“The Devil Wears Prada” (2006) adapts Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel, which came out at the height of the chick lit renaissance and was scandalous because the author was an assistant to Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor in chief. Somehow the movie was better than the book! Northwestern grad and aspiring journalist Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) goes to Elias-Clarke Publications and could only get a job at Runway, the top fashion magazine, (or Auto Universe) and work for the demanding Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep). The problem is that she has no fashion sense and does not know who Priestley is. If she can survive a year, she can get work at any magazine that she wants, but is she willing to sell her soul to get what she wants? Damn, it still holds up twenty years later.

I must tell the story about the first time that I saw “The Devil Wears Prada.” In Harvard Square on Church Street, there used to be a Loews multiplex movie theater. I wanted to see it on the weekend and was running late. The people at the ticket booth could not get the credit card machine to work, and they did not want me to miss it so just as frantically as I arrived, they shouted, “Go GO GO,” and let me in for free because it was that urgent and important not to miss it. I was not disappointed, and the experience transcended money. It was so good that I was able to later convince my mom to see it at Somerville Theater. I’m sure that I bought it for home viewing, and we rewatched it periodically, but at some point, she stopped watching movies, and I stopped rewatching them, so it has been awhile. So what makes it special to me? I was one of the New Yorkers who waited for the September issue of Vogue as if it was a required reading. Andy’s journey is a fantasy for many even those without any aspirations in fashion or writing. I came to relate and empathize with Andy and left cheering for Miranda!

Andy made the mistake of dismissing fashion as unserious and was proud to be above everything instead of embracing the culture, appreciating the opportunity and learning everything she could about the publishing business, the fashion world and being a powerful woman. Sure, it was fatphobic as fuck, but so is the fashion, and (checks notes) we are comparatively worse now. Imagine any character that Hathaway plays being considered fat! It is a professional young woman’s coming of age story as she goes from harried, inexperienced, nervous employee to a self-possessed, committed and excellent mover-and-shaker who becomes the linchpin in a fashion icon’s empire and gets to enjoy the perks of the job once she recognizes them as such.

Andy remains down to earth with her pre-Runway friends: boyfriend and aspiring chef, Nate (Adrian Grenier, “Entourage”), research analyst Doug (Rich Sommer, “Mad Men”) and gallery curator Lily (Tracie Thoms, “Death Proof”). As she becomes more immersed in the fashion world, they are worried that she is changing for the worse and losing touch with her humanity. After all, she ditches them for work and is tempted away from her boyfriend when she meets a famous writer for “New York Magazine,” Christian Thompson (Simon Baker). She has no real friends at Runway except for Nigel (Stanley Tucci), who tells her to step up her game and gives her a haute couture makeover. The haughty and mean Emily (Emily Blunt in one of her early roles), the first assistant, is the opposite of Andy, Andy’s foil and only dreams of going to Paris for Fashion Week. Uber model Gisele Bündchen plays Emily’s work friend, Serena. Eagle eyed viewers will recognize Rebecca Mader as Jocelyn, the employee that sparks Miranda’s comment, “Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking?” (People do not quote often enough, “Why are we not ready?” with the last word pronounced as if it has two beats, not one.)

Initially Miranda seems impossible to please, but eventually Andy realizes how impressive Miranda is. The “cerulean blue” speech is the cornerstone difference between the book and the movie. “The Devil Wears Prada” decided to show respect to Miranda while not pulling punches about her abusive behavior and cutthroat methods. It also humanized her so Andy would be motivated to become ride or die for her. There are scenes which show how Miranda’s home life is rocky, specifically her most recent marriage, and how work gets in the way of being with her daughters, whom she loves. If her employees do not do their job, it just makes her life more difficult.

Streep with silver hair, a calm voice and resolute presence as Miranda offered an image of women in leadership that simultaneously was aspirational and a warning. Success in business is a thankless job, but because she is invested in her work and art, she never wavers from it. It is also a perfect example of different forms of feminism. Miranda is from the generation that believes that because she had it rough, it is her turn to perpetuate the cycle. The positive result is that Andy learns how to accomplish the impossible.  The negative result is that Miranda grooms Andy to continue that cycle and treat people like crap. It is like the prequel to “No Other Choice” (2025) without the homicide. Streep also imbued Miranda with more warmth when she represses a smile of approval at Andy’s performance. “The Devil Wears Prada” may have properly course corrected from thoroughly demonizing Miranda, but did not do enough to find a credible middle ground between amoral ambition and completely opting out of the rat race for Andy while still finding a happy ending.

“The Devil Wears Prada” is also memorable for its tourism porn showing Manhattan at its best and Paris at its glitziest. Unfortunately, with age comes the realization that coffee from Starbucks and steak from Smith & Wollensky were incredibly commercial, and the elite would want something more regional and artisanal. It also features a few Madonna songs, including “Vogue,” because duh, and KT Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See.” It also puts Hathaway in a bunch of great looks so the audience could live vicariously through her. Costume designer Patricia Field apparently had a challenging time getting designers to provide wardrobe out of fear of backlash from Wintour.

“The Devil Wears Prada 2” (2026) is coming out, and it is hard to imagine that it will measure up to its original story. Will it adapt “Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns,” Weisberger’s 2013 sequel, which I do not remember if I read or not? I’m looking forward to more Miranda and hope that Nigel got his reward, though it is unlikely considering the trailers still show him attached to Miranda’s hip. The energy better be different because the audience is grown and so are the characters.