Andy gets a job for a high-powered fashion magazine editor and gets an inside look at the industry.

I really liked this movie. I've always liked Anne Hathaway (first runner up in the Most Like Audrey Hepburn competition) and she was perfect for this role- thin, graceful, normal-looking when she wears normal clothes but model-like in the designer stuff. Meryl Streep, while an obvious choice for the evil ruler of the magazine, was excellent, and it was such a joy to see Stanley Tucci in a really good role.

And after seeing this movie, I mentioned it to the Barracuda's sister-in-law, with whom I was having lunch. Oh, she said, you should read the book, it's ten times better.

So I did. And, um, well, no it isn't.

Sure, it's got more details of who's doing what to whom, and more names, and is pretty descriptive...but I still liked the movie way better.

For one thing, the book is pretty much a record of the year the main character spent working there: what happened to her, what happened to her life, and how she crashed and burned. Not without reason. But in the movie, she's much more interesting. As is Stanley Tucci's character, who is barely in the book, although pretty noticeable each time; he's a highlight of this movie, and his relationship with Andy is really well brought out.

But the thing I liked best about the movie that wasn't brought forth in the book was the stuff about the industry in general- both the unnatural thinness of everyone who worked there (where a size 6 is considered fat) and the assumption that what they do is of earthshaking importance. But then, there's a scene where Andy's character basically says that, and Streep has a wonderful bit about how fashions start with the high end and end up in department stores, thus affecting what everyone in the country wears, eventually. Nice.

Of course, although there were four actual big-name clothing designers listed in the credits, this Otter didn't recognize any of them...and would not wear another pair of high heels <ouch> for any amount of money...and will never be a size 6. But, oddly enough, I still enjoyed this movie a lot.

So my vote is: sure, read the book, but for once...see the movie first. You'll laugh a lot, and the Otter thinks you'll enjoy them both more in that order. Trust the Otter.