The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Matt (00:00:21):

Welcome to 1-Week Rental. We went to the video store. The totally real video store, picked up The Devil Wears Prada, put it on our home video TV player. Why? Go with me here. For seven days a week. I don’t know. We got a 1-week rental of The Devil Wears Prada. We spent the last week with The Devil Wears Prada and we’re going to tell you all about it now. I’m Matt Stokes.

Laci (00:00:42):

And I’m Laci Roth.

Matt (00:00:43):

We’re married.

Laci (00:00:44):

Are we?

Matt (00:00:46):

She’s kind of my Nigel. She dresses me. She told me to wear this shirt. Laci, what can you do with this? I asked. You got to help me. And she’s like- I’m going

Laci (00:00:54):

To pair it with a

Matt (00:00:54):

Jacket and a

Laci (00:00:55):

Nice belt.

Matt (00:00:57):

Oh, honey. Every episode, we cover a different movie in depth. There’s two parts to every episode, the history segment where we cover the production of the movie or the people in it. That is the portion you will find in full video. And then exclusively on the audio podcast, Laci and I discuss the movie, break it down on packets themes, all that stuff. And we are coming up on our 200th episode.

Laci (00:01:18):

That’s it. I know.

Matt (00:01:20):

200 numbered episode. There’s tons of other stuff where we didn’t put a number on it.

Laci (00:01:24):

Where we, this bitch over here, this purest, it has to be very specific for her to get an episode number.

Matt (00:01:29):

It does. The most important thing is both of us have to be on it. But that means we have hundreds of hours of movie discussions. Go dive into the archive. Look for your favorite movie and go start with that episode. We’re just having a lot of people starting the podcast, the show recently. And the other thing is- What’s up? It’s almost the summer- I appreciate you. … which is our favorite time of the year because-

Laci (00:01:51):

Well, we get real into one guy for all of the summer.

Matt (00:01:55):

The person becomes a character of our show. Steven Spielberg in 2024, Dwayne Johnson last year.

Laci (00:02:01):

I’ve really enjoyed it. It really colors. Each movie you get in deeper, you understand it in a whole new way.

Matt (00:02:08):

And I like when we stumble upon these characters. I think doing the research for this episode, I think Anne Hathaway is potentially a big character for us. You know who I think we need to really bring to the show more.

Laci (00:02:21):

Glenn Close.

Matt (00:02:22):

No. Okay. I think I figured out who is the female the rock. Who do you think it is? Stop.

Laci (00:02:28):

Oh, good God. Okay. Very careful about her career. Does not take big risks, likes a lot of control.

Matt (00:02:36):

And business.

Laci (00:02:37):

And business.

Matt (00:02:38):

I’m about business. Stop.

Laci (00:02:41):

Don’t talk. God, what woman is always the same character in everything

Matt (00:02:47):

She does? Don’t think so much of that.

Laci (00:02:49):

Well, then what

Matt (00:02:50):

The fuck? I mean, she’s a great actress. I love her as an actress. She’s also though maybe the evilest person in Hollywood.

Laci (00:02:56):

Okay. Who?

Matt (00:02:57):

Greece Witherspoon, y’all. She is true business psycho, and I think we need to … Yes. Let’s pick a movie of hers later this month and really dig in. So we’re going to anyway.

Laci (00:03:09):

Bring it on.

Matt (00:03:09):

Just for the people who are just joining us, the summer miniseries is coming up. Go listen to Summer Spielberg, Summer of Rock. Okay, that’s all. And we will announce our summer 2026 miniseries topic soon. Okay. Devil wears Prado.

Laci (00:03:23):

Say it.

Matt (00:03:24):

Don’t say it. No.

Laci (00:03:25):

That devil sure is wearing it.

Matt (00:03:28):

You’d seen this movie how many times?

Laci (00:03:30):

This is probably my fifth or sixth time.

Matt (00:03:32):

But you love it. You love this

Laci (00:03:33):

Movie. It goes. It goes. It’s lovely, easy to digest. I like watching the outfits go by. I like watching somebody become good at something and really pleasing an unpleasable person and getting in a place where they didn’t fit in before and finding unlikely confidants. I love

Matt (00:03:57):

All of that. All right. But to be clear, I said you love this movie and you’re like, “Well, it goes. It goes. And I like the outfits and the- When

Laci (00:04:04):

You told me we were watching this movie, I was like, yay, that’d be easy and fun.” I get a good feeling when I think about watching the movie. Now, do I want to break it down in my brain and go, “What’s that good?” I don’t think I ever felt smarter for having this. I throw this into the heap of things that are like a romcom, like disposable.

Matt (00:04:26):

I noticed it’s classified as a romcom. I think that’s just because it has women in it. This isn’t a romcom at all. Yeah.

Laci (00:04:32):

There’s nothing romantic

Matt (00:04:33):

In it. I’d seen it twice. And look, I like this movie. I really remembered liking it a lot more than I did.

Laci (00:04:40):

I do love Stanley Tucci. A lot goes … And I love Emily Blunt. I mean, the top four build people, three of them I love. And Anne Hathaway, I tolerate her.

Speaker 3 (00:04:53):

And

Matt (00:04:53):

We’re going to get into Anne Hathaway in the history segment and try to figure out why do people hate Anne Hathaway?

Laci (00:04:58):

I don’t want to hate anyone.

Matt (00:05:03):

And yeah, I do like this movie. I read the book this weekend. When the movie’s based on a novel, I will read the novel. This never happens, but this time I liked the novel more than the movie. I always like movie’s better. Movie’s better. I’m just a movie guy, but- Sounds

Laci (00:05:18):

Like there’s a more developed Andy in the book. Or at least one that’s not afraid. And this at least was still a time when movies were being made and they could be kind of weird or go against the grain a little bit, right? But it seems like they made Andy the most packageable, palatable.That’s

Matt (00:05:37):

What bothered me is every decision this movie makes is the safest decision. Even the- It

Laci (00:05:43):

Feels like a Disney movie.

Matt (00:05:44):

And it’s on Disney+ because Disney owns 20th Century Fox. It wasn’t a Disney movie, but you look at its thumbnail on Disney+ and it looks like a Disney movie.

Laci (00:05:52):

I mean, it looks like 101 Donations. What I’m looking at right now, she looks like Quelledville. That’s a red shoe. And

Matt (00:05:58):

The woman who wrote the screenplay for this movie went on to write the Cruella movie, which I haven’t seen, but I’ve heard it’s Delaware’s product with Gruella.

Laci (00:06:05):

Okay. I watched that just for the outfits though.

Matt (00:06:06):

So let’s dig in now to the history of Devil Wear’s Prada and try to unpack our complicated feelings about all of this. So Anna Wintour. Now folks, we take our research very seriously. We have citations for everything in the episode description. And if you’re watching on YouTube, the citation will pop up on screen too. Of the two of us, I’m the one who’s an expert on fashion, so I’m going to really talk to Laci, like explain things here. Thank you. So Anna Wintour Laci is a fashion lady, and she was born in Britain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain in Northern Ireland. Okay? Now they call her the most powerful person in fashion. How about that? She was the editor-in-chief of Vogue from 1988 to 2025. Remains the editorial director of Vogue and an officer of Conde Nast. The parent company of Vogue, she also produces the Met Ball.

Laci (00:07:19):

Wow.

Matt (00:07:20):

So this is not a person you had heard of? No, because you’re not a fashion person.

Laci (00:07:24):

I’m not a fashion person. I’m not a magazine person.That’s a big thing when I was growing up.

Matt (00:07:29):

There

Laci (00:07:30):

Are magazine people and I wasn’t.

Matt (00:07:32):

I miss magazine people and I miss magazines. I

Laci (00:07:35):

Couldn’t afford them. They were expensive for me.

Matt (00:07:37):

One of my best memories of all time is I went … I flew on an airplane at age 18 and I bought like four magazines at the airport and just sat and read them. It’s like the greatest four hours of my life. I

Laci (00:07:47):

Liked the quizzes. I liked the one-off stuff. I looking at the pictures. I loved a spin magazine or Rolling Stone or something because I wanted the fold out posters and stuff. It made me feel like I know stuff, but I couldn’t read.

Matt (00:08:00):

But you didn’t-

Laci (00:08:00):

Comfortably, I could not read comfortably. So I wasn’t reading any … I’m not at school. You can’t make me read magazine.

Matt (00:08:06):

But a fashion magazine that’s so visual that never was a thing you did.

Laci (00:08:10):

I’ve absolutely fucking not. I couldn’t afford anything. No, it hurt my feelings. This is for people who love window shopping. Why? It just sucked. It just hurt. There were these magazines called Delia Magazine, which was just the coolest fucking clothes ever. And you could only get them out of this magazine, order them on the phone. And if you could afford Delia, you were a big Delia. You know what I mean? And I could not.

Matt (00:08:37):

I think there are people who are like, “Yeah, that’s why I like it. I know I could never afford any of this because it’s the fantasy.”

Laci (00:08:42):

No.

Matt (00:08:42):

But you’re not that way. I know.

Laci (00:08:44):

I was having a Mervin’s fantasy, Matt. I was having a JC Penney’s fantasy. I was drooling over Dillard’s. Sure, show me Vogue and show me things that I’ll never be able to afford as an adult even then. Fine. Then I can window shop and just be like, “Wow, couture. Weird.” I love that fashion constantly has to reinvent itself. I love that it is an art. I love Project Runway. And that is the show about the people making the fashion, not the models, Madica, because you’re probably confusing it for America’s next top model, which is not. Thank you. Welcome. I absolutely agree. It is important and that it’s … Everything the movie says about fashion, I agree. I just wasn’t into it because it’s not a cheap hobby. And I don’t want to know about how distasteful my clothes are. I have good style, but everything is trash.

Matt (00:09:40):

And full disclosure, everybody, I was kidding. I don’t know anything about fashion, and I always thought Laci does know about fashion. I know

Laci (00:09:45):

What looks good.

Matt (00:09:46):

But maybe you’re saying you know style. I

Laci (00:09:48):

Know style. I know what clothes compliment which figures. I know what to spend money on and what you can get that is cheap and it’ll work fine. I know what I’m like when it comes to taking care of clothes, which is that I don’t. So I know where to shop. This is the idea of spending $1,200 on a pair of shoes or the same amount on a handbag or any one piece of clothing. It’s like driving without a seatbelt. What? You’re just going to rear $1,200 around your fucking neck and just walk around. It freaks me out. I

Matt (00:10:22):

Just got this new phone. It’s freaking me out.

Laci (00:10:24):

I dropped mine the day you went and got that one. Look, I got a thing on it. Oh. I know. Action

Matt (00:10:29):

Illiterate, though I have always been. I have always been this little dipshit who’s super plugged into the media scene. So I always knew this name just because she is so famous. She’s like one of the most famous people in publishing period. And then I knew her because of this movie and I knew vaguely the story behind this movie. And her

Laci (00:10:46):

Name is Winter and she’s an ice queen.

Matt (00:10:48):

Yeah, she is an ice queen. She has the signature sunglasses and Bob, you see. Very

Laci (00:10:54):

Different haircuts between the two of these people, but sure. This haircut would look like trash on Meredith.

Matt (00:11:03):

Meryl Streep.

Laci (00:11:04):

Yeah, but also our neighbor, Meredith, the looking shit with that. Yeah, Meryl Streep did a version of the hair. But the short haired, it signals masculinity. And I don’t have time to fuck with my hair. Even though short hair takes way longer to style, it still looks like I’m no fuss, no muss. I’m here for business.

Matt (00:11:22):

Yeah, but it is interesting because if you were going for somebody who could look like her, I’d say Holly Hunter.

Laci (00:11:29):

Oh yeah. Yes.

Matt (00:11:31):

And maybe that’s why when I look at her, I’m like, “She’s kind of attractive,” because I see Holly Hunter. “Hi, darling. “She’s saying to me, ” Again, stepped aside as the editor-in-chief of Vogue last year, but still remains the most influential person in fashion. Now last year, David Remnick, editor-in-chief of the New Yorker wrote this about her. “At a time when most people cannot name the editor of a major metropolitan newspaper any more reliably than they can name the king of Belgium. Winter has iconic status well beyond the realms of fashion or journalism. At Wimbledon are the US Open when the camera cuts to her between points, viewers know who she is, no Chiron needed. And then this also from last year BBC profile of Anna Winter on the occasion of her leaving the position, “Dame, Anna,” because she’s a Dame. She’s officially a Dame.

(00:12:20):

Dame Anna- I don’t

Laci (00:12:21):

Know the fuck

Matt (00:12:21):

That means. That’s a title. Noble title in Britain, yes. It’s the equivalent of Sir. Dame, Anna was the loose inspiration for Miranda Priestley, the demon magazine editor in the Devil Worst product portrayed on screen by Meryl Streep. The editor has appeared to enjoy occasionally leaning into the comparison and last year attended the Gala Night for the stage adaptation, but asked if she thought people were frightened of her in real life. Dame Anna replied, “I hope not. “

Laci (00:12:46):

You answer the question, Anna.

Matt (00:12:49):

From 2008, a feature on Vogue and Anna winter from the New York Times, “According to a writer at Conde Nast who requested anonymity…” Sorry guys. Conde Nast is the parent company of Vogue and the New Yorker and all these other elite magazines. It’s like the most … Second only to the New York Times in terms of- Would you go

Laci (00:13:08):

Into the Conde Nast building and then on each floor would be different publications? Oh, that’s fun.

Matt (00:13:13):

Yeah. And it’s like they got the cafeteria.

Laci (00:13:16):

That’s fun.

Matt (00:13:19):

“According to her writer at Conde Nast who requested anonymity because he works at a sister publication, Anna’s two great talents are that she understands her readers and she speaks with this incredible authority to advertisers. Indeed, as the writer points out, Conde Nast, having monopolized high-end magazines has a rather odd relationship with luxury advertisers, which is that these advertisers cannot afford to go anywhere else bad economy or not. Luxury brands haven’t yet found a formula for success in digital media. Their relationship then with Conde Nast creates an interesting ecology, as the writer put it. They keep each other in business.

Laci (00:13:52):

Interesting. So taste is all so subjective. Oh, that’s so interesting. Because who’s to say this is in and that is out and that looks good and this doesn’t. Shapes and different forms and patterns and all this shit, it comes in and out all the time and it’s all very … It’s supposed to be cyclical, but you can’t be too close together. That’s why when she’s like, ” No, we can’t do Bengal bracelets. We did that two years ago. “Well, that seems like a long time to the average person, but to Miranda Priestley, she knows that’s not long enough for it to come back or to be vintage. And it’s like, ” Oh, it makes so much sense that there’d be this person on top to say yes, no, no, yes, yes. Now go make your collections based on what I am saying is in, because it’s like the tipping point book, right?

(00:14:42):

You need a select group or one person to be in and then it all just falls down because I don’t think collectively we could do it.

Matt (00:14:52):

And that’s the thing I want to discuss when we get to the movie discussion. Do we think the movie actually is saying that she’s the only one who could do it or- She’s just the

Laci (00:15:01):

Only one that

Matt (00:15:01):

Does it. Is it kind of saying the opposite? No,

Laci (00:15:03):

No,

Matt (00:15:03):

No. That anyone in this role would be doing this.

Laci (00:15:07):

She invented the role, Matt. She invented … Because she has made her the list, right? The list is important. These are … Because I’ve been here for so long, because I am so influential for however amount I was when I know this designer or this model or whoever, I had enough pull to get them into their own clothing line, them into the role of a lifetime. They have sworn alliance to me, allegiance to me, that if I go, they go. So it doesn’t really matter. It’s just that she racked up so much cache through her very long career that there isn’t a peer.

Matt (00:15:48):

Okay. So to be clear, I kind of think there’s a reading of this movie where it’s like she’s the only one who can do it because she’s the only one who did it, but anyone put in her position would also have done it.

Laci (00:16:00):

But it’s her taste and her taste is her own.

Matt (00:16:03):

But it could have been somebody else’s taste and that also would’ve just driven a market.

Laci (00:16:06):

Right. But she also has this analytical way of she’s brilliant. She does remember what’s already been around, what things have paired together, what things are due, what’s novel enough, but not so out of left field that the average person won’t tap in. What’s chic and isn’t for the average person. She holds all of this in her head. Now, Stanley Tucci in this movie, to me, seems like he could do a fine job as well, but he will always be the person who was mentored by her. So it’s just like another … I don’t know. I don’t think just anyone could do it, Matt, but of course there’s got to be more than one person. The problem is she’s like a cult leader or like a religious leader. Everyone’s already bought into her unequivocally, but because there’s fear or because they owe her something or she’s the only one, doesn’t matter.

(00:17:03):

You telling me that someone like, what is her name, Jacqueline, comes in and people aren’t going to be less deferential to her and all of a sudden things just kind of start fracturing.

Matt (00:17:18):

Well, I think that the reason I read that quote is that what the actual job is of this person, both Miranda Priestly and Anna Winter, is like, I just facilitate the movement of capital from designers and distributors all to go up to the shareholders and gloss it up with this idea of taste. And that’s what all of media is, to be clear. There’s this thing, Anne Hathaway’s character’s like, “I want to be writing for The New Yorker. That’s a really important place.” That’s like, you’re also just sort of like, I’m fomenting opinion, I’m taking what the elites think and telling the sort of like middle class people who read The New Yorker, “Here’s what you’re supposed to think all to serve the interest of the owners of this magazine.” Right.

Laci (00:18:04):

Because at the end of the day, we want people to advertise inside of this magazine. So you can’t go … There are bounds, and if you go outside of them, you’ll get fired or you’ll be reeled back in. And that’s true of every single thing that has a shareholder or relies on advertising dollars.

