The M Match-up: Boss Hathaway v Bossed Hathaway
Do we like her more as the wide-eyed ingenue or the steely-eyed leader?
Now 32, Oscar-winning Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway has grown up right in front of our eyes.
It seems like just yesterday that she was playing a harried young assistant in The Devil Wears Prada (2006).
Now the tables are turned and she is starring as a big boss lady in yet another fashion-centric comedy The Intern, which opens here Sept 24.
Question is, do we like her more as the wide-eyed ingenue or the steely-eyed leader? Let's find out.
CHARACTER POWERS
Boss Hathaway: Hathaway plays Jules, a young entrepreneur who has found success with an online clothing business. As talented as she is, her investors are forcing her to take on a more experienced CEO. Meanwhile, she hires an elderly intern (Robert De Niro), who turns out to be a shoulder to cry on and something more.
Bossed Hathaway: In lesser hands, this could have been a nothing role. She plays Andy, an aspiring journalist who takes a job at a fashion magazine to advance her career. She ends up with a dragon lady boss (Meryl Streep), who teaches her valuable lessons but also shows her the high cost of success.
ROUND ONE: BOSS HATHAWAY
Boss Hathaway is a more accomplished professional and a more well-rounded woman.
ACTRESS POWERS
Boss Hathaway: Hathaway has come an awfully long way since The Devil Wears Prada. A certified A-lister with her very own Best Supporting Actress Oscar, she has her pick of projects. From prestige pictures like Les Miserables to blockbusters such as The Dark Knight Rises, she has proven herself a pro with great beauty and equal talent.
Bossed Hathaway: When Hathaway appeared in The Devil Wears Prada, she was in her early 20s. Best known for frothy fare such as The Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted, she was hungry to break out of that image for something meatier, and she got it here. She killed the part, showing us a naive girl learning the ways of the world but staying true to herself. This is the film that launched her to stardom.
ROUND TWO: BOSSED HATHAWAY
This one is close, but Hathaway shows more verve in The Devil Wears Prada.
CO-STAR POWERS
Boss Hathaway: De Niro gives one of his best performances in ages as the old-school company man Ben. Displaying poise, wit and charm, he steals the show. He is so good that he makes you want to run out and hire some random senior citizen off the street. Our Ministry of Manpower would be happy.
Bossed Hathaway: Streep is one of the few actors who is on par with De Niro prestige-wise. In fact, she is even better because, unlike De Niro, she is not coasting on her reputation from the 70s and 80s. Icy fashion magazine editrix Miranda Priestly remains one of her signature roles and most iconic performances.
ROUND THREE: BOSSED HATHAWAY
De Niro is great but Streep is just that little bit better. Almost too close to call.
THE WINNER: BOSSED HATHAWAY
Hathaway is wonderful in The Intern but she was fighting for a career in The Devil Wears Prada, and it showed.
She is a solid boss, but she was an incandescent assistant.
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