MovieChat Forums > The Devil Wears Prada (2006) Discussion > Andy didn't owe Emily a damn thing

Andy didn't owe Emily a damn thing

posted 8 years ago by GirlwonderReturns
27 replies | jump to latest

Honestly, why is it made out like Emily was some great friend or ally to Andy? She treated her like crap the whole time. She made fun of her, she taught her only what she absolutely had to to keep Miranda from being pissed off (and thus cover her own ass), basically ridiculed Andy for not knowing how to do the job immediately, even refused to wish her luck when Andy was trying to save her own job. Yet Andy is supposed to feel guilty for taking Emily's spot in Paris, despite the fact that she was chosen to replace Emily simply because she was better at the job? It's ridiculous. Personally I think this movie is horribly unfair to its heroine. Her boyfriend is a whiny jerk (far worse than Christian, in my opinion), as is her best friend; she's basically surrounded by nasty, judgmental, non-supportive people. The only people in her life who came off at all positively were Nigel and Doug (her metrosexual friend). Yet she's portrayed as this "bad friend" who turned her back on who she was and treated her friends poorly? How does that make any sense?

The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.

[–] lrdcharlton 8 years ago

The moral of the movie is rather screwed up, and really doesn't really make sense when you think about. From what we see, she is introduced to us as a arrogantly ignorant newbie who doesn't know how the real world is really is like. She thinks she is above the fashion industry, and pays no attention to her appearance. She whines about how brutal the her job, though she really isn't putting her full self into it. After Nigel gives her a talking to, she realizes her flaw and decided to take her job seriously. She realizes the art and hard work that is at the foundation of fashion. She improves her appearance, and excels at her job. The only minor problem is that she isn't available to her needy boyfriend all the time.Now, she doesn't do anything wrong, her personality is the same and she does not sacrifice her beliefs or becomes underhanded. She is rewarded for her improvement by being selected to go to Paris with Miranda.Why in the world would she feel guilty for Emily, a girl who would readily throw her under the bus if given a chance. She treated her like sh#, and couldn't go anyway because she broke her leg. Does not make sense, and then it gets worse with the ending. She in no way did anything similar to what Miranda did to Nigel. And then she quits her job that she puts soo much work into because of some warped perception that she gained her position through underhandedness. Then to add insult to injury she pathetically crawls back to her unsupportive boyfriend.What was the movie trying to tell us?

[–] happyphantom9 8 years ago

I agree with everything you said.

[–] conway3000 8 years ago

She gave her the clothes because she really did not want them and she felt guilty. Emily talked of nothing else but going to Paris.

[–] GirlwonderReturns 8 years ago

I understand about the clothes; obviously in her new job she wasn't going to need couture outfits. What I was talking about was the fact that they make out as if her going to Paris in Emily's place was tantamount to her screwing over a good friend and long-term ally, when the truth is that Emily was horrible to her all along and would gladly have stepped on her to get ahead, so she had no real reason to feel guilty about that.

The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.

[–] ShizaMinelli 8 years ago

There's a great disconnect between what the movie wants to be saying and what it actually presents to the audience imo. I do think Miranda was a million percent dead on when Andy was being all self righteous about Nigel getting shoved out of the position he wanted and simply replied "you already did the same thing to Emily".

When you're 17 a cow can seem dangerous and forbidden...am I alone here?

[–] GirlwonderReturns 8 years ago

See, I just don't feel like it's really a fair comparison. Nigel was a loyal employee and ally to Miranda for years and years; Emily was not quite that to Andie. Yes, ultimately both Miranda and Andie screwed other people over to keep their jobs, but I guess I feel like Miranda owed more to Nigel than Andie did to Emily. Other than that, I agree with you. I like the movie but it seems to offer some strange messages.

The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.

[–] lrdcharlton 8 years ago

The thing is though, Andie didn't screw anyone over for anything. Gong to Paris was not her choice in the sense that if she said no, she would have been fired. She earned the honor of Miranda taking her to Paris because she simply performed better than Emily did. She was forced to accept and Emily knows what the deal is so there really wasn't anything similar between what Andie did and what Miranda did. Miranda's dealing was through manipulation and threat and then tossing her friend under the bus to preserve her position .

[–] chrisjohnson-2 8 years ago

Who the hell wants to take a 6 hour+ plane ride and then hobble around in Paris with a broken leg anyway? Andie didn't do anything wrong and it was not her call as to who got to go to Paris. Deep down, Emily probably knew that but just took her frustrations and disappointment out on Andie, a convenient scapegoat.