Matt (00:18:22):

And you can look at a character like Miranda Priestly and say like, “She’s the elite of the elite, but what the movie, the best parts of the movie are the parts that show that she’s just a more advanced version of Anne Hathaway. She is a striver who knows, and this is why it’s interesting to pair it with Showgirls, there’s a million more people who will scalp me and replace me and could replace me at any moment. So I have to defend my territory as fiercely as I possibly can. ” And it’s not because she’s evil, but it’s because this position will make you do that. And that’s why I like that she says you remind me … And Hathaway, you remind me of me. It doesn’t matter that you don’t know fashion. You’ll get into the job and the job will make you do things that you didn’t think you were capable of doing.

(00:19:06):

If

Laci (00:19:06):

You’re the kind of person that wants to please or wants to see if they’re cut out for a really, really hard job, until you’re completely burned out, you’re going to just keep … Everyone is not that person, but that is very appealing to me. And without kids, me as a younger age, yes, that seems like something I … And whatever the psychology, whatever’s wrong with me that makes me that way, it’s addicting.

Matt (00:19:35):

I think there’s so many people who are like that. And I have some of that too, not as much as you, but I think the reason this is such a huge movie, I think, for people from our generation who entered the professional class into the workforce is this fantasy of like, “It’s going to be tough, but I can make it and I’ll prove myself.” What kind of is strange about this movie is all Anne Hathaway needs to do is decide I’m going to take it seriously and then she’s got it.

Laci (00:19:58):

See, but she’s being asked to do eight things at once and I get complete anxiety listening to the rattling off of the items and she’s not writing anything down and she’s still asleep. And how does she get it done? But it’s implied that she’s keeping up. So when she goes to complain like, “Hey, Miranda hates me. I don’t know what the fuck to do. Well, maybe you should try harder.” I was like, “What? There’s try harder from this. ” And the whole try harder was just, “Where are the clothes?” It’s more than that, right? Because then all of a sudden An Heathway’s like a step ahead of Miranda all of a sudden. Yeah, I did that. It’s already here. Don’t worry about it.

Matt (00:20:36):

And what’s weird about that is for a movie that’s supposed to try to make you understand, fashion is serious. She’s somebody who doesn’t know anything and all she has to do is say like, “Now I’ll take it seriously.” And she knows more than any of the other characters.

Laci (00:20:48):

What does she know more of? What do you mean?

Matt (00:20:50):

That suddenly she can anticipate all of Miranda’s needs. Now knows fashion. She can throw together outfits

Laci (00:20:55):

And stuff. No, no, no, no. She does not know fashion. And it is implied. Stanley Tucci has puts every single outfit you see on Andy, except for the one in the hotel room where he says, “I didn’t put this together for you. ” He has been coordinating her wardrobe the entire time. All she’s doing is putting on the window dressing and looking like she fits in, so she doesn’t embarrass Miranda anymore. All she’s had to do, and it’s a lot and it’s a large ask, is learn a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very busy person’s wants, needs, and schedule.

Matt (00:21:26):

So Miranda was right, “I don’t need to hire somebody who knows about fashion because that doesn’t matter.” No. And Emily Blunt is like the really pitiable person who has convinced herself that it does, that any of this matters.

Laci (00:21:38):

And in fact, she has a weak immune system and is becoming forgetful probably because she’s eating a cube of cheese every time she feels like she’s going to pass out so that she can look good when she goes to Paris, not be prepared when she goes to Paris. So Emily.

Matt (00:21:52):

So I mean, there’s nothing that the world of New York media loves more than itself. In 2002, a novel called The Nanny Diaries was published. This was like a thinly veiled accounting of women who worked as nannies in Uppercross Manhattan society and like, “Ooh, they’re going to dish. They’re going to dish.” That was a huge sensation the following year, another hugely anticipated book coming out, The Devil Wears Prada by this lady who spent 10 months as Anna Winter’s assistant, and now she’s going to tell us how horrible Anna Winter was to work for. From The Guardian in 2024, “When Lauren Weisberger was 22 years old, she got the job that she would end up being famous for all her life, having literally never had a job beyond working in a frozen yogurt place with a little bit of babysitting and lifeguarding, but hoping to become a writer.

(00:22:37):

She secured an interview to be assistant to Anna Winter, then editor-in-chief of American Vogue. To the general horror of the Vogue office in New York, she arrived carrying her CV and writing samples in the sensible doughy leather briefcase her parents had given her as a graduation present. I was fresh out of college, four years of studying and partying and wearing sweatpants all day long. I wasn’t into fashion, so Vogue was a completely foreign culture to me. To everyone’s surprise, she got the nod.” Yeah, this novel is published. She’s only 26 years old. It’s her first novel. She is Andy. I read the novel and then read about her life. It all comes directly from her life, like the character. They don’t say this in the movie. The character went and traveled around the world with her boyfriend after college and then I’ll just move to New York.

(00:23:25):

My parents will support me and I’ll just get some interviews at some media companies. That sort of easy thing. It

Laci (00:23:30):

Is implied that Andy’s dad is funding her rent and stuff. Yeah.

Matt (00:23:34):

And then with the times I had to read Ramen noodles. My parents said, “No using the emergency credit card this month, young lady.” And I do tend to hate characters who remind me of myself and this is exactly what I wanted my life to be when I was in my early 20s without understanding that- Instead,

Laci (00:23:52):

You met me.

Matt (00:23:53):

What’s interesting about the novel, this first person novel seems totally unaware of how privileged she is and how she exists in an ecosystem that is breeding her to exactly occupy the rules she comes to occupy. And she’s like, “I never thought I could succeed because I didn’t know anything about fashion, but everything about your life indicated you would succeed. Like your honor roll went to Ivy League schools and stuff.” You have

Laci (00:24:19):

A safety net.

Matt (00:24:20):

Exactly. Yes. You can afford to not be paid to work as a rich lady’s assistant. So she worked for 10 months as her assistant, then published this novel. And again, the book is a lot of fun and it’s a very interesting document of a time sort of pre-financial crisis before everything went to hell where you could just kind of live this way if you had the right family income in this background. And I think the reason I like the novel better … Well, the best thing about either thing is Meryl Streep. So you’d probably then say the movie is better, but the novel has a lot more friction in the Andy character. She’s actually making sacrifices and making tough choices. She’s actually screwing over her friends and her personal life to do her job well.

Laci (00:25:10):

Well, that’s the first … And this watching was the first time this has really bothered me is like how little the Andy character does to deserve the constant bullshit from her friends and boyfriend about a job she’s already said she just wants to keep for one year. Can we all hold on for one year guys? Can you not expect a ton from me? Just this. What if I were in fucking grad school?

Matt (00:25:32):

I know. And it’s like, babe, you’re supposed to come to my friend’s gala opening. Oh my God, it’s

Laci (00:25:37):

My birthday. I’m not eight. You’re eight.

Matt (00:25:40):

I stayed up all night for my birthday. Even if she wasn’t for a year. I’m a grown up now. Maybe it’s time we’re not together anymore. All of her friends annoyed me. I mean, Adrian Grenier, the worst person who’s ever lived, this character, Nate. But the other two friends, Harry from Mad Men and their other friends, I was like, “You guys all suck. Fuck all of you. ” But that’s what’s interesting about the Anne Hathaway character is she’s kind of exactly Anne Hathaway and so she’s great. And what she’s kind of great at is being unlikeable without me being able to spell out why, which is just like, oh, you just want it so bad.

Speaker 3 (00:26:16):

Okay.

Matt (00:26:16):

From salon.com in 2003, this is two months after the book came out. “Several of the book reviews have been harsh and many of them deeply personal. A particular note was a piece in the April 13th New York Times book review by the former editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bizarre Kate Betts, once an employee of Winter herself. Betts denounced the book as Bite the Boss Fiction and treated the lead characters Andrea and Miranda as direct proxies for their respective counterparts, Weisberger and Winter. Bets, the critic said,” Andrea has an unbecoming superiority complex and is just as much a snob as the snobs she is thrown in with. She makes no bones about the fashion business being beneath her or that her true calling is not to be fetching tall lattes for Anna or Miranda, but to be supplying high-minded prose for the New Yorker. “And she’s totally right.

(00:27:06):

And the movie and the book do have this condescending attitude about fashion when you compare it to something serious like working at The New Yorker. And the New Yorker does publish poetry and stuff, but it also is like, ” Hey, we need to start a war with I Rock. “It’s also publishing bullshit. Well,

Laci (00:27:26):

Because clothes and fashion are women’s things. It’s easy to throw those things away and to decide that they’re frivolous. It’s okay that this is a super influential billions of dollar industry. It’s for women and gay men. So yeah, you go to the New Yorker and now you’re in dude territory.

Matt (00:27:47):

Whenever I worked at a job, I definitely had the Andy attitude of like, ” This job’s underneath me. I’m so much smarter than everyone who works here.

Laci (00:27:54):

“You’re like that with a friend, you’re like that with Ryan.

Matt (00:27:56):

No need to say any of that. And plus this is just temporary. I’m going to be publishing my stuff soon and I’ll be long gone from here. So again, I tend to really hate characters who remind me of myself, especially myself when I was younger. In that same salon article, Lauren Weisberger says,” Here in New York, we’re media obsessed. Writers write about writers who write about writers and reporters and freelancers, and it’s just a festival of information. We’re all analyzing and examining and predicting, and I can’t imagine that it’s like that everywhere else. I’m really, really looking forward to my book tour for that reason. I want to leave New York for a little while. Here are from other people who are actually reading the book, not book critics, not reviewers, not New York media, but you know the people I intended it for. I think it’s getting different reception elsewhere.

(00:28:40):

“The book, it seems like the reception from what seems like a very coordinated campaign by Anna Wintour in Vogue to discredit her and discredit the book was really having an effect on her, but the book was a giant hit.

Speaker 3 (00:28:52):

Yeah, that’s good.

Matt (00:28:53):

And I think that it does speak to people everywhere because everybody’s kind of has, or at least a certain kind of person has the, ” I’m going to be a striver. I can work really hard and please my unpleasable boss. “And the movie writes were optioned before the book was even finished. So here using as my primary source an oral history from Entertainment Weekly by Joey Nolfy from 2021, 20th century into Fox options the novel interestingly because it’s a lady’s picture. They give it to their Fox 2000 sublabel. It’s not even 20th century Fox proper. And why does that matter? I mean, it’s just kind of just marketing, but it’s like, this isn’t important enough for the big studio to put it out. So Wendy Feinerman is the producer they assign it to. She produced Forrest Gump as well as stepmom in previous episode Drumline and she commissions a script and they shop around for directors and they meet with Mr. David Frankel, the director of the movie, who’s a very accomplished TV director.

(00:29:53):

He directed Sex in the City. He directed the pilot episode of Entourage and his only previous movie was a movie called Called Miami Rhapsody in 1995 starring Sarah Jessica Parker. Have you heard of this movie?

(00:30:04):

No. He’ll go on to direct Marley and Me and Hope Springs, a movie that when Laci and I were in couples counseling, our therapist had us watch.

Laci (00:30:13):

I don’t remember it at all. And I had not watched Marley Me and I don’t plan to. I don’t like movies about dogs.

Matt (00:30:18):

And I think this movie’s very shittily directed and I think the worst part of it is probably all thanks to this man, Frankl. But Frankel was not impressed with the script that he read. He said, quote, “Something in me reacted against every beat of the screenplay at the time. It was a revenge story. It was very satirical. I just felt like I couldn’t do it. And so I did everything I could over the next few weeks to worm out of the meeting. I presented my vision for the movie, which was that Miranda is the heroine, not the villain of the piece, and that this was a coming of age story for Andy learning what it took to be great at something.” And the studio’s like, “By Gotti’s right. Yes, we need to start over.” So they hire a new writer named Eileen Brosch McKenna. She had written the romantic comedies three to tango and laws of attraction and would go on to write 27 dresses and-

Laci (00:31:06):

I like all this.

Matt (00:31:07):

Cruella from 2021.

Laci (00:31:08):

I’ve never seen.

Matt (00:31:10):

Lauren Weisberger, she didn’t have an official role with the movie, but she consulted with them like, “Hi, what do you think? ” And she’s like, “I like it. ” She said, “What they were originally missing was the sharp humor. It trended toward what you’d expect from the typical chick flick, like how to lose a guy in 10 days. It wouldn’t have been a stretch to see it going in that direction, but Eileen took it to a whole different level of smart, sharp, irreverent humor.” Most important decision though, who’s going to play Miranda Priestly? And it seems like Meryl Streep was always the number one choice, but they also considered Michelle Pfeiffer going close and Catherine Zada Jones.

Laci (00:31:45):

Interesting. I mean, I can’t imagine it without her, but … And I don’t want to.

Matt (00:31:52):

And this is the movie that weirdly, decades into her career, made Meryl Streep a movie star. Suddenly, Meryl Streep is a Meryl Streep movie now. People

Laci (00:32:01):

Forgot she’s … I mean, maybe they don’t forget she’s funny. She’s always kind of funny.

Matt (00:32:05):

But I think there’s just like, she’s the homework. She makes homework movies. She gets nominated for an Oscar for a movie no one actually wants to see. That’s what Meryl Streep does. But this begins the run, this and then Mama Mia, and it’s complicated. Suddenly people like going to see movies where Meryl Streep is the lead. Yep.

(00:32:23):

From Variety in 2016, “Despite a truckload of awards and a reputation as the greatest actress on the planet, Streep had always been reluctant to negotiate for more pay. Maybe it was the character Moran LaPriestly, a fashion magazine editor so powerful she could terrify underlings without even raising her voice that pushed her to do it, but the Oscar winning actress felt emboldened.” The offer was to my mind slightly if not insulting, not perhaps reflective of my actual value to the project. Streep tells variety. “There was my goodbye moment and then they doubled the offer. I was 55 and I had just learned at a very late date how to deal on my own behalf. “I’d always heard that about this movie. She says,” It’s the only time I’ve gotten my quote. “Your quote is, ” I want this. “And they’re like, ” Okay, we’ll pay you that.

(00:33:06):

“She gets an Oscar nomination for best actress for the role. I mean, it’s a supporting role, but

Laci (00:33:11):

She’s

Matt (00:33:12):

The

Laci (00:33:12):

Best

Matt (00:33:12):

Actress.

(00:33:14):

She said in the Entertainment Weekly oral history,” I wasn’t interested in doing a biopic on Anna. I was interested in her position in her company. I wanted to take on the burden she had to carry along with having to look nice every day. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely. I liked that there wasn’t any backing away from the horrible parts of her and the real scary parts of her, had to do with the fact that she didn’t try to ingratiate, which is always the female emollient in any situation where you want it your way. What my friend Carrie Fisher used to call the squeezy and tilty of it all. Miranda didn’t do any of that. “The squeezy and tilty of it all.

Laci (00:33:48):

Squeeziant.

Matt (00:33:49):

And Carrie Fisher, that’s very Carrie Fisher thing to say. Emily Blunt said,” Miranda gave us a character who a lot of us can aspire to to be uncompromising, tough, real, honest, to the point, and not have to contort and dance to get your point across without hurting or offending anybody, which I think men have a much easier time with. “A lot of the movie’s legacy is like, ” So is she an abusive boss or what? “And she is.

Laci (00:34:16):

She is because of the hours that she makes people work. It’s not possible to do what she needs done in an eight hour job. It’s just not. And any job that requires you to wait till 10:30 to receive a book to then go across town to deliver. I’m saying if half your day can’t be dedicated to not work, you’re an abusive boss.

Matt (00:34:38):

And to pay somebody, to just not

Laci (00:34:40):

Pay

Matt (00:34:41):

Them.

Laci (00:34:41):

I just assumed she made fine money. I forgot about the line that the dad’s saying that she doesn’t make any money. Look at her clothes.

Matt (00:34:49):

Yeah. In the novel, I think she makes $30,000 a year, which in 2003 would have been a lot for New Orleans, Louisiana, but not for Manhattan. I mean, I think personal assistant, probably the worst job in the universe though.You’ve worked as a personal assistant and you’ve had some bad bosses.

Laci (00:35:09):

Not the ones that have personally assisted though.

Matt (00:35:11):

Okay.

Laci (00:35:12):

I really like my devil.

Matt (00:35:14):

But I mean, you do have stories of the things that were asked of you that you tell them now and that was insane that

Laci (00:35:20):

I had to do it. This was more like a request. This was beyond … This is more like what is expected of me in addition to what she was asking. And that’s because the firm would ask for lots for me too, and it would go above and beyond things that just … Or I want to do things for her that she didn’t have time to do just to make her life easy, so I’d offer to do crazy shit.

Matt (00:35:48):

This oral history, which was written in 2021, there’s lots of quotes about her being a feminist icon, and that’s the stuff I bristle at that I don’t … The only thing that you can only call her feminist in the sort of corporate feminism, which is she’s succeeding as a badass business bitch. But a bad boss is a bad boss.

Laci (00:36:07):

For sure. But don’t you mean in her uncompromising demeanor to not do any of the things that women are expected to do to get ahead, but still get ahead?

Matt (00:36:16):

But the way they talk about that manifesting itself is like she’s not worried about being nice and polite to the people she works with. And I get that the point is like, we don’t care if men do it, but we should.

Laci (00:36:27):

We should.

Matt (00:36:28):

We should treat people with dignity. Sure. More than anything though, we need to just pay them what their value of their labor.

