The Devil Wears Prada

This is advertised a a fish out of water comedy in which an innocent young woman with no fashion sense gets a job at the most famous fashion magazine in the country.

I am in no way a fashionista, but I liked this movie because it is more than a comedy. It is a good movie about how the woman, Andi, played by Anne Hathaway, is able to overcome disrespectful and snobby treatment to develop meaningful relationships with the very people who mistreat her.

In the movie, Andi applies for a job at a magazine run by a ruthless, insensitive and very powerful woman named Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep.

The first time Miranda meets Andi, at Andi's job interview, Miranda immediately decides that Andi isn't right for the job simply because of the way Andi is dressed. Most job applicants, after being dismissed in this offhanded, arbitrary way, would have been embarrassed or angry, but Andi isn't. Instead, she insistently but respectfully details to Miranda why she would be a good person for the job.

Miranda hires her.

Once on the job, Andi runs into resistance from many of her co-workers, who don't believe she deserves the position she got. The core of the movie is about how Andi slowly, tactfully, and respectfully breaks down all of these barriers and wins her co-workers over. At one point, Andi gets to see another side of Miranda, and understands why she is so mean. Instead of hating her for it, she begins to feel compassion for Miranda.

All in all, this movie shows how treating others with respect, while treating yourself with respect, along with strong doses of honestly and compassion, can break down the most difficult interpersonal barriers and result in meaningful relationships.

Two thumbs up.

Remember the Titans

As mentioned in PE, this is a great movie about how putting aside personal differences can result in a group which achieves great things. It is about respect, responsibility, friendship and loyalty. It is also a whale of a true story.

In this movie, two Virginia high schools combine into one, after one school, whose students are all African-American, closes. These displaced students move to another school where every student is Caucasian-American. Before this merger, each school had its own football team with its own popular and famous coach. After the merger, there would be only one team. In a surprise decision, the school board announces that the African-American coach, played by Denzel Washington, would be the head coach instead of the more experienced and successful white coach, played by Will Patton.

This, of course, creates an immediate conflict between the two coaches. One of the subplots in the movie is how these two men go from being rivals to friends. It isn't an easy transition, and is handled in a realistic way.

There are also many conflicts between the players; about who should start, music, girls and of course, race. And, just as the players start to get along, the get a new player; a long-haired "surfer" from California.

The variety of reasons over which these boys clash and the way they resolve them through their common desire to become a good football team makes this a must see film.

Two big thumbs up.