[–] fortifarse 8 years ago

The thing to remember though, is that we're seeing this story through Andreas eyes, which means we also see her struggle with it. Miranda was a nasty lady as a boss, obviously, but we simply aren't shown what struggles she had. Ultimately, imo, they both had to choose screwing someone over or lisping their jobl, and they both made the same choice. How they got there isn't particularly relevant to me, they both had a choice before them with equally crappy p options and they both climbed up someone's shoulders in the process imo.

[–] lrdcharlton 8 years ago

Your understanding is very flawed and you look at it with a warped perception of how they came to make their choices. Miranda was underhanded and willing to deprive someone else without any hesitation. She was in a powerful position to make that play and it was at the sacrifice of a friends job. Emily was not Andy's friend and most people wouldn't think twice about the choice Miranda gave her as the alternative would be not having a job. In a sense Andy was being awarded for a good job and wasnt putting it in jeopardy so her nasty coworker could have clothes.

[–] fortifarse 8 years ago

What about Nigel and Miranda indicated friendship. He was her employee. And again, we didn't SEE Miranda agonize over this particular decision because it wasn't her story. Andy also made her decision before Emily had her accident. Andy was slightly less underhanded about it and that's about the only notable difference.

[–] lrdcharlton 8 years ago

I did not say anything about the accident in the last post as it had no place in the argument. Andrea was not underhanded at all, if doing your job is underhanded then you might want to rethink. The underhandedness was the major difference between the two that made Andrea part nothing like Miranda's. I does not matter weather she agonized about she still threw him under the bus. With as much power Miranda had their probably were alternatives to giving away Nigels position to insure the other women did not get Miranda's.

[–] morganseer 8 years ago

Her boyfriend is a whiny jerk (far worse than Christian, in my opinion), as is her best friend; she's basically surrounded by nasty, judgmental, non-supportive people.
-----------------
Exactly. What will her boyfriend and friends do when she gets her next demanding job? Or will this intelligent woman flip hamburgers for the rest of her life?
Oh wait, I did that, in high school. And I had to go to work on my days off all the time. Not much left for her, is there? Maybe she

[–] zombiewhitegirl 8 years ago

Damn right she didn't. For god sake, Emily was rude to her up to the very last moment she spoke with her, when Andy gave her all the designer clothes! She told her she'd have to take them in several inches before being able to wear them!

I really hated that the boyfriend gave her this whole guilt trip too about taking the trip when Emily was a total witch, couldn't go anyway, AND Andy would have been fired if she didn't go. And that whole scene where she's sadly walking around thinking about it always was an eye-roller for me. There's nothing to think about or feel bad over. She was BETTER at her job, she deserved to go, and all the circumstances leading up to it made it the only choice. If they were trying to create a moral conundrum there, they really failed.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (64820750) 8 years ago

I do agree in a sense but I feel like they did sort of bond as Andy got better at her job. I think they did end up liking each other after a while.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (67931553) 8 years ago

Its the classic replacement trope in films. A new guy comes along who is better then the last.

[–] carrie_713 7 years ago

In the book (the movie was better IMO), Emily comes down with mono and can't go and helps Andie plan her Paris wardrobe so there isn't conflict there and Andie sells the clothes she got from Paris to cover expenses after she leaves.

[–] thephoenixxx 8 years ago

I agree that Andy didn't owe Emily anything, but ultimately Andy is a nice person. She knew how much going to Paris meant to Emily. She saw what Emily went through (i.e. not eating, getting sick, etc.) in preparation for the trip. Andy knew Emily would be devastated when she found out she'd no longer be going to Paris, so of course she's going to feel bad. The fact that Andy would be the one going instead just adds insult to injury. Emily had been at Runway longer and was more passionate about fashion than Andy had ever been. Knowing all this, I think it is only natural that Andy would feel bad about the whole thing.

Did Andy owe Emily anything? Absolutely not. But it makes perfect sense to me that she'd still feel bad. At no point do we ever see Andy dislike Emily (even though she had every reason to). Andy attempts to befriend her, and does make some progress (they actually have a normal conversation at the benefit event). They weren't on bad terms and Andy showed no negative feelings towards Emily whatsoever. So, in my eyes, Andy's guilt regarding the Paris was very normal/natural.

The struggle I had with this movie was that it attempts to teach a moral lesson (i.e. Andy turning her back on friends and family for fashion), but I actually liked Andy more once she really got into her job at Runway. I think the movie wanted us to view her changing as a bad thing, but I had the opposite reaction. She was doing a great job and looked fantastic. Had she stuck with it, she could have a great/glamourous career. But instead she throws it all away to go back to her loser boyfriend and her "friends" (Lily treated her horribly). The ending fell flat for me. She reverts back to her former self. It's a shame.