Laci (00:36:33):

Okay. But just because the paycheck is good doesn’t mean you can then also treat them

Matt (00:36:37):

Better. Sure. Yes, I agree. Anne Hathaway said,” I’d read the script so many times and I was expecting Meryl to come in imperious, loud and barking orders, but she said her first line in a whisper and I almost fell off my chair. “Meryl Streep said,” I was so excited about this. I told Laci before the podcast. “It was a direct steal from the way I saw Clint Eastwood run a set. He’s someone that guys really respect and he never raises his voice ever. The one time that he did, it so terrified people for two weeks they were traumatized. In drama school, a teacher said,” How you play a king has nothing to do with you. You’re just you. It’s how everyone else in the room acts when you enter it that makes you the king. “It was all up to them to have this reaction.

(00:37:16):

I could just speak and be slightly nastier than I normally am.

Laci (00:37:20):

Slightly nastier. I like that.

Matt (00:37:22):

Man, I love thinking that it must have been on the bridges of Madison County. She watched Clint Eastwood direct-

Laci (00:37:28):

And she just mumbles way through.

Matt (00:37:30):

You think that that’s the way to light the scene? I

Laci (00:37:32):

Mean, I guess

Matt (00:37:32):

If that’s what you … And yeah, I mean, it is kind of a power move. People to you. Exactly. And I think, I mean, absolutely. My biggest pet peeve from a boss or anybody in a higher position is, I’m just going to say some gobbledygook for you and it’s your problem. You have to figure out what it is that I said and what I want.

Laci (00:37:52):

I also refuse to repeat myself or explain any of it. Yeah.

Matt (00:37:56):

So Meryl Streep said she went a little method for this role in that she didn’t really hang out with the rest of the cast. She would sequester herself in her trailer and then hear them laughing and feel left out.

Laci (00:38:08):

Aw. All

Matt (00:38:10):

Right. But who’s going to play Andrea? And Hathaway said she was the ninth choice for the part. And I mean, at the time she was a kid’s actress. She was in movies like The Princess Diaries and Ella enchanted. But Brokeback Mountain in 2005 was like the first dramatic role, or at least big dramatic role for her. But I guess that hadn’t come out when they’re developing this movie. So the studio really wanted Rachel McAdams who had just done the notebook, but other names included Scarlett Johansen, Natalie Portman, Kate Hudson, and Kirsten Dunts. But Anne Hathaway, she really wanted this role.

Speaker 4 (00:38:44):

Okay.

Matt (00:38:45):

She told Entertainment Weekly, “It spoke to me. It made me feel it was about a subject that I take very seriously, but in such a wonderfully joyful and lighthearted way.” The president of the studio said of Fox 2000 said, “I remember her sitting on my sofa in my office and explaining why she wanted to do this, why she had to play this role and giving script notes about the third act. When I look back on it, it wasn’t exactly what we ended up doing, but her sensibilities were completely aligned with what we ended up doing. Annie never gave up. She never stopped campaigning, calling. She came into another Fox executive’s office and wrote in her Zen garden, hire me. “

Speaker 4 (00:39:21):

Okay.

Matt (00:39:22):

Just the thing about Anne Hathaway is like everything you think of her is true of like, you just want this so badly, don’t you? You just got to have

Laci (00:39:29):

It. I still don’t know why I don’t like her and I don’t know that it’s that.

Matt (00:39:33):

The director, David Frankel said, “Meryl was eager to make the movie and she said, let’s meet with her. Let’s meet with Anne Hathaway Brant. Brokepack Mountain was about to come out. Annie had a wonderful small role in that and Meryl watched that scene from the movie she met with Anne and called up Tom Rothman at Fox and said, yeah, this girl’s great and I think we’ll work well

Speaker 3 (00:39:50):

Together.”

Matt (00:39:51):

And Hathaway said, “I patiently waited until it was my turn and got the call. It was the easiest yes in the world. I remember the moment I found out I got the part. I just ran screaming through my apartment. I had a bunch of friends over at the time. I just jumped up in the living room and screamed, “I’m going to be in the devil wears Prada.”

Laci (00:40:07):

Okay. I’m just picturing her giant long legs and everything walking around doing all, “What is this picture, Matt?”

Matt (00:40:13):

This is the first time we’ve covered Anne Hathaway on the program though.

Laci (00:40:17):

What is this picture?

Matt (00:40:18):

This is like a Vanity Fair shoot of Anne. Anne Hathaway is like a woman now. She don’t give a fuck. She

Laci (00:40:24):

Just got big boobies.

Matt (00:40:25):

Yeah. I don’t know if we’ve covered Anne Hathaway, but we got to dig in now. What do you think of Anne Hathaway, Laci?

Laci (00:40:31):

She bothers me. She’s got to learn that.

Matt (00:40:33):

She bothers you, Ay.

Laci (00:40:34):

She has a long neck. Her breath smells. Her eyes wander around like-

Matt (00:40:38):

Stop, stop. Her breath smells.

Laci (00:40:40):

You can tell.

Matt (00:40:41):

What do you mean?

Laci (00:40:42):

You can tell.

Matt (00:40:43):

How?

Laci (00:40:44):

Her mouth looks like it does smell. She looks like somebody that you couldn’t tell. Hey, could you just back up a little bit because she got in breath here. Maybe because you just felt like she could be in your space. Back up, Anne. Well,

Matt (00:40:57):

You pointed out while we watched the movie that Stanley too, she does smell onion and maybe that’s why you think that.

Laci (00:41:03):

It could be that.

Matt (00:41:03):

And I got to tell you, that’s the only thing I could think about for the rest of the movie.

Laci (00:41:06):

Bish smells like onion.

Matt (00:41:08):

Yeah.

Laci (00:41:09):

Her eyes, I don’t understand what her eyes are doing. If it’s a medical thing, I’m sorry, but she’s got fishbowl eyes and our pupils are fish swimming around in those eyes and I never know what those fishes would be.

Matt (00:41:21):

Now, is this a thing like with George Clooney where you think you hate the person, but when you watch them on screen, you think, “Oh, I like this actor.” Does that happen with Ann

Laci (00:41:33):

Hathaway? I would need more in Hathaway moments too, but I like the intern and I like this movie. And if she were really bothering me, I don’t think I’d be able to like those things. So I think she charms me. She wins me over at the end of the day. She’s got golden retriever vibes. I don’t know what it is. I just don’t-

Matt (00:41:51):

She wants to please you.

Laci (00:41:52):

And I want her to stop it.

Matt (00:41:54):

I’ve never- See, but

Laci (00:41:55):

George Clooney doesn’t want to please anyone and he plays

Matt (00:41:57):

Himself. So

Laci (00:41:58):

It’s weird.

Matt (00:41:59):

And he’s being a little bitch of her.

Laci (00:42:00):

Being a bitch.

Matt (00:42:01):

I’ve always liked N. Hathaway. I see what you’re saying and everyone who says she just wants me to like her so much, I agree. I’ve just always enjoyed her in movies. It

Laci (00:42:11):

Must be because she reminds me of me. I mean, it’s got to be that, right? Like that there’s such a people pleasing go get her thing in there that I’m like, ugh.

Matt (00:42:19):

Yeah.

Laci (00:42:20):

Disgusting. Maybe

Matt (00:42:21):

That’s why I like her.

Laci (00:42:23):

Fine.

Matt (00:42:23):

In 2013, Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast wrote, “Run a Google search for Anne Hathaway and annoying and one and a half million search results are returned. Try Anne Hathaway and hate, and that number spikes to 28 million.” From Buzzfeed in 2015, “When you work hard, when that work is awarded, when your body and beauty match societal standards, when you check every box and still everyone tells you you’re doing it wrong, that’s Anne Hathaway syndrome.” So let’s take a look at what people say when they’re trying to figure out they’re half a hate. On Reddit, just like in the thread, why do people hate Anne Hathaway? So one person says, “I’m one of those people who just viscerally dislikes her. I think she’s a fine actress. She does a great job in a lot of her films, but just at some gut level, there’s something I don’t like about

Speaker 3 (00:43:09):

Her.”

Matt (00:43:10):

I’ve heard she’s a wonderful person. I’m sure if I met her, I’d like her. She has made some great movies, but when I see her in one, my mind just says, “Ugh, I really can’t explain it. ” I’ve always felt this way ever since Princess Harris. Every

Laci (00:43:21):

Princess, that’s when I started it too. But I mean, where else would I have started? That’s when she was

Matt (00:43:26):

A thing. So then a person responds, “I didn’t even watch Princess Diaries and I feel the same. I don’t know why. I disliked her from the get go. Not on a personal level. I just can’t watch stuff she’s in. And I feel bad as I’m sure she’s a very nice person and by all accounts, she’s a lovely person. But you hear that and you’re like, ” Yeah, of course you are.

Laci (00:43:43):

Of

Speaker 4 (00:43:44):

Course

Laci (00:43:44):

You

Matt (00:43:44):

Fucking. “But there’s something about her that makes me roll my eyes and reach for the remote. I once went to school with someone who was overwhelmingly positive about absolutely everything.

Laci (00:43:53):

She does remind me of a very specific person that I just want to close the door on their face, but she was my good friend. Suck on that. And she did have bad breath. So I think it might come from that. I don’t want to say her name.

Matt (00:44:10):

Yeah, and I remember meeting this person in real life. She’s

Laci (00:44:12):

Really nice and sweet and it’s just like, go away. Go away.

Matt (00:44:18):

I think this is similar. Hathaway is too earnest and tries too hard and this seems too nice. It’s very unfair of me, but I don’t like it. Sorry, Anne, but hats off to you for winning an Oscar. I’m making a ton of money. In the end, you won.

Laci (00:44:31):

Not if what she really wants is for people to like her. It’s like the one thing we could do to her. She checks all the boxes. She’s got everything going on and what she really wants is to be loved so it’s all we can do. Yes. It is

Matt (00:44:40):

Literally the only thing she wants.

Laci (00:44:42):

But it’s the only thing we can do

Matt (00:44:43):

To

Laci (00:44:43):

Her.

Matt (00:44:44):

Yeah. Quote, I Googled this at some point last year because I was confused about the backlash against her as well. One of the best explanations I got was that Anna Hathaway comes off as your stereotypical theater geek. She’s always perky and excited. She’s consistently pleasant and poised while still maintaining this hint of humility. Her answers always seem perfect and calculated. Basically, it feels like she’s just playing a part instead of simply being Anne Hathaway. And it’s kind of true. I remember she went on a late show and the host said something about everyone in the crowd being video game nerds. She responded with, ” My people.

Laci (00:45:11):

“Ew. Ow. Fuck off.

Matt (00:45:16):

The host followed up with asking if she played … What does she play? What game does she love? She paused for a second and quickly said,” I love words with friends. “That’s why people love Jennifer Lawrence. Jennifer Lawrence I think is important here.

Laci (00:45:30):

Yes.

Matt (00:45:30):

She comes off far more authentic. She isn’t polished. She jokes around in a way we could see our friends joking. The apex of all of this is 2013, the Oscars. Jennifer Lawrence wins best actress at a very young age for Silver Linings playbook. Anne Hathaway wins best supporting actress for La Misrab.

Laci (00:45:49):

The most fucking theater kid thing to have ever done.

Matt (00:45:52):

From Vanity Fair in 2013 about that year’s Oscars, “Defying conventional wisdom, Jennifer Lawrence has become a media darling by showing seemingly little interest in modifying herself for the media, discussing and interviews everything from being uneducated to her deep seated desire to be so unburdened by work that she does not have to change her pants for days on end. She is reminisced about a cheese steak she housed before her first Oscars, ate a mailbox sized burrito mid-vanity fair interview and salivated over McDonald’s French fries on this weekend’s red carpet.” But that

Laci (00:46:21):

Is how I think I’d act. I think I’d act like Jennifer Lawrence. I don’t think I’d be able to be media trained.

Matt (00:46:28):

Oh, you could never be media trained. That’s

Laci (00:46:29):

Not my thing. The way that I would talk, the way she fell down, she tripped on the stairs and then made that funny and cute. Last time I’ll watch fucking award, you made me watch that. Anyway. Yeah, that’s weird. I see myself in it halfway, but I see myself with Jennifer Lawrence.This doesn’t make sense.

Matt (00:46:50):

“If Jennifer Lawrence created the litmus test for likability this season, Anne Hathaway has for some reason lowered the curve. In any other awards run up, her respectfully delivered acceptance speeches and air of earnestness may have come across as charming and dignified, but perhaps in contrast with Lawrence’s candidness, the once widely beloved Hathaway has somehow struck the wrong chord in the media. By the time Hathaway, who never receives negative press for bad behavior onset or for offending colleagues, had collected her supporting actress Academy Award for lay misit Sunday ceremony, the Joyous moment was interrupted backstage. In the press room where later that evening, Jack Nicholson would bum rush and interviewed a fawn over Jennifer Lawrence. Reporters segued the congratulations into an inquiry about Hathaway’s feelings on the public criticism. After taking a second to collect herself, the poised actress formed a thoughtful upbeat response. It does get to me, but you have to remember in life that there’s a positive to every negative and a negative to every positive.

(00:47:45):

The miracle of the universe is that as far as they know, there’s 51% matter versus 49%. What

Laci (00:47:50):

Are you talking about?

Matt (00:47:51):

Things tip in the scale of a positive, so that is what I focus on. “It’s just that, but Jennifer Lawrence is probably also exactly as calculated. All of that is also …

Laci (00:48:02):

But see, that’s the thing. If I were to just be me while being interviewed, none of it’s calculated. If I’m the same way with you too, right? Or unless I’m calculating them too, Matt, but it’s just my personality would be what you see. And I think in Hathaway’s personality is what you see and it’s a bad personality. It’s annoying. You look at her

Matt (00:48:25):

Background and it’s like she studied at the Academy for 18 years and took music lessons from the age of two and …

Laci (00:48:30):

Annoying.

Matt (00:48:31):

Yeah. And her mom wanted to be an actress, but gave that up to raise the children so that Anne could carry on the legacy. And yeah, it all checks the box, but all of this is just like, she just reminds me of annoying people from high school and that sucks for her.

Laci (00:48:47):

I was a theater kid.

Matt (00:48:49):

Yeah.

Laci (00:48:51):

So I’m confused. I

Matt (00:48:52):

Don’t know. She’s a fascinating person to talk about. She will become more of a character. We might do the intern later this month and dig more into this, but I think that she’s very effective in the movie and you might overlook her performance, but- No, I

Laci (00:49:06):

Think it’s very good.

Matt (00:49:07):

But it’s a character that by design is kind of supposed to be unlikable or maybe not by design. Maybe the reason the movie works is that she is unlikable.

Laci (00:49:17):

Well, that there is a true arc of her, I think, and that it’s not that she’s unlikable. She’s not cool.

Matt (00:49:26):

Then that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying the movie ends and I still think you’re a worse person than Miranda Priestly. You still think you’re better than her.

Laci (00:49:38):

And you’re going to go reap the benefits of having worked for her.

Matt (00:49:41):

Yeah. And that you would never do something like screw over a colleague. Would not give him a promotion, but you’re absolutely going to go do that at the New Yorker or wherever you go on to work.

Laci (00:49:52):

Right. You’ll just think that, well, the end justifies the means.

Matt (00:49:55):

Yeah.

Laci (00:49:55):

This is for a noble cause.That’s

Matt (00:49:58):

Why you’re here on this earth. And I think that the most interesting thing about the movie is when you think about them as the same person that they’re both people whose job is to … It’s Jack Torrance from The Shining. My job is to be the caretaker. I can think that I belong in this elite world, but I’m still an employee who works for a living.

Laci (00:50:19):

Yeah. But also, it is just very privileged for the Ann Hathaway character to get to be that way and to get to roll her eyes and to get to play in this sandbox that Miranda Priestley suffered to build and gave up lots and lots of people liking her so that she could be feared enough to get the job done and to keep the job. So yeah, it’s shitty. You’re here and I’m allowing you to be here and I’m going to open so many doors for you, but you’re going to mock this while you’re here. What the fuck?

Matt (00:50:55):

Yeah. Boo here’s a huge hit. The author, Lauren Weisberger wrote two sequels. The movie sequels coming out on the day that this podcast releases, though it is not based on Weisberger’s sequels. This movie though, we think you’re going to see it?

Laci (00:51:09):

If you tell me to, yeah.

Matt (00:51:10):

Okay. Do you have desire? Does it excite you? I don’t want to go

Laci (00:51:13):

To the three of the scene.

Matt (00:51:14):

Are you going to gird your longs? No. No.

Laci (00:51:17):

If you tell me that it’s got good reviews and it’s good, I’m going to watch it.

Matt (00:51:20):

Okay. I

Laci (00:51:21):

Just want it to be good. If it’s mid, I’m not going to watch it.

Matt (00:51:24):

So we’re going to now discuss the movie Devil Wears Prada. If you’re watching on YouTube, look in the episode description for a link to the full podcast. If you are listening to the podcast, go watch it on YouTube. Go listen to hear everything we just said, but this time watch our faces say it.

Laci (00:51:38):

Such a different experience. So immersive.

Matt (00:52:14):

Devil. The Devil Wears Prada. Do you know there’s a band called The Devil Wears Prada?

Laci (00:52:20):

Are they good?

Matt (00:52:21):

I have no idea.

Laci (00:52:23):

Why are you bringing it up?

Matt (00:52:24):

The devil. Which one do you think is actually the devil? Is it Anne Hathaway? Is it Miranda Priestly? Is it option C, someone else?

Laci (00:52:35):

It’s definitely Stanley Tucci.

Matt (00:52:37):

But it’s smart because- It’s all of

Laci (00:52:39):

Them.

