any sympathetic feelings what so ever.

British actress Emily Blunt (who Streep called the best young actress working today) gives a memorable performance almost stealing the movie, while Stanley Tucci is also very good and should receive plaudits for not playing a gay caricature.

The fashion industry is not the basis for many films (the only others that come to mind are Ben Stiller's fashion spoof Zoolander and Robert Altman's Prêt a Porte), and it’s doubtful that The Devil Wears Prada will buck the trend.

So if anyone is remotely interested in fashion than The Devil Wears Prada is recommended. Yet if fashion is not your cup of tea, than the strong performances alone will secure a good night in.