[–] gangsta_toes 7 years ago

I agree that Andy didn't owe Emily anything, but ultimately Andy is a nice person. She knew how much going to Paris meant to Emily. She saw what Emily went through (i.e. not eating, getting sick, etc.) in preparation for the trip. Andy knew Emily would be devastated when she found out she'd no longer be going to Paris, so of course she's going to feel bad. The fact that Andy would be the one going instead just adds insult to injury. Emily had been at Runway longer and was more passionate about fashion than Andy had ever been. Knowing all this, I think it is only natural that Andy would feel bad about the whole thing.

I completely agree with that. However I don't think Andy gave Emily the clothes because she felt she owed it to her.
When Miranda told Andy that she made the same choice as Miranda, Andy realized she had long betrayed her principles and that she was becoming a different person and probably just like Miranda. So she quit, in order to save herself from further betraying her principles and from continuing down that fashion road which would have likely led to her dropping her journalism dream. I think her giving the clothes to Emily wasn't so much about giving Emily the clothes as it was about Andy using that act of kindness to also reclaim her principles and to go back to the person she used to be.

"You have the right to remain silent, so shut the *beep* up!"

[–] lrdcharlton 7 years ago

This is all false as Andy did not anything wrong. She did her job and was recognized for it. Do you think there is no competition in journalism? In fact it can often be worse and those who pursue it have to have thick skin and be cutthroat. With that said Andy became a better and more professional worker who initially approached the job halfheartedly and was condescending toward the field. What principles did she reclaim that she lost?

[–] gangsta_toes 7 years ago

The one where she screwed over Emily. Yes Andy did deserve to go to France more, but in her mind, it was Emily's happy place and something Emily was looking forward to forever. Emily had planned the to go on that trip for a long time, had gone on a rough diet as well and was really looking forward to the clothes she would receive. Andy, didn't care about going to France, didn't care about clothes and was genuinely happy for Emily going to France. The fact that Andy put all of that aside for her own selfish reasons ran counter to HER principles. It doesn't matter if YOU think Andy deserved to go to France, that isn't the point. The point is, under normal circumstances Andy would have just not gone to France to help a coworker out who very badly wanted to.

"You have the right to remain silent, so shut the *beep* up!"

[–] lrdcharlton 7 years ago

Miranda didn't take Andy to Paris for clothes, she was a better worker than Emily. If she felt that bad she still could have gone and when she returned, gave Emily the clothes. Andy did absolutely nothing wrong and it is absolutely silly that you think she did.Andy was a better worker so Miranda brought her instead of Emily and if she refused she would lose the job she worked so hard to keep. She sacrificed absolutely nothing and took no actions against Emily of her boyfriend. Even if she did, Emily was mean to her from the start and never treated her well and would have stabbed he in the back if required. So your argument is non-existent.

It doesn't matter if YOU think Andy deserved to go to France, that isn't the point. The point is, under normal circumstances Andy would have just not gone to France to help a coworker out who very badly wanted to.

That is the most silliest part of your response.Andy wasnt asked to go, she was forced to go. So you think she should have lost her job because her snotty co-worker wanted clothes?

[–] MarblesLove 7 years ago

Question: Who exactly would have gone to Paris if Andy hadn't? Do you really think Miranda was going to take Emily, since she was apparently hurt enough in the accident that she needed to spend time in the hospital and was still using crutches after they got back from Paris?

Once upon a time there was a magical place where it never rained. The end.

[–] lrdcharlton 7 years ago

I guess she would have taken someone that worked there. I recall Emily saying that one of her assistance was promoted and Emily moved up and then that is how Andy was put in the position as second assistance.

[–] Quicksilver1900 7 years ago

True. She was assigned to the Paris trip. If she had refused, she would have been fired. Even discounting Emily's accident, there is nothing to say that Emily would have been chosen if Andy refused to go. It wasn't Andy's decision to make.

[–] LuxuriousWoman 7 years ago

I honestly wish you could like/thumb up comments on here...

The thing with her boyfriend is this: they got together based on misogyny. How they probably met...

Him: those girls are horrible with their love of fashion and nice things! Why can't girls not care about that stuff? Materialistic stuff is useless and they need to spend money on better things! By the way, let me buy strawberries that cost $5 per strawberry and make a simple grilled cheese sandwich using cheese that costs $8!

Her: those girls who only care about fashion are dumb! Who wants nice things? What's the purpose? Such a waste of money! By the way, I love your sandwich that uses $8 cheese!

[–] fortifarse 7 years ago

I totally want to watch/make fun of this movie with you!