Matt (00:52:40):

It’s kind of like the Exorcist. Which one’s actually the Exorcist?

Laci (00:52:43):

I think it’s bigger than that, Matt. I think it’s that if you’re going to be able to afford to wear Prada, you’ve already done something evil. The devil wears Prada. The upper class.

Matt (00:52:57):

The upper crust.

Laci (00:52:58):

The crustiest of us all.

Matt (00:53:00):

The Morlocks to us Eloy or whichever it is.

Laci (00:53:04):

Oy Morlocks Teloi.

Matt (00:53:05):

When you watch this film on Disney Plus, you get a warning PG13 for some sensuality, which is also how I describe our podcast.

Laci (00:53:13):

And our love life.

Matt (00:53:14):

Very sensual.

Laci (00:53:15):

Some.

Matt (00:53:16):

Some sensualities.

Laci (00:53:17):

A lot of sass, sarcasm, and sensuality.

Matt (00:53:21):

All right. Let’s talk about this movie. Oh. So here’s the thing you have to understand, ladies and gentlemen. Fashion is everywhere. Okay? It is all around us. You might not think when you see clothes or makeup, you might not realize it, but that’s fashion. Also, women. Women are everywhere.

Laci (00:53:40):

Women are fashion.

Matt (00:53:41):

Women are fashion.

Laci (00:53:43):

Women be fashion.

Matt (00:53:44):

So we got this song Suddenly Athi.

Laci (00:53:47):

That I am fashioned all around me. Nazi. Fashion. That my closet’s full of peop and pee pee. She’s using her closet wrong. God be full clothes.

Matt (00:53:59):

Not poop. Poo

Laci (00:54:00):

Poo and pee

Matt (00:54:02):

Pee.

Laci (00:54:03):

The double peas.

Matt (00:54:04):

Anne Hathaway’s brushing her teeth.

Laci (00:54:06):

Getting in there, which is helpful because I think she has bad breath.

Matt (00:54:09):

But it’s like she’s a human. The rest of these ladies- We just

Laci (00:54:12):

Brush our teeth one tooth at a time.

Matt (00:54:14):

Hard to do

Laci (00:54:15):

That, but I do it.

Matt (00:54:17):

These women are putting on their makeup and their braziers. See, fashion is part of all of their lives when you think about it.

Laci (00:54:24):

Whether you’re thinking about what you’re putting on your body, someone else has thought about it for you.

Matt (00:54:28):

Exactly. Now, you were making a big deal about this opening being very similar to 50 Shades of Gray.

Laci (00:54:33):

I don’t know that I made a big deal. I made a proportionate deal to how fucking interesting it is to me because when we were watching 50 Shades of Gray, I was like, “Oh, this is just Devil Wears Prada opening and I’m right.” So

Matt (00:54:44):

Describe it. She’s

Laci (00:54:45):

Just her a foggy mirror unfogs it. She’s getting ready for an interview or something. Something she’s got to go do in a fancy place. And she puts herself together and she looks like a fucking divorced library owner. Can you own a library? Well, she does. And there is a Christian, a man named Christian in this movie that has sex with her. And you do the identical impression of both.

Matt (00:55:18):

No, that’s why I’m doing it, but it does not make sense for Anne Hathaway. No, you’re right. It’s similar. I’m just like, I have my schlobby clothes and I don’t know about all this stuff.

Laci (00:55:28):

I rely on my brown bangs for mystery. I’ve got mysterious hairs. The mystery, I’m covering up my big forehead.

Matt (00:55:38):

She’s getting ready for a business meeting and we see her planner. This is how type A she is guys. She writes in a planner. Elias Clark meeting, she writes, not even like job interview. And she takes a look at the clips that she’s written in college that she’s most proud of. Which bus stops here? More choices than ever for young students. When back to school shopping time hit this summer, something stood out on Edna Hill’s list, a school for her son. David’s favorite close neighborhood school closed last spring and Hill wanted to make sure his next one was the right fit. So she stopped around reviewing school test data on the internet. I’m just saying later they’re like- Why someone wrote this. We read your clips and they were incredible.

Laci (00:56:16):

Okay. But no one expected you to fucking read them.

Matt (00:56:19):

Well, I did. I love thinking about this. Someone- Does this person get a credit at the end of the movie?

Laci (00:56:26):

Who’s it say wrote this her, right?

Matt (00:56:28):

Yeah.

Laci (00:56:28):

It says her name there?

Matt (00:56:29):

Andrea Sex.

Laci (00:56:31):

Anna, Anastasia. It’s all there. Andrea. It was all in front of our faca.

Matt (00:56:37):

And again, I like this movie. I just think it does the most obvious auto-filled decisions that you could do.

Laci (00:56:44):

Yeah. But it is so easy to watch because of it. There is something very comforting about knowing which turns and like, oh, she did it.

Matt (00:56:54):

It goes down smooth.

Laci (00:56:56):

And it’s entertaining enough to keep me watching. There’s definitely predictable movies that aren’t as fun to watch, so it’s doing stuff right.

Matt (00:57:05):

It’s got special performances. But that’s what that kind of makes me resent it. Like this movie doesn’t deserve having performances this good.

Laci (00:57:12):

Jesus Christ. Don’t let a white woman write a book.

Matt (00:57:16):

I’m not blaming her. I’m blaming a white man, David Frankel.

Laci (00:57:18):

Dammit Frankel.

Matt (00:57:20):

So Andy, all these other women are carefully counting out walnuts and stuff, but Andy goes and gets a big old onion bagel and stuffed it into her gum. Which

Laci (00:57:28):

To me, a bagel’s diet food because it’s smooth bread. Ew.

Matt (00:57:32):

I agree.

Laci (00:57:34):

If I mean a bagel, it’s because I’m thinking about my figure.

Matt (00:57:36):

I got a bagel and a big glass of OJ. I’m thinking about my health. So yeah, arrives at the Elias Clark building, goes up the elevator. When the door opens, she pauses and goes, she’s

Laci (00:57:48):

Arrived. I love the smell of elevators. Big tall building. Here I come. Beam me up. Elevator.

Matt (00:57:56):

In the office of runway, I have an appointment with Emily Charlton, she says. And then Emily Blunt, as Emily Charlton comes out, do you think that Emily just like-

Laci (00:58:06):

Is bad at knowing her fake name?

Matt (00:58:08):

Kept getting confused and like, god. I

Laci (00:58:10):

Think that every time there’s a character named the person’s name that, oh, that’s a stupid actor, an actor that needs their name to be their name.

Matt (00:58:17):

The character was Emily in the book, so fine. Comes out and she’s like, “Oh, what the fuck is that fat sloppy here in the office?” Don’t

Laci (00:58:25):

Even get me started. Oh, you want me to talk about this fucking coat wearing a diaper on his head?

Matt (00:58:31):

Not shy about saying all of these things right in front of Andrea. Oh, I can’t even with this oaf.

Laci (00:58:40):

I don’t know how any normal person would handle someone talking about them right in front of them that way, especially with another person who comes in to chit-chat. I don’t care how pleasant Andy is. Why would you just let that happen? I feel like speaking up, no matter who you are, would’ve happened earlier.

Matt (00:59:00):

She’s just so mousy.

Laci (00:59:02):

She’s so fine. She’s just like, whatever. No, no. She’s like above it all. She thinks that this is silly knitwit talk that they’re picking on her for something she doesn’t value, so why should she care about what they’re picking on her for?

Matt (00:59:14):

I guess so. I think the movie does do a good job of capturing the, “I’ve just started at a job and no one’s explaining anything to me. ” Oh, for sure. And I’ve missed out on some crucial information. Now, there’s nothing that I could have actually missed out on, but in the time I took that I was riding the elevator up, I must have missed something. I should have studied. That’s why I’m being made fun of now. And I always think if people are making fun of me, it’s for a good reason.

Laci (00:59:36):

Yeah, I’m on their side.

Matt (00:59:38):

So she doesn’t even know who Miranda Priestley is, and Emily Blunt yells at her about that. “Andrea, runway is a fashion magazine, so an interesting fashion is crucial. “And she’s about to explain all this stuff to her, but then, oh shit, Miranda’s here. She wasn’t supposed to be here.

Laci (00:59:53):

She really wasn’t even going to explain it to her. She was just about to let her go. She wasn’t even going to interview her. As soon as she saw her, she was I was like, nope.

Matt (01:00:00):

Oh, that’s true. This is the pre-interview. Yeah.

Laci (01:00:03):

Yes.This is just like she got distracted and didn’t get to excuse Andy and Miranda ended up there before that happened. So Miranda took the opportunity to cut Emily down to size, which she likes to do.

Matt (01:00:15):

What I liked now watching the movie twice in two days, which that’s what I do guys.

Laci (01:00:22):

Is you love Emily Blunt’s performance.

Matt (01:00:24):

Oh, it’s a great performance. But you realize she’s not good at her job. She’s good at elements of the job.

Laci (01:00:31):

Yes.

Matt (01:00:32):

And those are why she will never actually rise above.

Laci (01:00:35):

She’s not assistant number one material, but she’s fantastic assistant number two. And she resents that. And just by default, she ends up being in the number one position. And yeah, she’s just not as good. She’s not pleasant also. And I think there should be some pleasantness. Because could her character have figured out how to get that manuscript, the Harry Potter manuscript with her fucking attitude? Is she going to get her on a flight last minute with her fucking … I think the way you are with people matters too. Because if they don’t mind working with Andy, and it helps them work through Miranda. But if Emily’s just as shitty and snobby and gossipy about them to Miranda, then I could see them not wanting to work with Emily. I’m just saying, having a nice person as your right hand woman seems like it could go hurt.

Matt (01:01:28):

But

Laci (01:01:28):

Baby,

Matt (01:01:29):

It’s not even about nice so much as she worships runway and Miranda so much that she can’t connect to anybody outside of the world. So she wouldn’t be able to make something like her other manuscript happen. But I think that what … My take is she’s ultimately just destined to be Stanley Tucci. She can never actually run anything and Stanley Tucci could never escape the shadow of Miranda. Okay.

Laci (01:01:52):

But I think Stanley Tucci’s character is perfectly capable of running anything. He has all the brilliant ideas where I do see your point about Emily that she’s just not as up for the … And I’m not kidding when I say she’s hungry, that cognitively she is not as sharp as Andy. I mean it. I agree. She’s worried about her figure so much. She’s so thin. She’s exhausted. She’s anemic.

Matt (01:02:18):

But that too is a consequence of being way too bought in to something that doesn’t matter. And this is true. This is documented. If you think that staying with the company for a long time means you’re going to get more respect, the opposite is true. They respect you less if you stick around for a long time. I know. If you were so great. From my own

Laci (01:02:33):

Personal experience, yep.

Matt (01:02:35):

If you were so good at your job, Stanley Tucci, had a left a long time ago. Even though he is good, he just doesn’t want to.

Laci (01:02:42):

Right. He’s very loyal and he has sunken cost fallacy thinking, “Well, I’ve put all this in. I’ll get repaid somehow.”

Matt (01:02:51):

Yeah. So Miranda’s cubbing now, again, keep shitting on the movie, but I think almost everything great in the movie happens in the first 25 minutes. Okay. And this section here where Miranda arrives is so visually exciting as the camera just, the chaotic, like the camera can barely keep up and you see the people jolting in and out of frame, reacting to just seeing Miranda. And then the movie just kind of loses interest in doing anything interesting like that. But I wanted to just have us watch.

Laci (01:03:20):

There’s lots of fun little moments of like people in the background though, like responding to the alien that is Andy talking to Miranda and what she gets away with. And so it does run out of the big head of Seaman has here, but the background actors are great in selling the fear.

Matt (01:03:39):

I’m mainly talking about it from like a visual point of view. The whole movie kind of looks like a commercial, but this is where it really works.

Laci (01:03:46):

Got it, got it.

Matt (01:03:47):

Is where Miranda Irwin-

Speaker 3 (01:03:49):

I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to confirm the point. I know.

Speaker 4 (01:03:52):

I’m so sorry, Miranda. I actually did concur.

Speaker 3 (01:03:54):

Of your incompetence do not interest me. Tell Simone I’m not going to prove that girl that she sent me for the Brazilian layout. I asked for clean, athletic, smiling. She sent me dirty, tired and paunchy. And RSVP yes to the Michael Korus party. I want the drive to drop me off at 9:30 and pick me up at 9:45 sharp. Then call Natalie at Glorious Foods and tell her no for the 40th time. No, I don’t want Dakwas. I want torts filled with warm rhubarb compote. And then call my ex- husband and remind him that parent teacher conferences at Dalton tonight and then call my husband. Ask him to please meet me for dinner at that place I went to with Mazy Malcolm. Also, tell Richard, I saw all the pictures that he sent for that feature on the female paratroopers and they’re also deeply unattractive.

(01:04:33):

Is it impossible to find a lovely, slender female paratrooper? Am I reaching for the stars here? Not really. Also, I need to see all the things that Nigel has pulled for Gwyneth’s second cover try. I wonder if she’s lost any of that weight yet. Who is that? Gwyneth Paltrow?

Speaker 4 (01:04:49):

Nobody. Well, human resources center up about the new assistant job and I was sort of pre-interviewing her for you, but she’s hopeless and totally

Speaker 3 (01:04:57):

Wrong. Well, clearly I’m going to have to do that myself because the last two you sent me were completely inadequate. So sent her in. That’s all.

Matt (01:05:07):

That

Laci (01:05:07):

Is all.

Matt (01:05:08):

They’re not overlapping skills, but part of the job description is you got to kind of be replaceable. You have to be able to find somebody who can do what you do, but she’s done an inadequate job of finding people who can do what she does, therefore she’s not good at what she does. It’s like an impossible.

Laci (01:05:25):

It’s about right, because if you find someone that is just as good as you or a little bit better, you’ve just replaced you.

Matt (01:05:30):

Right.

Laci (01:05:31):

Right. You

Matt (01:05:32):

Doing

Laci (01:05:32):

A good job equals you being obsolete.

Matt (01:05:35):

The other thing is just the way that Meryl Streep is shot is so classic. It’s like Indiana Jones being revealed in the movie. You’re like, “Holy shit, there she is. ” Where you don’t see her face until the elevator opens on her. She’s

Laci (01:05:47):

Never fucking looked better. She’s gorgeous in this movie. Everything she wears, the way she talks, she handles herself. It’s also Meryl Streep, but it’s also chic and in control.

Matt (01:06:00):

And the movie trailer was just like this scene and teasing her. And there was something so exciting. I didn’t give a fuck about fashion or anything, but I saw the trailer and it was like, “Oh, fuck yeah, this looks awesome.” I’ve never seen Meryl Streep like this.

Laci (01:06:14):

Not your mother’s Meryl

Matt (01:06:16):

Streep. No, she’s not.

Laci (01:06:17):

She’s got pants suits.

Matt (01:06:19):

And just those pauses she takes. I don’t know. There’s something so condescending about them.

Laci (01:06:24):

Am I reaching for the stars? I mean, just pawnchy. Look at her.

Matt (01:06:28):

So yeah, send her in. Send her in Emily Blunt and I love Emily Blunt going over to Andy to Anne Hathaway and see you.

Laci (01:06:36):

I love all the whispering, all the … Okay, we’ll sort this out. It’s just so real. It’s like, okay, we’re allowed to have problems if no one knows about them. Right,

Matt (01:06:46):

Exactly. Yes. Just

Laci (01:06:48):

Be a voice.

Matt (01:06:49):

Never, ever ask questions, but also you know what will get you in trouble more than anything is never asking questions. That’s

Laci (01:06:54):

Right. Both. Why didn’t you ask me?

Matt (01:06:56):

So Andy goes in, I think I could be a great job doing your assistant working. I’m

Laci (01:07:01):

Smart. I’m a fast learner and God darn it, people like me.

Matt (01:07:04):

And as she’s saying this, Miranda is not even looking up from the magazine she’s ruffling through, but then she says before today I’d never heard of her runway, or me. And Andy tells the truth. No, no, I hadn’t. You have no sense of style or fashion. And she’s like, “Well, I think that depends on your definition.” No, no. No,

Laci (01:07:20):

No, no. It wasn’t a question.

Matt (01:07:23):

So she starts talking about how she won a national journalism award for her series on the janitor’s unions. And as she does, Meryl Streep is just waving her away.

Laci (01:07:32):

Right, because I don’t know why this job would require you to be a great writer. What does that have to fucking do with

Matt (01:07:37):

Anything?That is how you get in. And what the fuck does being an assistant have to do with writing and research?

Laci (01:07:44):

Right. And if ultimately this is a big tower of publications and it’s all just a mill for people to get their foot in the door so they can do the thing they actually want, then how do you keep valuable people in these very important jobs that are not writing positions? Even the janitor just wants to write, cafeteria worker. I’d like to write. Well, but we need the cafeteria

Matt (01:08:04):

As

Laci (01:08:05):

Well.

Matt (01:08:05):

So she’s like, “Well, you know what? Fine. I’ll give a big speech.” She’s like, “Yeah, I may not know anything about fashion, but guess what? I put my teeth on one tooth at a time and as she is doing this, the camera zooms in on Meryl Streeper G, takes her glasses off.”

Laci (01:08:21):

Oh my goodness.That’s

Matt (01:08:22):

What I’m saying about every choice is the most obvious choice you could think of.

Laci (01:08:26):

She’s really stopped me in my tracks. So

Matt (01:08:28):

She leaves the building, but then gets Emily Blunt’s like, “Oh, Andrea, oh bother. Oh, you’ve got the job in it. Come on up

Laci (01:08:36):

Then.” And now we meet this fucking rip rioting friend circle of two guys, two girls. I don’t know.

