You know, after listening to this analysis of book/movie, I kind of think "The Devil" who "wears Prada" was ALSO the version of Andy once she was completely integrated in her job at Runway. 😄
Another great video of yours. It's a general opinion that the movie is much better than the book. It's Andy's fault. Book-Andy has no sense of agency. She's petty, she has no sense of self, constantly complains: hating the job, the models, the fashion world... She acts more as a contemptuous witness to what she sees. So much, we cannot empathise. We just want her to quit! We also see this lack of action and self-trust in her "situationship" with Christian. And, in the end, she's still in this same place, feeling she's not enough, despite the money she earned. Whereas Movie-Andy has a very strong sense of agency, the key-element helping her grow and define what she wants from life. Once she feels she's failing, she embraces the challenge! She takes action because she wants to become a great professional, regardless of the job she's doing. This empowers us to become great professional in any circumstance as well. All characters are inspiring in the movie. With Nigel working for me more as a cautionary tale, because it can happen to all of us. We'll be Miranda one day, and Nigel in the next. As of Christian: "Wake up, six!" lol He was a cunning jerk the entire time. Watch it again. We can feel it since their very first conversation. 😅
I didn't read the book, but from what you are saying it sounds like it's a good base, but needed a lot of re-working, which the movie script did. Almost as if the book was a first draft.
Actually, people adopting the accent of where they currently live is not unusual, even as adults. I had to look it up, and the term is called "code switching." Adopting the accent of where you currently live allows you to blend in better. I remember in my 20s, I lived in Connecticut for 3 years after growing up in North Carolina. When I first got there, I remember little kids mocking my accent using that Shake & Bake line, "And I helped." I gradually starting saying "you guys" instead of "y'all." One time when I flew back to visit, a girlfriend's father said, "You sound like a damn Yankee!" And, dang it, he was right! Another example is when you speak neutrally at work, but revert back to your regional dialect and slang when with friends and family. Linguistics is weird . . .
So excited you did this, I agree with you on this point that book was very fun but very one dimensional and had a bitter undertone towards the fashion industry where as in the movie through the characters we learn about the complexity of working within the fashion industry, I actually love that we learn about the hardship of what Miranda went through and how difficult it is for career driven women to have a normal wife/mother life. The movie opened my eyes to the double standards that women go through within many occupations especially when they are top bosses, it also opened me to the fashion industry and Meryl Streep as a whole.
I own a copy of the dvd but never read the book..I’ve seen Simon Baker in various things like a music video ,tv. Shows in Australia and America and movies
I definetly prefer the movie. I only read parts of the books it did seem Andi never got to respect Miranda there is even quote that she never sees Miranda do actual work which is a lie Miranda is a hard worker. I like Nigel character who helps Andy respect the work of fashion. I did find Christian charming everytime I rewatch the movie I always get disapointment in the morning after scene. I also think the movie ending is better quitting because she doesn’t want to end up like her boss instead of cussing out her boss
Agreed! And with the movie ending, she is quitting simply because she realizes she doesn't like who she is becoming whereas in the book what actually gets her to quit is the fact her friend is in the hospital. So she was acting more independently in that sense in the movie, because she didn't have that outside motivation.
