What’s it about?
The story picks up twenty years after the first film, with Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) now a decorated journalist in the newspaper world. The shine wears off fast when she’s abruptly sacked—along with her whole team—thanks to the slow, inevitable collapse of traditional media. Enter Runway magazine, circling its own existential drain, calling Andy back in a bid to salvage its credibility during a PR crisis. There’s just one snag: Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) didn’t ask for her.
What’d we think?
Elizabeth Best says: I used to work in glossy magazines, back when the lifts opened onto racks of samples and the budgets hadn’t yet been “revisited”. Which is to say, I spent the start of this movie watching with a slightly eye-twitchy smile. The mass sacking, the careful corporate phrasing, the sense that something shiny was quietly slipping out the back door… I recognise it all and it lands somewhere between a longing for how it used to be and a full body flinch for how it ended.
Personal corporate trauma aside, it’s a genuinely fun sequel, quick, sharp, and just self-aware enough about the state of media now. Andy feels right for this moment: successful, a little worn in, still clinging to her principles as the ground shifts underneath them. Miranda remains Miranda in a world where everything’s changed except her (and the fashion, which continues to operate on its own, entirely superior plane). Watching Miranda negotiate HR constraints is a particular kind of pleasure.
And yes, the clothes. The clothes. The clothes. I lost entire scenes to a tasteful sleeve, a twinkling heel, a coat that deserved its own trailer. No regrets. We’re all running on nostalgia at the moment; comfort, familiarity and the pull of something we already loved.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 feels like catching up with old friends who’ve aged (INCREDIBLY) well and kept their edge. I left feeling equal parts entertained and lightly haunted, which feels correct for anyone who caught the tail end of print’s golden years and still misses the smell of a fresh issue.
This review also appears in embracebrisbane.com.au and has been republished with full permission.
Anthony Sherratt says: If you’re looking for a nostalgic reminisce with characters you know and love then this sequel is nearly perfect for you. It revisits the same judgemental bitchiness, the same characters (some have developed while others are the same), the same fixation on perception and need for validation. It’s lovely to see them again and remember why we liked them in the first place.
Even more impressive is that the love/relationship angle – which feels more like a post-it note than a proper part of the script – isn’t made an integral part of Emily’s happiness.
Having said that, too many tropes are present and the film’s insistence on tying up nearly every single end neatly and happily robbed it of some gravitas. And, from a personal perspective, tackling the very serious issue of dilution of media and objective reporting felt a bit on the nose considering they were using an industry that is the epitome of superficiality and excess consumerism to do so. “We need proper journalism not public relations” right beside “every woman should want $3000 handbags” (an actual message) jarred a bit for me.
But I am not the target demographic and I still enjoyed catching up with old friends. Stanley Tucci steals the show, Anne Hathaway is even more lovable as a more relaxed and mature Emily while both Merryk Streep and Emily Blunt put in wonderful performances as flawed human beings.
And the movie features so many cameos from so many different walks of life that spotting celebrities is like a mini game.