Matt (01:08:46):

Adrian Grenier as Nate, the most villainous name of all Nate. Yeah. A rich summer … Well, so this is two years after entourage starts and this scene is shot like an episode of Entourage. It looks terrible with the camera swooping around their fancy dinner.

Laci (01:09:00):

Yeah, but it also shot like fucking casino or Goodfellas.

Matt (01:09:05):

No, it’s shot like a commercial for a casino.

Laci (01:09:09):

Or a good fella. It’s a good fella commercial.

Matt (01:09:12):

Rich Summer. This is one year before Mad Men starts. And then Tracy Toms as Lily, we last saw her in Death Proof. Check out our episode about

Laci (01:09:19):

Death Proof. That’s where I fucking know her. Jesus Christ. I couldn’t figure it out.

Matt (01:09:23):

She’s the one who drives the car. Much more likable in that movie. I think these are the worst four people I’ve ever seen in a movie.

Laci (01:09:30):

Well, they’re just overreacting to a lot. And this is a really hard job to get. You guys are all making fun of it. You don’t seem to understand how elite this is. I also am making fun of it. That’s kind of my thing. I’m self-deprecating. But the gay guy seems to understand though this is a big fucking deal. If he’s the one that knows these things, can we all just accept that and then congratulate Andy and then be understanding when she needs time to adjust to this really high … These guys are assholes. I

Matt (01:10:03):

Never thought Rich Summer was gay. I thought that- What? No, I thought he was her boyfriend. He was great. Tracy Tom’s boyfriend. And they’re doing some 2006 homophobic panic because he knows things about fashion.

Laci (01:10:15):

No, no, no. He’s gay because she even … Tracy? She’s like, “I’ve got someone introduce you to … ” She sets him up.

Matt (01:10:24):

That would explain them why he then said that. He says like, “Oh, sex and photography or whatever it is he says.”

Laci (01:10:30):

We’re a threesome couple.

Matt (01:10:32):

That didn’t compute with my understanding of the situation, so I discarded it. But okay, that makes sense,

Laci (01:10:37):

Laci. When there’s two men and two women, they must be paired off together. What I read is that they’re just college friends. They’ve known each other for a long time and there’s got to be a reason why. And they’re all in New York, so it’s not like they all were born and raised there, most likely. So I’m just like, you’ve been friends for a really long fucking time, but you just finished …

Matt (01:10:58):

No, we just finished college. Here we are eating this fancy fucking meal. We all have great jobs and we’re all like, “Huh, my job sucks, but hey.”

Laci (01:11:07):

You opened a bottle of fucking wine at a fancy restaurant, I’ll bet that … Nate works at a restaurant with cloth with paper napkins. It looks pretty fucking nice to me.

Matt (01:11:18):

All right. It’s our first day. It’s Andy’s first day, but she’s woken up even earlier than she expected to wake up and Emily Blunt’s like, “Oh, Balava, please come, please go get the

Laci (01:11:27):

Tray of stuff.” Something’s happening. It is an emergency. You have not woken up yet, but here is so many instructions and now my anxiety starts. She’s not writing it down. She’s not even awake.

Matt (01:11:37):

I have always been confused about why people in an office will get Starbucks. You have coffee in the office and if you don’t like it, you say, “We need to get a coffee machine that I like. ” But this has been a staple of every place I’ve worked with her. Okay, we’ll get our Starbucks order. Because

Laci (01:11:52):

It’s a treat. You can go and get coffee and a pinch, yes. But to start off your day with the treat, I think I understand

Matt (01:11:59):

That. Best explanation I’ve ever heard. Thank you. I will never question this again.

Laci (01:12:01):

And you are welcome.

Matt (01:12:02):

Carrying a tray of Starbucks either makes you look like the most poised person in the world or like the most rattled person in the world. There is no in between.

Laci (01:12:09):

Oh, interesting. I’m definitely the first one that … Or second, the bad one. I’m the bad one. You’re

Matt (01:12:14):

The bad

Laci (01:12:15):

One.

Matt (01:12:16):

I’m the … And so she arrives late for the job and Emily Blunt’s like, “Listen, if you fuck up this job, it’s my head on the chopping block, don’t you say?”

Laci (01:12:22):

Yeah, but Miranda’s the one that hired her because you can’t hire anyone. So I’d say Miranda’s on the chopping block for once.

Matt (01:12:28):

And so she’s onboarding her onto the job. Your job is you always got to be right here and answer the phone. Never, ever leave the desk ever. Never allowed to go to the bathroom or anything.

Laci (01:12:35):

And Anne Hathaway’s like, “But what if I need to … ” No, never. Obviously saying she needs to pee sometimes. That’s not happening. We don’t pee when we need to. You could lose a billion dollar deal from Miranda if you leave this desk.

Matt (01:12:48):

But also remember, you’re just the grunt who gets coffee. I manage her schedule.

Laci (01:12:53):

Right. Well, how am I going to go get coffee if I’m at the desk?

Matt (01:12:56):

Most importantly, I get to go to Paris with her for fashion week in the fall. It’s

Laci (01:13:00):

Very child. It’s very childish. I could do this and that and this and can’t you believe it? And I mean, it’s just hard to believe that they formed any kind of a real relationship with her acting like this all the time.

Speaker 3 (01:13:10):

Yeah,

Laci (01:13:11):

I don’t believe. Yeah. I mean, because there’s hardly a soft little chewy inside in there. And it seems like even with Emily’s friend that she talks to, it’s all just gossip. I

Matt (01:13:24):

Think that just she’s great. Emily Blunt’s great. I think that when they’re at the Met Gala and Andy- Helps her. Helps her. You think she would be threatened and instead she looks genuinely touched. And after that, the softening happens. And so I think it’s not handled that well, but I can see it in the performance at least. But I mean, this is just such a great character who you will meet if you go work in a corporate environment of the person who drank the Kool-Aid and takes just lords over you as a petty tyrant.

Laci (01:13:56):

Well, has waited a really long time to not be number two. So she’s couldn’t have just lord the fuck out of number one position. She shouldn’t be given power.

Matt (01:14:05):

And it’s such a snob about the power, about the things that she knows from having worked here, the just bullshit that she learned about. I know about

Laci (01:14:12):

That

Matt (01:14:12):

Thermostat. Yeah, exactly. You

Laci (01:14:14):

Thoght the forks were in that drawer? Fucking idiot. You know what I mean? About fashion. You’re

Matt (01:14:18):

Right. We haven’t had them in that drawer since two years ago, idiot. But she has a picture on her desktop of Parish. Paris, I like that because …

Laci (01:14:26):

Aspirational.

Matt (01:14:28):

Aspirational. I had the Manhattan skyline at my first job out of college because I wanted people to know I’m not long for this job. I’m going to New York City.

Laci (01:14:36):

Oh, Matt.

Matt (01:14:38):

Ew. I say these things knowing how they sound. Supporting

Laci (01:14:41):

You. Supporting how stupid that is. Supported.

Matt (01:14:46):

So she’s got … Miranda tonight needs the mock up of the magazine. They call this the book. I

Laci (01:14:51):

Want to look at that so bad. I love how much it looks like a scrapbook. I was just

Matt (01:14:55):

Pieced

Laci (01:14:55):

Together.

Matt (01:14:56):

I know. It

Laci (01:14:56):

Looks like-

Matt (01:14:56):

Oh,

Laci (01:14:57):

I want to put stuff in it.

Matt (01:14:58):

And every time we get a new mockup, you have to deliver it to her at her house. That doesn’t happen until very late at night.

Laci (01:15:05):

It’s every single night. You wait for the book every single night.

Matt (01:15:07):

Every single night. Something

Laci (01:15:08):

New happens to it every single day. And it is not ready until 10:30 at night where you get it and bring it to Miranda’s house

Matt (01:15:15):

Every night. Every night she’s doing this, my God. I don’t

Laci (01:15:18):

Know if they get off on the weekends, but they are on call on the weekends.

Matt (01:15:22):

And she’s delivering this by making it simultaneously sound like, and this is the most unpleasant task in the world, but I’m the one who has to do it/gets to do it. She’s great at delivering it in such a way that lets you know. I cherish the fact that I’m this abused person who has to do this every night. So then Nigel, Stanley Tucci, drops off some shoes for Andy, some heels. So Andy’s not wearing stylish shoes. And she’s like, “I don’t even need these.” And Stanley Tucci’s like, “You will, honey.” Andy goes off, has to do a bunch of errands. And when she gets back, we meet Giselle Bunchin as the other woman who works in their office, whose character name I don’t remember, but just-

Laci (01:16:02):

Giselle’s fine.

Matt (01:16:03):

Just a famous, famous model in the movie.

Laci (01:16:08):

There’s several famous models in the movie, in the opening scene at least, and every now and then in the background.

Matt (01:16:13):

This is the one I know because of football.

Laci (01:16:15):

Good for you. It does she play football.

Matt (01:16:17):

She was married to Tom Brady. Was married to Tom Brady.

Laci (01:16:20):

But then he kissed all the kids on the lips.

Matt (01:16:22):

Andy gets back. Yeah. Yeah. So Giselle comes in and she’s like, “Time for lunch darling.” And Emily Blunt’s like, “We’re going off to eat lunch. I get 20 minutes and you only get 15, you bitch.” Do you get

Laci (01:16:33):

Down to the fucking cafeteria and through the line in that amount of time?

Matt (01:16:36):

No, you can’t.

Laci (01:16:36):

Look how stupid she looks. Look how fucking stupid with her. Her hair’s so thick and weird and her dumb bangs. I got a ladle. I’m going to put chowder in my cup.

Matt (01:16:45):

Yeah, she’s putting corn chowder in her cup. You’re part of the problem, your misogyny. She

Laci (01:16:53):

Looks like curtains.

Matt (01:16:54):

She looks like curtains. And you probably hate her miney granger too.

Laci (01:16:59):

No, I like her.

Matt (01:17:00):

Goes to the cafeteria, ladles. I like out of ladle. Ladles corn chowder into her bowl. And Stanley Tucci’s like, “Oh, hey, you big fat cow eating chowder, eh?” And she’s like, “What’s the big deal? It’s not like I’m going to be in fashion forever.” And he says-

Laci (01:17:13):

She never misses an opportunity to say that. That’s not really the point.

Matt (01:17:18):

She’s an asshole. Yeah. That’s

Laci (01:17:19):

Not the point they’re making. We get it. We get it. You’re above us. We are beneath you. We are being sillies. Why isn’t this cafeteria stocked with almonds and air? Whatever, Andy.

Matt (01:17:30):

On the other hand, you should not tell your coworkers like, “Hey, you look fat.”

Laci (01:17:34):

Well, but on the other hand, you should not tell your coworkers, “Hey, I have one foot out the door. Should you invest time in me? “

Matt (01:17:40):

No, of course. I never actually told him people I worked with that.

Laci (01:17:46):

Oh, okay. You just had a giant picture of New York on your mother that said, “That’s going to be here.” Inside joke

Matt (01:17:52):

With myself.

Laci (01:17:53):

That’s the most important kind. But yeah, any employer that watches the figures of their staff is fucked. Yeah, of course.

Matt (01:18:02):

Ruth Bader Ginsburg did that.

Laci (01:18:03):

What a bitch.

Matt (01:18:05):

And she would be like, “You need to go to yoga with me if you were a young woman.”

Laci (01:18:08):

You had to go with her.

Matt (01:18:09):

Please join your own funny God. But yeah, he’s lecturing, “This is a billion dollar industry and you don’t tkit.” And she’s like, “I’m not going to be … ” He’s like, “Oh my God, Miranda needs us right now. Got to run back to her office for the run through.”

Laci (01:18:23):

And she just puts her soup down. I go, okay.

Matt (01:18:26):

Someone

Laci (01:18:26):

Has to pick it up.

Matt (01:18:27):

In the audio mix, he throws the bowl away and you hear in the audio mix, “Hey.” So they run to the elevator and here we meet the publisher of Elias Clark, Mr. Rabbits, Irv Rabbits. And he makes a comment to Nigel about like, “Hey, Miranda’s moving up the run through. How much does that cost me? $300,000.” And then he says something like, “Huh, there must be some really … ” I don’t know. He makes it seem like, yeah, that’s why we love Miranda. Miranda always gets what we want, what she wants. She knows about

Laci (01:18:55):

Those coats.

Matt (01:18:56):

But it’s a clue. He’s not happy about Miranda’s expenses.

Laci (01:19:01):

She built this fucking empire swine.

Matt (01:19:06):

And then in the most famous scene of the movie, the most celebrated, the best scene of the movie, she goes into Miranda’s office in the Cirolian sweater and Miranda’s barking at everybody for being bad at their jobs.

Laci (01:19:22):

Why am I the only one that came to work today? Am I reaching for the stars? I love all of her little comments. But this right here, you were saying who could do it? Could anyone in this room do it? None of the people that are standing in this room could recite what she could remember what she is remembering. She eats, lives and breathes this stuff. To some extent, other people do have a home life. She doesn’t. She’s looking at the book, thinking about the book, putting it together, and then when she goes home, she’s got it again. I mean, I’m just saying.

Matt (01:19:52):

I think capitalism produces people like that. Given the opportunity, there would be thousands more people like her. But the point isn’t that she isn’t talented or special. It’s that in a billion dollar industry, individuals don’t matter.You’re still a cog in a system, but we’ll just watch the scene. It’s the best scene in the movie.

Speaker 4 (01:20:11):

Both those belts look exactly the same to me. I’m still learning about this stuff and …

Speaker 3 (01:20:18):

This stuff? Oh, okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select, I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue. It’s not turquoise. It’s not lapis. It’s actually serulean. And you’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of serum gowns. And then I think it was If Salaron, wasn’t it? Who showed Cirulian military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then Serulian quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you no doubt fished it out of some clearance bin.

(01:21:17):

However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs. And it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when in fact you’re wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.

Matt (01:21:36):

It is haunting to think like, “Oh, there is no free will. There’s nothing. We are automatons responding to the whatever the market gives us.” That is my personality. I am the three of them. You only pick what the market

Laci (01:21:48):

Gives us.

Matt (01:21:49):

That’s what I’m saying, but there’s nothing outside the market. So you can think fashion. I exist outside of fashion. But the fashion industry has served you the thing that perfectly represents you and you can’t actually think of anything that exists outside the system. It’s interesting. It’s like THX 1138 by George Lucas. What are you looking at me for that?

Laci (01:22:12):

Bored.

Matt (01:22:13):

I know you are. We need to end our podcast. You don’t care. You don’t care about my thoughts. You’re

Laci (01:22:18):

Being a real fourth husband right now.

Matt (01:22:21):

So fucking Miranda. Montage of Miranda throwing jackets at Andy, barking confusing demands at her. “You mean I got to walk your dog?

Laci (01:22:31):

“But I like how they transition through all the days that are going by by a new person, like a new designer person who well known jacket. The two people who are in fashion, they’re like, ” That’s that bag. That’s that bad.You can add it all up. This woman’s got millions of dollars in purses.

Matt (01:22:48):

“I don’t know nothing about fashion, so I don’t understand any of that. I was just like, ” Time is going by because of montage. “But Andy has dinner with her dad who’s like, ” Honey, I don’t want you to go behind on your rent, so here’s a big envelope full of cash.

Laci (01:22:59):

“How did you know? “Oh mom, I’m going to kill her. Fuck off, Andy. You told your mom so that your dad would know that because you knew you were going to dinner with him and now you’re going to fucking chitchat if this whole visit wasn’t just so you could get some goddamn money. Why don’t you just do a bank transfer and quit wasting this man’s time?” Look at his face. He’s so tired. He’s so tired and so ugly.

Matt (01:23:20):

They’re going to go see Chicago on Broadway though. What he? He tells her like, “I still think this job’s beneath you. You’re not riding and you could be going to Stanford Law School.”

Laci (01:23:31):

Yeah.

Matt (01:23:32):

I’m 40 years old. My mom still will sometimes ask me if I’m going to law school. So this never ends, but have this lovely dinner with her dad and then Miranda calls and is like, “I’m stuck in Miami because of okay.” It is

Laci (01:23:43):

Very stressful though because you think, okay, this will end the dinner. And instead she spends the entire time on the phone dragging him behind, accidentally closing doors on him. He’s yelling at her, trying to help her, but it’s just a miserable time. The whole time Andrea’s desperately trying to find Miranda a flight out of Florida during a hurricane and you think she’ll do it.

Matt (01:24:08):

She says, “This is your job. This is your job, Andrea.” But including she goes into Chicago with her dad even while this is going on.

Laci (01:24:18):

Right. Maybe cancel what you’re doing and actually concentrate on one or the other. You’re not doing a good job at either one because you can’t stop and do one.

Matt (01:24:27):

Yeah.

Laci (01:24:28):

This is part of her not trying in the job. If this really is life or death, this really is going to be your job or not be your job.

Matt (01:24:36):

That is a shitty feeling like I went into a movie having just had an unpleasant phone call or whatever. And it’s just like the whole thing is

Laci (01:24:42):

Ruined. Yeah.

Matt (01:24:43):

And neither of you

Laci (01:24:44):

Are having fun.

Matt (01:24:45):

Eventually you hope to … At least I’m at a place where I know and so I just cancel my plans. Sorry, leaving this concert. I know that sucks. I know I’m a bummer, but I would not be having fun. There’s no point in me going in. So then we cut ahead and Miranda’s chastising her. I standed in Miami. I was the girls. And she’s like-

Laci (01:25:07):

This is when she storms off and goes and cries to Stanley Tucci. She just hates me. I’m doing such a good job. Where’s my pat on the back?

