Analysis of Empire's "The Devil Wears Prada" Review

Empire's hook in the review of "The Devil Wears Prada" is not complex or slow to start. Instantly, writer Helen O'Hara dives into the genre of the film and explains some brief context behind it with a snappy reference to "Sex and the City". O'Hara cleverly explains the theme of the film in the opening paragraph before waiting until the third paragraph to explain the synopsis. In a review that is just six paragraphs long, this is a smart way of getting more context behind the film's story into the review before explaining exactly what that story is.

O'Hara makes the most of her 560 words by packing the review with description. She is excellent in her use of adjectives, and every description has a smart and appropriate adjective to accompany it. This is best highlighted as she discusses Meryl Streep: "Streep, however, manages the formidable task of giving her capricious tyrant some humanity without diluting her essential awfulness."

The review flows nicely — it moves seamlessly from the hook into the film's context, into synopsis (which she combines with discussion of Hathaway's performance), into Streep's performance, into the supporting role played by Blunt, into a concluding paragraph. It's as easily readable as the film is watchable, although it is clearly for a well-educated, film-savvy audience than the average joe looking for something to relax watching for two hours.

Interestingly, O'Hara only ever refers to Streep's character by her full name, mentioning other characters only by their first name. It reflects the script of the film, in which Miranda Priestly's name is usually uttered in full. Although O'Hara does later refer to Priestly simply by last name, it is a clever piece of writing that you are unlikely to notice when reading the review.

The first sense we get that O'Hara likes the film is at the end of the third paragraph, when she suggests that Streep will receive the Oscar for her performance. She goes on to sing Streep's praises in the following paragraph, and suddenly the review is telling readers whether the acting — and by extension the film — is any good. O'Hara mentions director David Frankel in the opening paragraph but only in reference to "Sex and the City", and doesn't mention writer Aline Brosh McKenna at any point. Instead, she hangs her opinion of the film on its variety within the chick flick genre and the performances. The final paragraph is short and snappy, and gives an instant snapshot at exactly what she thinks of the film. It is, in and of itself, a review that cleverly summarises the 500 words that come before it.