I just finished the book. Minor corrections: - Technically there IS an actual shift where Andy does start to wear nice things in the book, or at least, when she decides to. Instead of Nigel, another staff named Jeffrey comes and gives her some nicer clothes. And after 4 months of being passive-aggressively being told about her looks, she does do it. - I think she still remains a size 6 throughout the book. But she does lose 10 pounds from all the stress working at Runway. - In the book I recall it's mentioned that Christian calls her, but she tells him that she's going through a lot right now (this is after she decides to go back home to Lily)and will call him back when she's ready. But yeah he's never mentioned again. And opinions: - I actually don't think Andy is being self-centered with her thoughts of Miranda in the book. Even Emily, no matter how much she adores Miranda also has expressed how unreasonable she is at times. I do think some of Miranda's requests, even as an outsider seem really unreasonable and ALMOST feels like torture. THAT BEING SAID, Andy was more condescending and passive-aggressive and that never changes in the book, as you said. So I can concede that there could be a unreliable narrator. - I don't remember movie Miranda being like this, but book Miranda would give vague tasks OR incorrect information, and yet is frustrated with them when they ask for clarification. And this is usually after either assistant ram their brains out for looking through every nook and cranny to try to grant what she needs. Sometimes Miranda will ask for things that she could ask her chef, her maid, or anyone else, but continuously asks her assistants which IMO is wild. Note this is all done on a 40k USD a year, where they work 24/7. No offsets, no holidays, and very little negotiation to get days off. (Remember when Emily had mono and basically had to get the doctor to convince Miranda this was contagious because Miranda didn't believe it would be?) - I also am of the opinion that Andy did not step on Emily by taking the job in the movie. Miranda was the one who wanted Andy to go, and she had every right to say that. She just made Andy the messenger, and Emily shot the messenger. - I also agreed Eduardo sucks. I don't know why she didn't just file for harassment; but it was in the early 2000s so I guess that was way more accepted. I also don't think the last line sat well with me if the implication that Andy has more self-respect. Sometimes people get into shit jobs and Eduardo was unnecessarily making Andy's life harder. - The movie is fundamentally more nuanced, I agree. While both movie and book show it from the POV of Andy, the movie does give more nuance to understanding why Miranda acts that way. In the book, even Andy respects the dedication that Miranda does give, knowing that every little detail is controlled and managed by Miranda, but doesn't ultimately understand why that means Miranda gets to continually belittle, humiliate, and frustrate everyone around her. (And I can agree with that!)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Yeah in the book Miranda was far more difficult and ridiculous so they made both characters more likable in the movie.
The story is relatable to anyone who has ever had a job anywhere doing anything. Emily is my favorite character and Nigel is a close second, you feel for them both at the end.
I think that line at the end of book means that Andy has sort of been “freed” from her toxic job, and implies Eduardo was making the new assistants sing and dance so they would get stressed out (and cry like the one Andy sees) and quit the job at Runway, which would ultimately improve their lives (like how Andy quitting did). I haven’t read the book, but based on your video that’s kinda the conclusion I came up with
I worked first as a Fashion Assistant, then as the Model Editor at Harpers Bazaar in the mid 1970s. Although the Senior Fashion Editor at Bazaar, Elsa Klensch, was nothing like Anna Wintour at Vogue, the essential elements portrayed in the book and movie of working in that industry were spot on.
I read the book during the pandemic and I tried my hardest to not compare it to the movie but my god it was a hard read, I found Andy insufferable through the whole book: she never gets better, she's always complaining about doing her job (although some complains *are* valid) and every sentence is filled with woe is me, her boyfriend though is a bit less annoying in the book than his movie counterpart. I much prefer the movie version because it has give us more debates than the book imho, you can see the movie as cautionary tale, if you like, of not loosing perspective and how important balance is: while we see movie Andy getting more confident in the way she dresses and carries herself, being more secure in her job and choices, we also see her struggling with her personal life and relationships (dare I say, even debating herself about keeping said relationships) because those changes have affected her life and how people in her life see her. Where as the book version ends with an 'I told you so' from pretty much everyone in her life.
I honestly never knew this was based off a book when my dad and I saw it. We watched it due to the cast and the cool wardrobes the characters got to sport. Anne, Meryl and Emily Blunt are just terrific here & I kinda like the ending moment between Andi and Miranda where the ice queen shows a brief moment of empathy and is kind to Andi before she puts that mask back on. I know some don’t like that, but I did cause it gave Miranda a bit of depth than just the great savage insults Meryl delivers; it reminds you why she has been a talent for the last 40+ years
Andy and Miranda did not make the same choice. Emily was ill/broke her leg. She would never have been able to go to Paris regardless of what Andy decided.
Right, this line makes more sense in the book because Andy was putting her career before her friend and in that way she was like Miranda. Whereas in the movie it was more complicated because once Emily had a broken leg it's not like she could have gone to Paris anyway.
I love the movie, it’s got a fantastic script, incredible cast, etc. However, it sounds like the author (a.k.a. book Andi) is pretty ungrateful and entitled, compared to the movie counterpart. After all, Anna Wintour took a chance on her and gave her a huge career opportunity, only to have an employee with sour grapes write a thinly veiled tell-all. This seems to be a good example of how an adaptation can make changes that positively impact the story.