Matt (01:25:16):

Because she says, “Do you know why I hired you? I always hire the same girl. She worships me. She worships runway. Wow. But you had an impressive resume and the big speech I thought you’d be different.” So I said, “Go ahead, hire the smart fat girl.” But you ended up disappointing me more than any of the other silly girls. Just so, just acidic.

Laci (01:25:39):

Ouch. Hurts me, even though I know it’s not about me. And she’s looking for some sort of camaraderie with Stanley Tucci here. But he finally tells her what he thinks of like, “Andy, you’ve got promise, you’re smart, you’re doing all the things, but you’re an asshole. You’re like, you’re not making anyone feel good to be around you. You’re not a team player. You think what we do is dumb. We’re working our asses off in front of you and you’re trying to keep up, but at the same time thinking, this is so beneath me. ” I don’t know. You’re not a person to root for right now, my girl.

Matt (01:26:17):

She starts it off by saying she hates me, which is like- Who cares? Epic misread of this situation. She barely knows who you are. You’re just not doing your job.

Laci (01:26:27):

Right. You seem to be thinking you couldn’t possibly be doing more, but your whole attitude about this place and your job and your role, and it has been shit since you got here.

Matt (01:26:37):

So he says, “So quit.” And she’s like, “What? I don’t want to quit.” And he’s like, “Okay, well, when I do something right, she doesn’t thank me, but when I do something wrong, she’s so mean and vicious.” So quit. Says, “A million other girls would kill for this opportunity.” She’s like, “But I’m trying my best.” No, you’re not trying. You’re whining. And then fashion is art. It’s bigger than art because it’s what you wear. You live your life in art.

Laci (01:27:02):

It’s a beacon of hope. It saved him. It gave him purpose. This is his dream job. He has landed it. Here he is while this girl is here complaining about someone else’s dream job that she’s filling the spot for. It’s like, I could be here with another person that’s super grateful like I am or I could be here with you complaining about not getting a pat on the head. Go away, Andy, or buy in.

Matt (01:27:25):

Yeah. And if you only dean to work here, you’re wondering why she doesn’t kiss your ass. Wake up, sweetheart. And she’s like, “You’re right. I am screwing it up, but maybe Nigel, you can show me what to do. ” And he’s like, “Oh no. Oh yes.” And this is problem number one I have with a screenplay is just as an arc. It’s like all she had to do was decide I’m going to take this seriously. And that’s it. Now she’s successful.

Laci (01:27:46):

Well, because she is smart, but smart without passion or caring about the mission or whatever, I guess gets us not where we need to. I don’t know what the fucking moral is. Yeah, I just don’t think- But now she gets to wear the outfits.

Matt (01:28:01):

Now she gets the wear the ups.

Laci (01:28:02):

She’s wearing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of clothes on her. I don’t understand. He goes into the closet and says there’s hardly going to be any sizes that fit her. There’s no size sixes. Maybe some large fours she could squeeze herself into, but she proceeds to have an outfit for every single day. She’s not buying this stuff. She can’t. So she’s just in the closet, taking all the things.

Matt (01:28:23):

And she looks fabulous.

Laci (01:28:24):

Of course she looks fabulous, but how come every girl there can’t do that? Why

Matt (01:28:28):

Is it

Laci (01:28:28):

Their little secret?

Matt (01:28:29):

That’s what I’m saying.That’s what annoys me about this.

Laci (01:28:32):

They don’t explain why it is she gets so much access. Why her?

Matt (01:28:37):

Get another montage. This movie’s so many montages. This one’s set to Vogue by Madonna. And I nudged Laci and I was like, “That’s Vogue by Madonna.” I’m proud of this because I just learned what this song is.

Laci (01:28:46):

Which you should not admit.

Matt (01:28:47):

Hey, babe, this is Vogue by Madonna. And Laci’s like, “Thank you, Matt.” You’re welcome. She’s handled the job beautifully. She’s answering the phone. She’s answering the

Laci (01:28:59):

Phone.

Matt (01:29:00):

She’s not panicking. She’s just picking Miranda Priestless.

Laci (01:29:02):

Right, right. And she knows what Miranda needs before Maranda asks for it. She’s a step ahead.

Matt (01:29:08):

Which Miranda notices, and so she’s throwing more wrinkles in there. Do you think Miranda’s doing this on purpose?

Laci (01:29:14):

A couple times, yes. But I think she’s also pleased. It’s only when she breaks the cardinal sin of witnessing Miranda being a human. I mean, come on, Andy. There’s two rules and Emily was very explicit about what not to do just because the little girls are like, “Come up, come play with us.” That’s some shining shit right there, man. This is- I’m

Matt (01:29:38):

So proud of myself for my shining joke. Damn it. And you beat me to it. She goes to meet with her council of evil friends and they’re like, “Andy…” Well, she has gifts because you get so many gifts because Miranda gets so many gifts from all these important people and she doesn’t even want them. So, my stuff can have

Laci (01:29:55):

Them. It’s expensive shit though, what she’s got. I mean, that purse is a thousand bucks. Sucks. And then she wants to play keep away with her goddamn phone. Me answering the phone is what got you the purse.

Matt (01:30:07):

What happens then?

Laci (01:30:08):

I’m so sorry. She’s with her friends and she gives these gifts. They want some clinique. Do you want some this? And they’re all so excited to take it. Everyone, but Nate doesn’t get anything. He doesn’t care about this sort of stuff. But they’re still giving her shit about the dragon lady or whatever it is they say. And then the phone rings and they’re like, oh, I’ll bet it’s Miranda. Why? Because it’s the fucking Miranda phone. And they snatch it from her and play Keepaway and she’s not supposed to miss a call. It’s not supposed to go to voicemail. That’s going to cost her a whole thing at work. And it doesn’t matter that they don’t understand that they should fucking respect her enough to not put her through that or make her explain it. It’s just the dickish most … They are being dicks, but she’s the dick later because she showed up to the fucking art exhibition wrong.

(01:30:52):

A man touched her cheek.

Matt (01:30:53):

You’re all 23 years old. You just got out of an elite college. This is the time in your life when you are a slave to a boss and jumping to catch your phone.

Laci (01:31:01):

When strange men do kiss your cheek.

Matt (01:31:03):

Yeah, exactly.

Laci (01:31:04):

It’s that kiss on the cheek. The Andy I knew wouldn’t have accepted that. What would you have done? Get off me.

Matt (01:31:12):

You’ve really drank the Kool-Aid, babe. Nate says to her. So Miranda calls. She has to go, oh my gosh, you got to go pick up something from party. So she goes to this swanky party being thrown by the fashion designer, James Holt.

Laci (01:31:23):

But who’s a real fashion designer? I don’t know if this

Matt (01:31:25):

Is not him

Laci (01:31:26):

Playing him.

Matt (01:31:26):

No. At least not in the-

Laci (01:31:28):

Oh, he’s a stand-in for Madden.

Matt (01:31:30):

That’s who it

Laci (01:31:30):

Is.

Matt (01:31:31):

All I kept thinking was Steve Holt from Reston Development.

Laci (01:31:34):

And then she needs to meet the dreamy Christian with no ile brows. He’s so weird.

Matt (01:31:38):

Simon Baker, who’s like the other unlikeable, super unlikable actor from this era. He got two of them in one movie.

Laci (01:31:45):

Who’s the first one? Oh, Anne Hathaway. I don’t find-

Matt (01:31:47):

Adrian Grenier.

Laci (01:31:49):

Oh, okay.

Matt (01:31:51):

Just both villains to look at.

Laci (01:31:52):

Anne Heathway. I don’t find him off putting. And I think he’s got good tips. I think he’s helpful. I think he actually likes Andy. He’s just in the industry.

Matt (01:32:03):

Oh, he’s the most off-putting looking guy and he’s just like, “Oh her. I’m Christian Thompson.” She’s like, “You write for every amazing publication in the city you’ve written for the New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic. I loved your articles about how maybe we don’t need Palestinians anymore.” Yeah. And he’s like, “Hey, you look like kind of a writer yourself.” Also, he got some sexy bodies on you.

Laci (01:32:24):

He got some sexy baddies.

Matt (01:32:26):

Look at them, two puppies. How are you? And he’s like, “Hey, well, why don’t you send me some of your samples of writing and I’ll take a look

Laci (01:32:31):

At them.” He actually read them and he’s actually

Matt (01:32:33):

Going to- I loved your piece about the woman who needed a bus for her son.

Laci (01:32:37):

I hope he got it.

Matt (01:32:38):

So James Holt, big fashion designer that they’re partnering up with, they’re partnering up with, and he’s got a big collection that they’re going to debut. And Miranda’s just like, “Hey, fuck you all. So let’s move up the big preview.” And they’re like, “Oh God, okay.” Go watch this preview and the models, they’re showing off their stuff. And this is funny. We have Stanley Tucci’s voiceover explaining Miranda has a scale. One nod is good. Two nods is very good. There’s only been one actual smile on record. If she doesn’t like it, she shakes her head. And of course the person- The purse

Laci (01:33:11):

Lips.

Matt (01:33:12):

And as he says this, she is pursing her lips in real time.

Laci (01:33:15):

At the dress that he designed specifically for her to wear too, I guess what this movie’s version of like the Met Gala is, which is that, I mean, these pieces would have taken him all year to create. So the fact that he just has to now make a new … I mean, if it’s not going to end up in runway magazine, there’s no point. They might as well be in a void.

Matt (01:33:33):

And I love the way that he plays and the model plays it. She looks devastated and he looks over and he just shakes her. Or no, he says, “Just go. Just go. “

Laci (01:33:46):

Just get the fuck out of here.

Matt (01:33:48):

And then afterward, Andy’s like, “She’s really a fashion lady, isn’t she?” And he’s like, “You don’t get it, Andy. Miranda’s opinion is the only…”This is what Stanley Hughes sounds like. Miranda’s opinion is the only one that matters.

Speaker 3 (01:33:59):

Okay.

Matt (01:34:00):

And so Miranda is like, they’re coming out, Andy, here’s a lot of stuff you have to do. And she’s like, “I actually took care of all of that, anticipated the questions and answered them preemptively.” And she’s like, “Well, fine then. You shall deliver me the book at my home tonight.”

Laci (01:34:12):

Wow. I get to have more sleep deprivation. That

Matt (01:34:15):

Means she’s trusted. And so Emily Blunt seething with resentment as Andy tells her, “I get to bring the book tonight.” And Emily Blunt’s like, “Well, there’s a lot of rules. You put the book on the table with the flowers. You never talk to anybody or make eye contact with anybody. You only keep yourself confined to the little entrance way.” Andy goes into the house, there’s 14 tables with flowers.

Laci (01:34:37):

There are three closets across from the stairs.

Matt (01:34:41):

And these two fucking twins from the shining pop up in this vortex of stairs.

Laci (01:34:46):

Yeah, look how many layers. Is that three story house?

Matt (01:34:51):

Four.

Laci (01:34:52):

One, two, three. There’s four. Fuck shit. That’s a high rise.

Matt (01:34:56):

And they’re like, “Hello, hello.” Bring us the book and they- Just

Laci (01:35:01):

Bring it up yourself. We don’t just do it.

Matt (01:35:03):

Emily does it all the time. This is the stupidest Emily or Andy is in the whole movie. Listen to this. Yes,

Laci (01:35:10):

This is very dumb. These are clearly evil twins. That’s how they are. Their mother is Miranda. Hello.

Matt (01:35:16):

Walks up the stairs to bring the book to them, but she passes by Miranda and her husband and her husband sing. Miranda, everyone in that restaurant could see me and I knew they were thinking there he is waiting for her again.

Laci (01:35:30):

Wow.

Matt (01:35:30):

You embarrassed me. So

Laci (01:35:32):

Sad.

Matt (01:35:32):

You bitch. And Miranda makes eye contact with Andy and just gives her an ice stand for the ages.

Laci (01:35:39):

Well, Miranda’s personal life does not leak into anywhere. If it ended up on page six, it would matter because it already will be when there’s a divorce. Like this is gossip. This is something she could have sold to the tabloids if she wanted to. It’s just a huge invasion. And Miranda has to be very guarded about her personal shit. So what the fuck, Andy?

Matt (01:36:03):

So as vengeance, she gives her an impossible task. Right before Andy talks to Emily, one’s like, “Yeah, you’re going to get fired.You’re probably going to get fired.” So Miranda calls her in and Hathaway’s like, “Well, here I go. I’m going to get fired.” She’s like, “Hey, I need the new Harry Potter book.” She’s like, “Okay, no problem. I’ll go to Best Buy.” No. Best

Laci (01:36:22):

Buy.

Matt (01:36:23):

Best Buy. Barnes and Noble. No Philistine. Not the old Harry Potter book. We want the one that isn’t going to come out for another year and a half. She’s like, “Well, how am I theft today that? ” Just like, “We know everyone in publishing. It shouldn’t be a big deal. Okay. And you can do anything, right?” Yeah, this book wouldn’t come out for another year and she says- I’m sure it’s pure shit.

Laci (01:36:48):

Spelling hers?

Matt (01:36:49):

I was thinking they should have just had her write the book. That’s real dedication. If she just wrote herself- She was

Laci (01:36:55):

Doing their science project. Why

Matt (01:36:57):

Can’t she

Laci (01:36:57):

Also write them? Just finish it.

Matt (01:36:59):

So yeah, I need that book by three o’clock and I want my steak here in 15 minutes. And so Andy goes to Smith & Wilensky to pick up this beautiful steak, making panicked phone calls everywhere. “Do you have the Harry Potter book? Hello, Barnes & Noble. Do you have the unpublished Harry Potter book?” They’re like, “No, try someone else.” And then she sees a bus ad for this stupid New Yorker writer, Christian Thompson, like a Sex of the City.

Laci (01:37:21):

Yeah, everyone is what? Do they have bus ads for these people?

Matt (01:37:27):

No. No. She calls up, she’s like, “Is there something you can do? ” And he’s like, “Maybe. Let me get back to you. ” So she gets back to the office, gives Miranda her steak, and Miranda’s like, “Hey, I don’t want that. ” And then tells her, “If you don’t have the book here at three o’clock, you’re fucking fired.” And so Andy throws the steak into the sink, a crime.

Laci (01:37:47):

It is a beautiful steak. Oh

Matt (01:37:49):

My God.

Laci (01:37:49):

And it’s just steak. Is she on the carnivore diet? So ahead of its time.

Matt (01:37:52):

Calls up Adrian Grenier and says, “I’m going to get fired. I’m going to quit before I can get fired.” And he’s like, “That’s the best news I’ve heard all die by. I’m going to make you grow trees when you get home.”

Laci (01:38:01):

That’s the only thing you seem to be able to cook, even though you work at a restaurant. Can you buy us meat? There’s

Matt (01:38:06):

$8 worth of Guda in there. But then she gets a phone call from Simon Baker and he’s like, “Actually, I know the woman who does the art for Harry Potter. And so she has the unpublished manuscript. Yeah, fucking right.” And he’s like, “Yeah, come over, come get a copy.” And she does. And she gives a copy to Miranda and Randa’s like, “What are my twins supposed to do with one gulpy?” She’s like, “Actually, I have it bound and have the twins. They each have their own copy.”

Laci (01:38:29):

So they didn’t feel like it was an unfinished book. Why do they fucking care? Why did you have to take that extra step? And who are you to contact the nanny instead of going straight to me? Why do you know my twin’s train schedule? Fucking creep.

Matt (01:38:42):

I know. And she’s like, then what is this? This is just a copy for our records. Oh, you’ve a paper trail for this incredible white collar crime. Thank you very much. But yeah, she accomplished the impossible. And so now Andy, Meryl Streep’s like, “Damn it, I have to hand it to that Andrea.” So Andrea, well first and Hathaway goes home and her boyfriend, Adrian Grenier comes in and he’s like, “I’m so happy you quit your job.” And she’s like, “Actually, I didn’t quit. And here I am doing my boss’s kids science fair projects. I did have a coworker who did our boss’s kids homework and it is a real thing. It

Laci (01:39:20):

Is a real thing.

Matt (01:39:21):

That happens.” But the next day there’s an editorial meeting, and this might be the only scene in the movie that Andy is not in, where we’re seeing Miranda lead this editorial meeting and she says, “I’m pulling the Tuban piece about the Supreme Court women, woman.” A couple things about that. One, Sandra Day O’Connor had retired, so now there was only one woman on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And by Tuban, she means Jeffrey Tubin, longtime writer for The New Yorker covering the Supreme Court. Now a man so famous for masturbating on a Zoom call that his name has become a verb to Tubin. To Tubin means to match me. Who was he

Laci (01:39:58):

On the call with?

Matt (01:39:59):

This was early in COVID and he was on a meeting and he thought his camera was off and he started masturbating and he lost his job at the New York. He’s kind of made a comeback. She moved in the door. But this is by far the thing he is known for now, despite being like a distinguished reporter for decades and decades.

Laci (01:40:18):

Who needs to masturbate so bad that they do it during the Zoom call?

Matt (01:40:20):

That is the question, isn’t it? And then Malcolm Gladwell wrote a big piece where he’s like, “I think Jeffrey Tubin was wronged. I don’t think he did anything wrong here.”

Laci (01:40:29):

What? Save it for after the … How long of a meeting? Was it a filibuster meeting? Is that the problem? Was it hours long?

