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How Miranda Priestly Saved Anna Wintour

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manchops
08/25/09

In reply to How Miranda Priestly Saved Anna Wintour
The worst thing about Devil Wears Prada? The anti-feminist group of friends and whiny boyfriend Andy has. She asks "for a year" to do this job and is basically gang bashed by her personal "support" network. The worst being her "female" friend. God forbid the girl wants to do a good job!
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Awesome X
08/25/09

In reply to How Miranda Priestly Saved Anna Wintour
Wintour had me until the pitchy rendition of "Mamma Mia."
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Urbania
08/25/09

In reply to How Miranda Priestly Saved Anna Wintour
I watched The Devil Wears Prada and thought, up until the moment that the assistant runs out of the car in Paris, that it was going to have a happy ending. A whiner finally realizes that people like her impossible boss are simply calling her to be her most excellent best, at all times. And she steps up to the plate.

Except then she gets out of the car, throws her phone away, and considers moving to Boston. My first thought: oh no, this better not turn into a horror show. But then the story saved itself: the assistant chose another life for herself, which is what her boss said in the car was possible for her.

So I don't get why Anna Wintour or her fictionalized version are seen as terrifying or bad to anyone. They are powerful, ambitious New Yorkers. They do things that are sometimes simply mean, like everyone else. They are loud. They don't waste time. They want the best. They are trying to get stuff done in a world that would rather sit on its ass and settle for normal, reasonable, easy results. They demand excellence, everywhere, from everyone. And to some folks that comes across as they are mean and demanding. I get it. But isn't excellence way more interesting?

That's all.
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lacieca01 promoted this comment Edited by Urbania at 08/25/09 3:00 PM Urbania was starred Urbania was unstarred

Grim Reaper of the Forest
08/25/09

@Urbania: There is a difference between being demanding and unsentimental, and being an asshole just because you have the power to be an asshole. I tend to work harder for people who respect me.
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iplaudius
08/25/09

@Urbania: I too was initially disappointed when Andy got out of the car, walked away, and threw her phone in the fountain. I agree with your assessment: it was about making a choice, about what she really wanted. “Don’t be ridiculous, Andrea. Everyone wants to be us.” Not quite true, really, and certainly not true for Andy: she wanted to be a writer, and in the end she made her choice based on that desire.

Me, on the other hand: I would have followed Miranda out of the car, adjusted my sunglasses, and put on my best bitch-pout for the cameras waiting outside.
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Urbania
08/25/09

@Grim Reaper of the Forest: Agreed, totally. And, sometimes it's easy to slide into being an asshole when you're demanding and unsentimental. It's a perfectly human thing to do, only people in power have a bigger megaphone. I just don't see it as this hugely evil thing. And, they are still asking you to be your best. It's possible to live up to that and still be around an asshole.
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Edited by Urbania at 08/25/09 3:16 PM Urbania was starred Urbania was unstarred

Urbania
08/25/09

@iplaudius: Me too. I just hearted you.
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bytememehard
08/25/09

@Urbania: or, you could buy a lipstick.
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iplaudius
08/25/09

@Urbania: Frenemies fo'-evah. Actually, you can be Andy, and I’ll be Emily. Or, let me marry Emily, since I’m a boy. (EMILY BLUNT RULES.)
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plasticene
08/25/09

In reply to How Miranda Priestly Saved Anna Wintour
I really think the movie (though not the book) managed to humanize Priestly by the end. Left by her husband, with a career in which everyone hated her, I sort of felt sorry for her.... I thought Wintour, on the other hand, looked wound so tight, her ladyparts were about to explode.
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desertbloom79
08/25/09

@plasticene: I've said it before and I'll say it again- the only case of the movie being better than the book that I know of. Mostly because of how the ending was so much more humanizing and believable in the movie.
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plasticene
08/25/09

@desertbloom79: Much agreed. Movie better than book. Now, we'll see about Wintour's project..
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sfBirdie
08/25/09

In reply to How Miranda Priestly Saved Anna Wintour
Is it just a coincidence that this movie has been on tv a lot recently?
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Crackers in Bed
08/25/09

In reply to How Miranda Priestly Saved Anna Wintour
i have to admit that while i did like the book, lauren weisberger's character annoyed me to no end. half the reasons she was always panicked and putting out fires at work was because of her own irresponsibility and immaturity. (ex: ruining 2 items of insanely-expensive clothing in under 10 minutes? maybe it's time to put down the cigarettes, genius)
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Edited by Crackers in Bed at 08/25/09 2:12 PM Crackers in Bed was starred Crackers in Bed was unstarred

DahlELama
08/25/09

@Crackers In Bed [aka SF via AL]: Ugh, yes. From that very first scene it's just clear that she's one of those people who whines "why does everything bad always happen to me??" while never taking a step back to realize that it's not always an unfortunate coincidence.

I even read an interview somewhere (I think it was W magazine) where Meryl Streep said something which politely implied that Weisberger was an entitled brat who didn't appreciate her job. That's when I really fell in love with Ms. Streep.
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Matt Cherette
08/25/09

@DahlELama: It took you that long to fall in love with Meryl Streep? For shame!
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DahlELama
08/25/09

@mattchew03: I know, I know, but I've seen surprisingly few of her movies. I really do need to get on that--it's embarrassing.
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aLostLady
08/25/09

@Crackers In Bed [aka SF via AL]: @DahlELama: My former boss dated Weisberger when they were in college. I haven't read the book, but believe me, your perceptions of her certainly explain why the two of them would be compatible.
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lacieca01
08/25/09

In reply to How Miranda Priestly Saved Anna Wintour
Credit where credit is due: "Miranda Priestly" is mostly the creation of Meryl Streep, with some help from Aline Brosh McKenna and David Frankel. Lauren Weisberger (or her editor) thought up the name.
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Edited by lacieca01 at 08/25/09 2:08 PM lacieca01 was starred lacieca01 was unstarred

BrianVan
08/25/09

In reply to How Miranda Priestly Saved Anna Wintour
Well, we knew this whole time that the problem really rested on Weisberger's shoulders, not Wintour's. It is possible that Wintour may not even be one of the 3 most demanding bosses in the industry... we've heard worse from others!

Either Weisberger's priorities/worldview are royally screwed up, or she's a terrible writer... or both.
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Edited by BrianVan at 08/25/09 2:03 PM BrianVan was starred BrianVan was unstarred

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