Someone else recently requested this, I told them it didn't look like one I would be interested in though. But if enough people ask for it, I can give it a shot.
Reading the book at 39 is a very different experience to reading the book at 22, particularly Andy's snobbishness. She never pivots her way of thinking to try and understand why fashion is important to the people in the industry - why the industry itself is so successful. She considers herself superior because she wants to work for the New Yorker and do "real journalism". Both book and film have a lot to say about toxic bosses, but it's not quite the win Book Andy might have hoped for. I do enjoy both and have read and watched botj several times. Im thinkkng of seeing the musical. I've read other books by this author including one of the sequels, and in my opinion she peaked with The Devil Wears Prada.
I never read the book but watched the movie i did enjoy it but to me it was problematic because i didn't like the character Nate and how he became so judgmental towards andy for focusing on her career he wasn't a good boyfriend same goes for her friends to me they seemed jealous of her and immature andy was growing and evolving like many people do
The channel cinema therapy has a great video where they talk about Andy's friends. Yeah they aren't as supportive as they could have been but Andy also was changing yet denying to herself and them that she was changing. "Different clothes, but same Andy" line she says is a lie because she is different. Her friends were jerks though when they took her phone and were tossing out around.
I just don't find him attractive, and Christian in the book was described as being so handsome. So it's just a personal preference thing I guess haha because his performance was fine.
The Christian casting was the vibe at the time lol he was coming off of being the lead in "The Mentalist" and middle aged women loved him
Oh interesting, I have never seen him in anything else!
Meryl Streep was so good in the movie that I felt she was harshly judging me from the screen.
😆
I can't believe I missed that you did this! What a great choice
You know, after listening to this analysis of book/movie, I kind of think "The Devil" who "wears Prada" was ALSO the version of Andy once she was completely integrated in her job at Runway. 😄
Oooo that's a good catch!
Another great video of yours. It's a general opinion that the movie is much better than the book. It's Andy's fault. Book-Andy has no sense of agency. She's petty, she has no sense of self, constantly complains: hating the job, the models, the fashion world... She acts more as a contemptuous witness to what she sees. So much, we cannot empathise. We just want her to quit! We also see this lack of action and self-trust in her "situationship" with Christian. And, in the end, she's still in this same place, feeling she's not enough, despite the money she earned. Whereas Movie-Andy has a very strong sense of agency, the key-element helping her grow and define what she wants from life. Once she feels she's failing, she embraces the challenge! She takes action because she wants to become a great professional, regardless of the job she's doing. This empowers us to become great professional in any circumstance as well. All characters are inspiring in the movie. With Nigel working for me more as a cautionary tale, because it can happen to all of us. We'll be Miranda one day, and Nigel in the next.
As of Christian: "Wake up, six!" lol He was a cunning jerk the entire time. Watch it again. We can feel it since their very first conversation. 😅
Very well said! You make a lot of great points
Thank you so much! 😊
I didn't read the book, but from what you are saying it sounds like it's a good base, but needed a lot of re-working, which the movie script did. Almost as if the book was a first draft.
Yeah that's a good way to look at it!
Actually, people adopting the accent of where they currently live is not unusual, even as adults. I had to look it up, and the term is called "code switching." Adopting the accent of where you currently live allows you to blend in better. I remember in my 20s, I lived in Connecticut for 3 years after growing up in North Carolina. When I first got there, I remember little kids mocking my accent using that Shake & Bake line, "And I helped." I gradually starting saying "you guys" instead of "y'all." One time when I flew back to visit, a girlfriend's father said, "You sound like a damn Yankee!" And, dang it, he was right!
Another example is when you speak neutrally at work, but revert back to your regional dialect and slang when with friends and family. Linguistics is weird . . .
Yeah that makes sense. Sounds like I said though, that an adult does it consciously so the sister must be making a choice to take on a Texan accent.
@@WhytheBookWins Texans DO have a cool accent . . .
So excited you did this, I agree with you on this point that book was very fun but very one dimensional and had a bitter undertone towards the fashion industry where as in the movie through the characters we learn about the complexity of working within the fashion industry, I actually love that we learn about the hardship of what Miranda went through and how difficult it is for career driven women to have a normal wife/mother life. The movie opened my eyes to the double standards that women go through within many occupations especially when they are top bosses, it also opened me to the fashion industry and Meryl Streep as a whole.