Matt (01:40:37):

It’s just everyone’s going nuts now. It’s like no one knows what the rules are anymore. My work is my home. I’m taking out my dick. So Andy, she’s killing it at the job so much so that Emily Blunt comes down with the sniffles and Meryl Streep’s like, “Actually, I want Anne Hathaway at the Met Ball and you can come to Emily.” But that means that Andy needs to learn the entire guest list for the Met Gala by tonight.

Laci (01:41:00):

Which is ridiculous.

Matt (01:41:01):

They’re like, “So we got to go tonight and feed her information in her ear.” And what’s his name in Gary?

Laci (01:41:10):

Yes, the bag man.

Matt (01:41:12):

Is just tell Miranda, and this is the ambassador to Spain and that’s his wife. And Andy arrives at the ball looking very chic and Emily Blunt tells her, “You look so chic.” Anne says, “You look so thin.”

Laci (01:41:24):

Oh, thank you. That’s this new diet. I wait until I need to pass out and I eat one cube of cheese. I’m only one stomach who flew away from my gold weight.

Matt (01:41:33):

Emily Blunt says that is the line by far that is quoted the most to you ever in her whole career. People will just come up to her and say that. Yeah. “One stomach flew. Emily blood. I’m one stomach flew away.” At the ball, Andy is getting nervous because tonight was her boyfriend’s big birthday party where they were going to sing happy birthday at Chili’s.

Laci (01:41:50):

He’s turning 24. What a milestone.

Matt (01:41:53):

But this is where we meet the villainous Jacqueline, who runs French runway.

Laci (01:41:57):

And she has hair like Koella Deville.

Matt (01:42:00):

It’s kind of like, I don’t know, every country gets their own runway. So there’s British runway and French runway and these are like the minor leagues.

Laci (01:42:09):

It’s just the big fashion cities. French Vogue is a big deal.

Matt (01:42:13):

No, I think there’s a Cuban Vogue. I think there’s an Australian vote. I don’t know if you’re being serious enough. I’m kidding. Okay. Wow. No, but these are like the farm teams. And so this would be a potential rival. So clock her. And Miranda does not want to talk to her, but she has to.

Laci (01:42:29):

In fact, their schedules are staggered. She’s not even supposed to show up to the event until Miranda’s left.

Matt (01:42:35):

Emily Blunt sees a man approaching Miranda and freezes and can’t remember who it is. So Anne Hathaway swoops in, is like, “That’s the ambassador. That’s the woman he’s fucking now.” And Miranda is impressed and Emily Blunt gives her a like, “Good job. I like you now. You’re good at your job.” And so Andy leaves and she runs into Simon Baker and he’s like, “Hey, beautiful. We want to go make a porno with me. ” And she’s like, “No, I got to go see my boyfriend. No time for that. ” And he’s like, “Oh, come on, come on into the gala. I’ll introduce you to my editor at New York Magazine.” She’s like, “No, I got my boyfriend. I’m boyfriend.”

Laci (01:43:07):

But I read your stuff and now he’s going to read your stuff and you’re going to be a big time writer.

Matt (01:43:12):

Maybe some other time I’ll be a big time writer, but I got to go see my boyfriend about a birthday cake.

Laci (01:43:16):

She looks so weird. She’ll look at droopy candle. Everyone keeps saying how hot she looks in this outfit and it’s so unbecoming.

Matt (01:43:23):

I think she’s so hot in this picture.

Laci (01:43:24):

You do?

Matt (01:43:25):

Yeah.

Laci (01:43:26):

Okay.

Matt (01:43:26):

Oh my God. A woman who’s sorry.

Laci (01:43:29):

I don’t know if you’re serious or not. I don’t

Matt (01:43:31):

Know either.

Laci (01:43:33):

You think that dress looks good?

Matt (01:43:35):

I can never tell. I don’t know. I think a lot of what she wears is all the styler stuff looks stupid to me.

Laci (01:43:40):

I like most of what she wears. This just makes her look like she’s …

Matt (01:43:44):

She gets home. She’s carrying a stupid cupcake with a birthday

Laci (01:43:47):

Candle. My favorite bakery.

Matt (01:43:49):

That’s my favorite bakery. And he’s just pouting on the sofa and she’s sorry.

Laci (01:43:55):

He waited up for her just to be like-

Matt (01:43:57):

I know. “I

Laci (01:43:57):

Wanted you to see my facial son. I am. You beautiful boy.”

Matt (01:44:01):

Jamie Lee Curtis and True Lies forgave Arnold Schwarzenegger immediately.

Laci (01:44:05):

Sexism.

Matt (01:44:07):

Adrian Grenier, just forgive her, okay? And he’s like, “I don’t want to talk about it. I’m going above. Call.” Next day or it’s now the future. Andy is dropping some stuff off at Miranda’s house, being quiet as a mouse. No one’s supposed to notice me, but she hears a voice on trail. Calling her in, you’ve been called up. She comes up and Rail Street’s like, “Paris is the most important week of my entire year. It’s why I need the best possible team around me. ” And that no longer includes Emily. And Andy’s like, “Well, but Emily wants to go to Paris so bad have you seen her computer.” And Miranda’s like, “Yep, she’s not going. You’re going instead. And if you don’t go, I’ll assume you’re not serious about runway or any other publication.”

Laci (01:44:48):

That’s where she gets evil. Sure. Use it as a measure for, does she want to work here? And maybe I won’t give you a good … What the fuck am I trying to say? A good review. Reference. Recommendation. I mean, but don’t just tell her now you’re going to get blackballed. That’s fucked.

Matt (01:45:04):

But she’s being honest. That is what would happen. If you displease a boss even for something unreasonable, she wouldn’t say to other future employees- You mean because

Laci (01:45:14):

She was fired, it would be, well, you were fired.

Matt (01:45:17):

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Argue that’s more honorable that she’s laying out the stakes for you.

Laci (01:45:23):

Oh, I always took it as a threat, not as a warning.

Matt (01:45:26):

It is a threat, but it’s also-

Laci (01:45:28):

But if it’s real, then she can’t help who she is. If that’s the honest truth, then it is also a warning, which is not the same as a threat.

Matt (01:45:35):

Okay.

Laci (01:45:36):

It’s not.

Matt (01:45:36):

And Hathaway takes a very sad walk around New York City. Sad music is playing.

Laci (01:45:41):

I need to window shop. That’ll fly.

Matt (01:45:44):

How can I not let this … Emily Blunt, who would suffocate me with a pillow in a heartbeat to get to work one minute earlier, how can I tell her she’s not going to Paris and I am. But the next morning, this is a big deal to Miranda. She is saying like, “You got to prove it to me, bitch. Do it. Prove it. “

Laci (01:46:02):

And I want you to be the one to deliver the news because I don’t want to see her face and I want you to get it over with and do it now so I don’t have to see it happen.

Matt (01:46:07):

On the phone, call her right now. And you … Oh, and Miranda probably gave more assignments to Emily Blunt so that Emily Blunt could arrive for work late and have to

Laci (01:46:16):

Take this. She admits that she was supposed to get these scarves yesterday and she remembered, but then forgot and now she’s doing it this way. That’s why she’s so in a tizzy. She did forget to do something, but she’s still sick also.

Matt (01:46:27):

But she’s turning into Anne Hathaway. Now she’s the flustered one. She’s the one with a million bags out on the street. She pulls me back

Laci (01:46:34):

Into an Emily is what it is.

Matt (01:46:36):

Emily, I have bad news to tell you, but right before she can tell you the bad news, Emily Blunt gets hit by a bus or whatever. And we cut ahead to the hospital and Emily Blunt is very, very funny here. She eats pudding and tells her, “I don’t care if she was going to fire you or beat you with Red Hot Poka. You should have said no.” And Hathaway’s like, “No, I couldn’t say no, she wouldn’t let me. You know how she is. ” And Emily Blunt’s like, “No, that’s no excuse.”

Laci (01:47:05):

I mean, literally sacrifice your entire career for me, this person who’s barely been nice to you. I mean, I don’t know what she owes Emily here.

Matt (01:47:13):

She doesn’t owe Emily anything because this is not an environment that fosters any solidarity with your fellow workers. It’s the opposite. You are supposed to view each other as competition, but you sold your soul and you don’t deserve this. You eat carbs for Christ’s sake. I do like the running joke that Anne Hathaway is fat.

Laci (01:47:34):

I think it’s funny. Yeah, because she’s so thin.

Matt (01:47:37):

But things are looking up. She’s going- Come

Laci (01:47:38):

Look at my photos of windows.

Matt (01:47:40):

Yeah. So Tracy Tom’s character, again, 23 years old. “Hey, I’m having a big gala showing. Come look at all these photos I saw. “And

Laci (01:47:46):

We’ve been to gala showings because your brother’s a professional artist, but we know realistically the whole thing is space to show art is very limited. So you get a place, like a wall. This is a sprawling warehouse built of only her photos of windows and that’s just so impressive.

Matt (01:48:11):

And he’s like, ” Hey, come look at them. “No

Laci (01:48:13):

One takes window photos.

Matt (01:48:15):

Oh my God. Lily, your photos are amazing. The show’s amazing. They look

Laci (01:48:21):

Just like things a camera does.

Matt (01:48:24):

And so she’s going and getting lost in all the photos. She’s not just lying about how much she likes the photos. And then Simon Baker’s- Trying

Laci (01:48:30):

To walk through them because she’s confused

Matt (01:48:32):

Because it’s windows. That’s how good they are. And then Simon Baker comes, he’s like, ” Hey stranger, how about that porno? “And she’s like, ” You, come on.

Laci (01:48:39):

No.

Matt (01:48:40):

“I

Laci (01:48:40):

Couldn’t.

Matt (01:48:41):

And he’s like, ” I can’t stop thinking about you. “And she’s like, ” Well, you’re going to have to because I have a boyfriend, Mister.

Laci (01:48:48):

“Don’t you know?

Matt (01:48:49):

And he’s like, ” Well, maybe I’ll see you in Paris. “And she’s like, ” I’m going to Paris, but I’m going to have to work the whole time. “And he’s like, ” Oh, that’s too bad or whatever. “I don’t remember what he says. And then he kisses her on the cheek and Tracy Tom sees her was like, ” Andy, no.

Laci (01:49:03):

“All she would have had to do was say,” Oh, he’s British. They kiss on the cheek. “In fact, he doesn’t even like me. He didn’t do two cheeks.

Matt (01:49:13):

Oh my God. What an

Laci (01:49:13):

Idiot. No,

Matt (01:49:14):

That’s true, but she’s like the Tracy I, who are you? The Andy I know is in love with you. And you like clothes and your job and that’s foreign to me and alien. How

Laci (01:49:24):

Dare you show up at this and enjoy my work. You’re such a bad friend. The fuck are you talking about?

Matt (01:49:31):

And then she ends up by saying,” Have fun in Paris and then Adrian. And then

Laci (01:49:35):

Nate

Matt (01:49:35):

Shows

Laci (01:49:35):

Up. Who’s late, late Nate? But he’s supposed to be the best guy ever. You’re going to

Matt (01:49:41):

Paris. What?

Laci (01:49:43):

She’s happy. Oh God, yes.

Speaker 5 (01:49:48):

And what the hell is

Speaker 4 (01:49:49):

Wrong with you? I didn’t have a choice. Okay? Miranda asked me and I couldn’t say no.

Speaker 5 (01:49:53):

I know. That’s your answer for everything lately. I didn’t have a choice. Like this job was forced on you. Y don’t make these decisions yourself.

Speaker 4 (01:49:59):

You’re mad because I work late all the time and because I missed your birthday party and I’m sorry.

Speaker 5 (01:50:03):

Come on. What am I for?

Speaker 4 (01:50:05):

You hate runway and Miranda and you think fashion is stupid. You’ve made that clear.

Speaker 5 (01:50:10):

Andy. I make port wine reductions all day. I’m not exactly in the Peace Corps. I wouldn’t care if you were out there pole dancing all night, as long as you did it with a little integrity. You used to say this was just a job. You used to make fun of the runway girls. What happened? Now you’ve become one of them.

Speaker 4 (01:50:29):

That’s absurd.

Speaker 5 (01:50:30):

That’s okay. That’s fine. Just own up to it. And then we can stop pretending like we have anything in common anymore.

Speaker 4 (01:50:38):

You don’t mean that.

Laci (01:50:39):

This goes back to the question. What does it matter if you have common interests? Why does this matter? Because she likes to dress and …

Speaker 4 (01:50:50):

Maybe this trip is coming at a good time. Maybe we should take a break.

Matt (01:50:58):

So one of the thing, one of the legacies- We lived

Laci (01:50:59):

Together. I

Matt (01:51:01):

Know. One of the legacies of the movie is people being like, “Boy, that Nate really sucks, huh?” So in the oral history from Entertainment Weekly, Adrian Grenier addresses that. “When that whole thing about Nate being the real villain of the film first came out, I couldn’t get my head around it. I didn’t understand it. Perhaps it was because … I know I’m not supposed to read in people’s quotes in a voice. Perhaps it was because I wasn’t mature as a man, just as Nate probably could have used a little growing up. I was just as immature as him at the time, so I couldn’t see his shortcomings. But after taking time to reflect and much deliberation online of people

Speaker 3 (01:51:34):

Yelling

Matt (01:51:34):

At me that my character’s stupid. I can realize the truth in that perspective. Nate hadn’t grown up, but Andy had. She needed more out of life and she was achieving it. He couldn’t support her like she needed because he was a fragile, wounded boy on behalf of all the Nates out there. Come on, step it up.

Laci (01:51:50):

Thank you. Ariana Grande.

Matt (01:51:52):

And Anne Hathaway said kiss. What is his name?

Laci (01:51:55):

Adrian.

Matt (01:51:55):

Adrian Granier.

Laci (01:51:57):

Then how is that not Adriana Grande?

Matt (01:52:02):

Hathaway said,” I don’t think everybody’s being completely honest with themselves about their own poutiness. Nate was pouty on his birthday because his girlfriend wasn’t there. In hindsight, I’m sure he wishes he made a different choice, but who doesn’t? We’ve all been at brats at different points. We all just need to live. Let live and do better.

Laci (01:52:17):

“Okay. Anne, I don’t feel you needed to weigh in here. I feel like you said,” I see the last point. I also see the rights point and I also feel like I would like both sides to like me at the end of the day. So come she comes out.

Matt (01:52:31):

Isn’t that the most Anne Hathaway thing of all?

Laci (01:52:33):

We didn’t need it.

Matt (01:52:36):

So she arrives in Paris and I think this really is just these … It’s like Home Alone two of New York. Swept away. I’m excited. So swept away. Let’s just take a look because I

Laci (01:52:50):

Think it’s- Okay God, there’s a lot of … What the fuck? That is playing cars too.

Matt (01:53:00):

When Raider arrives.

Speaker 6 (01:53:02):

I don’t

Matt (01:53:02):

Know.

Laci (01:53:02):

All right. You don’t know? Okay.

Matt (01:53:05):

So yeah. Oh wow. Paris. I’m in Paris. The buzz, the excitement. The

Laci (01:53:09):

Buildings, the floor.

Matt (01:53:11):

The tile.

Laci (01:53:12):

The cobble songs.

Matt (01:53:13):

Whoa. And Andy’s following around Miranda. Oh, Miranda, Andrea, you must meet this fashion guy. Oh, Mr. Fashion guy well.

Laci (01:53:21):

Here’s some clothes. Everything’s like a Mardi Gras float when you’re walking by, like pants, jeans, purses, hair. Why is she going to get so many clothes from here? What are they doing with

Matt (01:53:30):

That? Oh wow. A laser pointer with Louis Vuitton.

Laci (01:53:35):

Here’s some lotion.

Matt (01:53:36):

Another tote bag. Thank you. You’re

Laci (01:53:39):

Going to get so many totes.

Matt (01:53:40):

Later she goes into Miranda’s room and sees Miranda without sounds, makeup.

Laci (01:53:45):

Well, okay, but her eyes have shrunk to like

Matt (01:53:47):

Butthole

Laci (01:53:48):

Lizard portraitions.

Matt (01:53:50):

Andrea, we have to address the seating chart because my husband won’t be coming and we need to move Snoop Doggy Dog. Why won’t your husband be coming? Because we’re getting a divorce. And we need a PR strategy to handle the divorce. And Marie Malstreep is incredible in this moment. Another divorce splashed across page six. Just imagine what they’re going to say. Snow Queen drags away another Mr. Priestly. But she says like, “It’s not that I care what they say about me. It’s just that my kids are going to see it. ” And to them, just another disappointment. And she’s using the word about herself that she has applied to all those silly girls she has hired. A disappointment.

Laci (01:54:24):

Oh yeah,

Matt (01:54:26):

I am. And Anne Halfway’s like, “Maybe I can connect with Mrs. Priestley in this moment as a human being. I am

Laci (01:54:31):

Seth side.” I see both your side and both your husband’s side. And I think pouting happens and then growth and then we should all just be happy at each other then. How about the Harry Potter book that I got?

Matt (01:54:46):

But Miranda shuts her the fuck down.

Laci (01:54:48):

No, no, no. Please move at a glacial pace. You know how much that thrills me. I love it.

Matt (01:54:57):

I

Laci (01:54:57):

Love

Matt (01:54:57):

Her. Incredible. She goes, Andy goes and talks to Stanley Tuche and he’s like, “I’m very excited. I have a wonderful opportunity to run a fucking clothes company with James Holt.” Miranda’s blessing. And this was Miranda’s idea that I run this, because this James Holt guy- Who are you waiting? He’s like expanding. They’re taking the public or the company public or whatever.

Laci (01:55:17):

We’re letting out the pants.

Matt (01:55:19):

And he says, “For the first time in 18 years, I’ll be able to call my own shots in life. I’ll be able to come to Paris and actually see Paris.” He’s very

Laci (01:55:26):

Excited. He’s been on call for 18 years.

Matt (01:55:28):

Yes, exactly. And so Andy’s like, “I’m very happy for you. Stanley Tucci. Goodbye.” Goes to have dinner with Christian Thompson. And she’s like, “Actually, when you think about it, Miranda’s actually a great…” She’s kind of like a feminist icon, kind of a girl boss. And Christian Thompson’s like, “Oh my God, you’ve drunk the Kool-Aid.” How

Laci (01:55:46):

Many Kool-Aid references are there in this fucking movie?

Matt (01:55:48):

And they’re walking- I

Laci (01:55:49):

Will never forgive that cult. Not because of all the dead children, but because of this stupid

Matt (01:55:54):

Fucking

Laci (01:55:55):

Colloquialism.

Matt (01:55:56):

How about God? Someone’s

Laci (01:55:59):

Really wearing the tennis shoes.

Matt (01:56:00):

Someone’s drank the Capri son. They’re walking around Paris and he’s like, I believe it was Gertrude Stein who said, “America’s home, but Peri is my hotel.”

Laci (01:56:09):

What?

Matt (01:56:10):

Yeah.

Laci (01:56:10):

Is that what they said?

Matt (01:56:11):

Yeah.

Laci (01:56:12):

Okay.

Matt (01:56:12):

And he kisses her and she’s like, “Oh no, I can’t. Yes, I can. ” They finally go get to make their porno.

Laci (01:56:19):

I’m proud of her for having sex in this movie. In my memory, I can never remember. Does she actually go fuck him or is there kissing? But no, they fuck, and then he reveals himself to be a meanie.

Matt (01:56:28):

You know Disney+ is like, “Can we excise that scene though? Can we have them wake up in a coffee shop together?”

Laci (01:56:35):

He calls her baby and I think he means it. And she’s like, “I’m not your baby.” It’s like, what? Because I

Matt (01:56:40):

Told

Laci (01:56:40):

You something

Matt (01:56:41):

About- Because she wakes up in the hotel room the next morning and she’s like, I just had sex. She’s not-

Laci (01:56:48):

I didn’t even wear my Dakota Johnson. I should have taken my retainer out.

Matt (01:56:54):

Walks around the hotel room and sees a mock up of an addition of runway. But this isn’t runway. I know. It’s a different runway. What the fuck is this? And he’s like, “Oh, this is just a mock up of new runway under the leadership and stewardship.” And they’re bringing her, the publisher, Mr. Rabbits is bringing her- Baby,

Laci (01:57:14):

It’s already done.

Matt (01:57:16):

Is bringing her-

Laci (01:57:17):

Baby.

Matt (01:57:17):

Is bringing her in to replace Miranda and I’m going to be put in charge of editorial. So how do you like that? And I like that Anne Hathaway’s objection to this is, “But Miranda will be so upset.”

Laci (01:57:32):

I’m the one who’s supposed to make Miranda happy. But yeah, I mean, I get it. She’s going to lose her job too. You just fucked her and she’s about to lose her job.

Matt (01:57:40):

And he says, “You’re surprised Jacqueline’s a lot younger.” And Miranda, she’s very expensive.

Laci (01:57:44):

Okay. All of that is fine, but she’s about to lose her job and he’s just like, “I wanted to fuck first.” That’s basically … He is a dick for doing that.

Matt (01:57:53):

Yeah, because now, well, presumably I could get a job working for you, but I fucked you. And so now it’s literally fucked my way into a job.

Laci (01:58:00):

On

Matt (01:58:00):

Accident. Miranda Priestley, the most honorable person in the movie. She lets you know the stakes. She’s like Al from Showgirls.

Laci (01:58:06):

She fucks on the table.

Matt (01:58:08):

Miranda, she’ll be so sad. And he’s like, “Baby, come on. It’s not like that. ” Baby

Laci (01:58:11):

Booby.

Matt (01:58:12):

I’m not your baby. She storms off to tell, “Miranda, listen, I got something to tell you. ” She’s like, “Don’t bother me.

Laci (01:58:20):

” Well, and she’s like, “Are you insane?” Knocking on the door the way that she did.

Matt (01:58:25):

Because she knocks on the door of the hotel suite of the publisher.

Laci (01:58:28):

Oh, are you sure?

Matt (01:58:29):

Yeah.

Laci (01:58:30):

Are you sure? I mean,

Matt (01:58:30):

It might be Miranda’s room, but she’s meeting with, but he’s the one who answers.

Laci (01:58:34):

I know, but it’s her room.

Matt (01:58:36):

And yeah. I

Laci (01:58:38):

Am lost to cuckoo nuts.

Matt (01:58:42):

But she is able to tell- You

Laci (01:58:43):

Honestly think I didn’t know.

Matt (01:58:45):

Catches are in the hall, Miranda. Oh my God, they’re doing a coup against you. It’s office politics. Run wild. I believe the Parisians call it a cudeta. And Miranda listens to all of this and she’s like, “I told them not to have these stupid flowers.” She’s Marlon Brando. Oh,

Laci (01:59:01):

My daughter’s winning.

Matt (01:59:04):

So now she has to give a big speech about James Holt. They’re making the big announcement about James Holt taking his company public or whatever. And she’s like, “And I have some business to get to that. The person that I personally recommended to run the cult company is my close personal associate.”

Speaker 3 (01:59:18):

Build up, build up, build up, build

Matt (01:59:20):

Up. And here come Stanley Tucci’s moment of schloring. Oh my God. He’s not Stanley Tucci is Jacqueline. But this is some great political rat fucking. This is what you do. You take your rival and you send them far away from you. This is why Nixon named George H.W. Bush Ambassador to China. Get him the fuck away from here. Send him to Beijing. Or as they called it at the time, Pay King. Anyway.

Laci (01:59:47):

That was our lesson of the

Matt (01:59:48):

Day. So Anne Hathaway’s like, “Stanley Tucci, I’m so sorry.” And he’s like, “That’s okay. When the time is right, she will rule board to me. ” And Anne Halfway’s like-

Laci (01:59:57):

She is magnanimous.

Matt (01:59:59):

You sure about that? No. I am curious how they’re going to act like all these characters have aged in 20 years, because I think they’re going to have all of them be super successful.

Laci (02:00:11):

Yeah, I can’t imagine what the fucking story is. Is it Anne’s daughter is now needing to be a nursing home assistant to Miranda and she has to find a way to get Miranda to not be so grouchy when she takes her medicine.

Matt (02:00:29):

That might be

Laci (02:00:30):

It. I hope so.

Matt (02:00:31):

So they’re in the car. Miranda and Andy are in the car and Miranda’s now monologuing at her about like, “I’m very smart. I know all kinds of things. I knew about the coup against me the whole time. I knew everything.”

Laci (02:00:44):

But I was very impressed that you’re taking the initiative to come and tell me and whatever the fuck.

Matt (02:00:50):

And so what she did was she just went to her boss and she’s like, “Listen, if you fire me, I’m just going to go start my own publication and these hundreds of influential people are going to come with me. ” And basically if you run the numbers, you’ll see it’s more affordable for you to just keep me on board. And he’s like, “Ah, yeah, makes a lot of sense.”

Laci (02:01:05):

Sounds good. And you’ve already thought through all this stuff and I don’t have to think about it. So yep.

Matt (02:01:10):

But I mean, this does go to what I was saying about she’s ultimately the people in charge. I mean, even this publisher guy, he’s just a face for the very powerful interests who own the magazine and you are still ultimately just an employee. You make millions of dollars, but as always, you work for a living like a poor person. There’s no one who can do what I do, but very impressed that you told me I see a lot of myself in you. She’s like, “No, I’m nothing like you. And oh yes, you are.

Laci (02:01:38):

” I think that you’re kind of like me. No, no.

Matt (02:01:41):

I’d never do to Nigel what you did was you already housed. I got to say, this scene is shot in front of, they’re in a car and it is like 1960s level bad green screen.

Laci (02:01:54):

Oh, I’ve never known. Yeah, I never noticed that. You always notice it.

Matt (02:01:58):

I’ve been watching all these James Bond movies and James Bond movies have so much shitty car, like stationary cars in front of her projection screens. But yeah, it’s this life, these choices are necessary to live like this and everyone wants to live like this.

Speaker 3 (02:02:12):

We are doing it, darling.

Matt (02:02:14):

And they get to their fucking party or whatever, and Ann Hathaway’s like, “I’m done with you, bitch.” And she leaves. She

Laci (02:02:19):

Does leave in kind of a dickish way.

Matt (02:02:22):

Throws her apple Newton or whatever this is into the fountain.

Laci (02:02:25):

Her apple Newton. That sounds delicious.

Matt (02:02:28):

So she goes back to New York and she meets up with Nate because you can’t let a good guy like Nate go.

Laci (02:02:33):

He’s going to Boston. Man, they’ve been busy. How long was this trip? Three days.

Matt (02:02:38):

He’s

Laci (02:02:38):

Already changed his life.

Matt (02:02:40):

Good news. This

Laci (02:02:41):

Worked out. Toots.

Matt (02:02:42):

You’re looking at the new sous chef at the bread factory in Boston.

Laci (02:02:46):

The bread factory.

Matt (02:02:48):

She’s like-

Laci (02:02:48):

I think they got cheeses.

Matt (02:02:49):

Oh, wow. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe you come with me. Maybe not. I don’t know. Maybe

Laci (02:02:54):

I’ll make you a turkey sandwich.

Matt (02:02:56):

So she goes to interview at a job at a place called the New York Mirror. And Laci, this place is more her speed. Just crust of the earth people. This is real journalism.

Laci (02:03:05):

Reports on how people get buses.

Matt (02:03:08):

And the editor’s like, “I was really impressed with your writing samples and what’s up with you working at Runway?”

Laci (02:03:13):

I wanted to know, how did that boy get a bus?

Matt (02:03:17):

I got a letter from Miranda Priestley and Anne Hathaway’s like, “Oh God, what’s she sorry?” And he’s like-

Laci (02:03:23):

Is she mad at me?

Matt (02:03:24):

Anne Hathaway is the biggest disappointment I’ve ever had in my life and you’d be a fool not to hide.

Laci (02:03:31):

Because the biggest disappointment to me is still the best you’re ever going to get, your piece of shit.

Matt (02:03:35):

Miranda Priestley has like a long asterisk at the, and I use disappointment to mean all of this. When I say it, it’s good.

Laci (02:03:41):

What I mean from … Right, right, right.

Matt (02:03:43):

Now I work for New York Mirror. Wow, great. And she goes outside and she calls up Emily and she’s like, “Emily, I have all these clothes from Paris and I don’t know what to do with them. You maybe could take them off my hands.”

Laci (02:03:53):

It’s a pretty good

Matt (02:03:54):

Mea copa. And Emily’s like.

Laci (02:03:57):

This will be a terrible inconvenience. I love the way Emily is about this.

Matt (02:04:02):

And then says to the new person who’s replaced Andy, you’re filling some very large shoes. I hope you know. I know.

Laci (02:04:09):

The biggest compliment she could ever give to Andy and she does it where Andy can’t hear it. Emily till the end, you know? But

Matt (02:04:16):

Andy knows. She knows. And then for some fucking reason, she’s walking outside the Elias Clark building like a psychopath, sees Miranda.

Laci (02:04:23):

I needed to call Emily, but I could only do it right across the street

Matt (02:04:26):

From her. I’m on a very limited cell phone plan.

Laci (02:04:28):

Right. It’s actually a cord-

Matt (02:04:31):

Proximity.

Laci (02:04:31):

It’s a cord phone.

Matt (02:04:35):

Yeah. So sees Miranda leaving the building and waves at Miranda and Miranda gives her a look of disdain.

Laci (02:04:43):

But a little bit of a corner, a little corner purse. What? She purses her lips up.

Matt (02:04:50):

But then when she’s alone in the car where no one can see her, takes off the sunglasses and it’s like, Andy, you. You

Laci (02:04:57):

Slut.

Matt (02:04:58):

You did it. You

Laci (02:04:59):

Dirty dog. You learned how to cross the street.

Matt (02:05:02):

And just the most generic just guitar rock slop you can

Laci (02:05:06):

Imagine.

Matt (02:05:07):

And Andy walks off happily into the city. Who knows what she’s going to get

Laci (02:05:11):

Up to? She gets it by a car immediately. Ends up right next to Emily Blunt, who’s fine now. She just really likes the hospital. Butter, potatoes, potatoes. Butter potatoes.

Matt (02:05:34):

Butter potatoes, potatoes, potatoes, potatoes, pintas, potatoes, and butter, and butter, and butter. Brother, potatoes, potatoes, potatoes, potatoes.

Laci (02:05:41):

Potato, butter, potato, butt.

Matt (02:05:44):

Final thoughts on devil’s problem.

Laci (02:05:45):

Final thoughts. Ooh. I’ve gone to Cloud Cucudine.

Matt (02:05:49):

Really?

Laci (02:05:50):

I’m sorry. I’m going to take it down. Final thoughts. I still think a four. I care about rewatchability. There’s so many great performances. I’ve loved it ever since I’ve seen it. The first time it has not lost … It still holds up for me. So yeah, I mean, the story is simple. The turns are predictable and the characters are not all redeemable, but I still like it.

Matt (02:06:15):

So you’re saying four stars out of five.

Laci (02:06:18):

3.5 seems low to me.

Matt (02:06:21):

I have a hard time with

Laci (02:06:22):

Three.

Matt (02:06:23):

It’s a modern classic. I think it’s a movie like Sideways where you realize how important it is to so many people from a certain generation.

Laci (02:06:30):

And in like fashion, it seems like a frivolous movie to care about that way. And so for that makes me care about it more because that’s not fair. Just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s not good.

Matt (02:06:41):

I just wish it was digging in on, I think, more of the interesting stuff that’s going on in this story, but it’s more interested in being just kind of … At

Laci (02:06:51):

The most palatable version of itself that it

Matt (02:06:53):

Can

Laci (02:06:53):

Be. I mean, I knew what it was doing.

Matt (02:06:55):

It’s when movies have a moment like the scene, like that sweater was selected for you scene. Yeah. It’s like that scene is too good to be in a movie that’s this kind of rope.

Laci (02:07:05):

These kind of monologues feel like they belong in more of a drama and not like a-

Matt (02:07:10):

Not even a … It just belongs in a better movie, in a smarter movie. I don’t know. And it makes me resent the rest of

Laci (02:07:16):

The movie. But maybe it’s smart and how it was able to be so appealing. Damn it. I’m spielberging myself.

Matt (02:07:23):

Yeah. I’m going to go with three stars. I think it has three incredible performances from Streep Tucci and Blunt and Anne Hathaway does her thing. She does that. Otherwise, I think it’s not well directed. I think the screenplay’s kind of shitty. I like the book better, but it is a very fun movie and you should absolutely see it if you’ve never seen it. Me. And if you haven’t seen it, thanks for listening to us for three hours talk about it.

Laci (02:07:44):

Fucking freak. Don’t make me read a book.

Matt (02:07:49):

Oh, I was going to. No. Next week we’re doing Bride of Chucky, Jennifer Tilly. We’re completing the bound duology. We did Ginny Groshan last week.

Laci (02:07:59):

I love Bound. And

Matt (02:08:00):

Now we’re doing Jennifer Tilley in Bride of Chef. Have you seen

Laci (02:08:03):

Bound?

Matt (02:08:04):

I’ve seen Bound. I’ve

Laci (02:08:05):

Seen him. This

Matt (02:08:05):

Fucker doesn’t think I’ve seen Bound.

Laci (02:08:07):

I’ve fucking seen it. I love Lesbian with a Plan. I love it.

Matt (02:08:11):

Was Showski’s first movie before The Matrix. They made that movie because Warner Brothers says, we don’t think you want to make the Matrix prove you could prove to us you can make a movie. So you

Laci (02:08:20):

Can take these two lesbians and bump their uglies together and make a plane.

Matt (02:08:24):

So Bride of Chucky. I’ve been wanting to do a Chucky movie and Laci is very upset by Child’s Play One.

Laci (02:08:31):

I think though, by the time they get to Bride Chucky, they know what kind of movie it is and the acting is … The story is correct with the goofiness going on. Bride of

Matt (02:08:40):

Chucky knows what it is. Yes.

Laci (02:08:42):

And I saw Bright Chucky. Oh,

Matt (02:08:43):

You have? In the

Laci (02:08:44):

Theaters.

Matt (02:08:44):

Oh, it’s my favorite in the series. We’ll see what happens. I

Laci (02:08:47):

Just remember uncanny, weird doll fucking, but

Matt (02:08:50):

I’m sure that holds

Laci (02:08:51):

Up.

Matt (02:08:52):

Yep. So everybody check out. They don’t

Laci (02:08:53):

Even need to wear rubber. They are rubber. Okay. I am goofy. I need to go get prescriptions, not because of the goofiness.

Matt (02:09:01):

Check out Laci’s coloring channel, her art channel, link in the description. Check out all of our social media accounts. Follow us on Letterboxd. Follow my band Rural Route nine. We do the music for the show, which is one week rental. Thank you so much, everybody.

Laci (02:09:15):

Our sister and brother podcast for you to listen to, find them at your leisure.

Matt (02:09:18):

That would be the sign post up ahead, my Twilight Zone podcast and Pod Java James Dermond podcast. My James Mon podcast, those both come out once a month. This is my main squeeze here with Laci. We’re squeezing each other’s bowls.

Laci (02:09:29):

Oh, don’t let up. Okay. I love you. Goodbye.