Well said!
It sounds like the film is better because it is more nuanced, but is fashion really that big of a deal to warrant being so stressed about?
I own a copy of the dvd but never read the book..I’ve seen Simon Baker in various things like a music video ,tv. Shows in Australia and America and movies
I definetly prefer the movie. I only read parts of the books it did seem Andi never got to respect Miranda there is even quote that she never sees Miranda do actual work which is a lie Miranda is a hard worker. I like Nigel character who helps Andy respect the work of fashion. I did find Christian charming everytime I rewatch the movie I always get disapointment in the morning after scene.
I also think the movie ending is better quitting because she doesn’t want to end up like her boss instead of cussing out her boss
Agreed! And with the movie ending, she is quitting simply because she realizes she doesn't like who she is becoming whereas in the book what actually gets her to quit is the fact her friend is in the hospital. So she was acting more independently in that sense in the movie, because she didn't have that outside motivation.
I just finished the book. Minor corrections:
- Technically there IS an actual shift where Andy does start to wear nice things in the book, or at least, when she decides to. Instead of Nigel, another staff named Jeffrey comes and gives her some nicer clothes. And after 4 months of being passive-aggressively being told about her looks, she does do it.
- I think she still remains a size 6 throughout the book. But she does lose 10 pounds from all the stress working at Runway.
- In the book I recall it's mentioned that Christian calls her, but she tells him that she's going through a lot right now (this is after she decides to go back home to Lily)and will call him back when she's ready. But yeah he's never mentioned again.
And opinions:
- I actually don't think Andy is being self-centered with her thoughts of Miranda in the book. Even Emily, no matter how much she adores Miranda also has expressed how unreasonable she is at times. I do think some of Miranda's requests, even as an outsider seem really unreasonable and ALMOST feels like torture. THAT BEING SAID, Andy was more condescending and passive-aggressive and that never changes in the book, as you said. So I can concede that there could be a unreliable narrator.
- I don't remember movie Miranda being like this, but book Miranda would give vague tasks OR incorrect information, and yet is frustrated with them when they ask for clarification. And this is usually after either assistant ram their brains out for looking through every nook and cranny to try to grant what she needs. Sometimes Miranda will ask for things that she could ask her chef, her maid, or anyone else, but continuously asks her assistants which IMO is wild. Note this is all done on a 40k USD a year, where they work 24/7. No offsets, no holidays, and very little negotiation to get days off. (Remember when Emily had mono and basically had to get the doctor to convince Miranda this was contagious because Miranda didn't believe it would be?)
- I also am of the opinion that Andy did not step on Emily by taking the job in the movie. Miranda was the one who wanted Andy to go, and she had every right to say that. She just made Andy the messenger, and Emily shot the messenger.
- I also agreed Eduardo sucks. I don't know why she didn't just file for harassment; but it was in the early 2000s so I guess that was way more accepted. I also don't think the last line sat well with me if the implication that Andy has more self-respect. Sometimes people get into shit jobs and Eduardo was unnecessarily making Andy's life harder.
- The movie is fundamentally more nuanced, I agree. While both movie and book show it from the POV of Andy, the movie does give more nuance to understanding why Miranda acts that way. In the book, even Andy respects the dedication that Miranda does give, knowing that every little detail is controlled and managed by Miranda, but doesn't ultimately understand why that means Miranda gets to continually belittle, humiliate, and frustrate everyone around her. (And I can agree with that!)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Yeah in the book Miranda was far more difficult and ridiculous so they made both characters more likable in the movie.
The story is relatable to anyone who has ever had a job anywhere doing anything. Emily is my favorite character and Nigel is a close second, you feel for them both at the end.
I think that line at the end of book means that Andy has sort of been “freed” from her toxic job, and implies Eduardo was making the new assistants sing and dance so they would get stressed out (and cry like the one Andy sees) and quit the job at Runway, which would ultimately improve their lives (like how Andy quitting did). I haven’t read the book, but based on your video that’s kinda the conclusion I came up with
Hmm that's definitely a more positive view on him than I had but I could see that being the case! Thanks for sharing your thoughts 😊
I worked first as a Fashion Assistant, then as the Model Editor at Harpers Bazaar in the mid 1970s. Although the Senior Fashion Editor at Bazaar, Elsa Klensch, was nothing like Anna Wintour at Vogue, the essential elements portrayed in the book and movie of working in that industry were spot on.
That's so cool! Thanks for sharing 😊
I read the book during the pandemic and I tried my hardest to not compare it to the movie but my god it was a hard read, I found Andy insufferable through the whole book: she never gets better, she's always complaining about doing her job (although some complains *are* valid) and every sentence is filled with woe is me, her boyfriend though is a bit less annoying in the book than his movie counterpart.
I much prefer the movie version because it has give us more debates than the book imho, you can see the movie as cautionary tale, if you like, of not loosing perspective and how important balance is: while we see movie Andy getting more confident in the way she dresses and carries herself, being more secure in her job and choices, we also see her struggling with her personal life and relationships (dare I say, even debating herself about keeping said relationships) because those changes have affected her life and how people in her life see her. Where as the book version ends with an 'I told you so' from pretty much everyone in her life.
Yeah, I definitely agree with your thoughts!
West End is having a Devil Wears Prada musical coming out soon!
Awesome!
I honestly never knew this was based off a book when my dad and I saw it. We watched it due to the cast and the cool wardrobes the characters got to sport. Anne, Meryl and Emily Blunt are just terrific here & I kinda like the ending moment between Andi and Miranda where the ice queen shows a brief moment of empathy and is kind to Andi before she puts that mask back on. I know some don’t like that, but I did cause it gave Miranda a bit of depth than just the great savage insults Meryl delivers; it reminds you why she has been a talent for the last 40+ years
Yeah i like that ending moment too! And the way she snaps at the driver after 😂
Andy and Miranda did not make the same choice. Emily was ill/broke her leg. She would never have been able to go to Paris regardless of what Andy decided.
Right, this line makes more sense in the book because Andy was putting her career before her friend and in that way she was like Miranda. Whereas in the movie it was more complicated because once Emily had a broken leg it's not like she could have gone to Paris anyway.
OMG yesssssss 🤩🤩 Gonna love this one, that's for sure! 😊
😊
I love the movie, it’s got a fantastic script, incredible cast, etc. However, it sounds like the author (a.k.a. book Andi) is pretty ungrateful and entitled, compared to the movie counterpart. After all, Anna Wintour took a chance on her and gave her a huge career opportunity, only to have an employee with sour grapes write a thinly veiled tell-all. This seems to be a good example of how an adaptation can make changes that positively impact the story.
Definitely!
Can you do a Book vs Movie comparison of the After series by Anna Todd, at least just the comparison for the first movie/book in the series?
Someone else recently requested this, I told them it didn't look like one I would be interested in though.
But if enough people ask for it, I can give it a shot.
Reading the book at 39 is a very different experience to reading the book at 22, particularly Andy's snobbishness. She never pivots her way of thinking to try and understand why fashion is important to the people in the industry - why the industry itself is so successful. She considers herself superior because she wants to work for the New Yorker and do "real journalism". Both book and film have a lot to say about toxic bosses, but it's not quite the win Book Andy might have hoped for. I do enjoy both and have read and watched botj several times. Im thinkkng of seeing the musical. I've read other books by this author including one of the sequels, and in my opinion she peaked with The Devil Wears Prada.
Definitely! And hearing this is her best makes me lose interest in reading more by her...
I never read the book but watched the movie i did enjoy it but to me it was problematic because i didn't like the character Nate and how he became so judgmental towards andy for focusing on her career he wasn't a good boyfriend same goes for her friends to me they seemed jealous of her and immature andy was growing and evolving like many people do
The channel cinema therapy has a great video where they talk about Andy's friends. Yeah they aren't as supportive as they could have been but Andy also was changing yet denying to herself and them that she was changing. "Different clothes, but same Andy" line she says is a lie because she is different. Her friends were jerks though when they took her phone and were tossing out around.
@@WhytheBookWins thanks and yes andy was truly changing she just didn't realize it
25:55 Oh why did you dislike The Mentalist Guy for the role of Christian? 🙂
Genuine question. 😊
I just don't find him attractive, and Christian in the book was described as being so handsome. So it's just a personal preference thing I guess haha because his performance was fine.
@@WhytheBookWins oh I see, thank you for explaining. 😊