Full disclosure: The following review of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is by a former Condé Nast women’s magazine editor who loved the clothes, the characters, the locations and the all-around coolness of working for Condé Nast. So I might be a bit biased.
So much of the magazine life seen in both the 2006 original film “The Devil Wears Prada” and this sequel rings true. Yes, “The Clackers” do exist, and they only consume rabbit food and lattes; and yes, Anna Wintour did ride in an elevator all by herself at the height of the workday rush hour. The fashion closets were filled floor to ceiling with a dazzling array of frills, frocks, shirts, skirts, belts, pelts and Jimmy Choos. The pace was truly that fast, the car services plentiful, the budgets eye-popping, the pantyhose nonexistent. There were perks to be found here and there. And the senior editors really could be mean and demanding toward the junior editors. (Trust me on this.)
Like protagonist Andy Sachs, you would find yourself saving tears for the bathroom, making thousands of telephone calls, running around the city in search of the perfect accessory, staying late to pack up truckloads of stuff that you unpacked that morning, picking up your bosses’ dry cleaning and missing out on time with loved ones. And then you would come back and do it all again the next day, in the hopes of getting that one promotion or the job you really want. That raise. That trip to London, Barbados or Sicily.
In the end, you always thought it was worth it. Those published glossy pages were always pure eye candy, and you could be satisfied knowing you had a hand in their creation and that the powers that be were happy.
“The Devil Wears Prada” became truly iconic for depicting the allure of the fashion world with accuracy and complexity. After an original film that is such a big hit, doing a sequel is always a challenge. But I think “DWP2” checks all the boxes. You’ve got a brilliant original cast back doing what they do best. You’ve got great art direction, music you want to dance to, locations to die for and clothes to covet.
It’s not a perfect movie: I did find the middle part a bit long. But the energy and (spoiler alert) plot twists in the last part of the film brought it all to a glittery finale that makes it worth the watch.
I saw the movie on the night of the annual Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Met Gala, hosted by the real-life Snow Queen herself, Anna Wintour. Although I am a former Condé Nast editor, I didn’t make the cut for the gala, so I did the next best thing and saw the movie that night. I was not alone in this: As I made my way to my seat, I spied a sea of “Clackers.” Perhaps not the fashion magazine kind, but if the stiletto fits…? I sat down and—what do you know? The group next to me was streaming the Met Gala red carpet parade live on their phones. I was clearly in the right movie theater.
Roll film. The splintered Runway magazine team from the original movie is getting back together, but the tone is different, as is the sequel’s focus and message. Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly is older, a bit defanged but still acidic. The film finds her trying to keep Runway alive in a changing publishing landscape that is coming to terms with the growth of digital content and the tsunami of social media. Stanley Tucci’s Nigel Kipling is still Miranda’s rock, and the character remains a sartorial dream with his dry humor intact.
Anne Hathaway is front and center as Andy Sachs, now an award-winning, 20-year veteran journalist who is nevertheless eager to please. Lilly from the first film is still her best friend, but Andy has a new love interest and has just lost her job. All the characters are working to keep their corners of the publishing world relevant and successful in the fickle, short-attention-span digital age and are constantly trying to prove that they still have the chops to do it.
But there are troubles at 1221 Avenue of the Americas, where Runway is headquartered. The culprits: A fashion advertiser sweatshop scandal has led to other advertisers threatening to jump ship, giving the magazine owner apoplexy and his nepo-baby son thoughts of belt-tightening and eventually selling. From New York to the celebrity-packed Hamptons to Vermont, Milan and Como, the band all barb, bob, weave and hustle their way to a solution—desperate to find a way to keep their jobs.
To the surprise of Miranda, Andy walks in to lead the rescue mission. As the new Runway features editor and P.R. guru, she is charged with writing away the bad sweatshop optics, appeasing a big advertiser and bumping those subscriptions back up, up, up. In true Andy can-do form, she puts out the sweatshop fire and helps appease the still prickly and very funny “real Emily” Charlton (Emily Blunt), who is now the head of Dior, the biggest Runway advertiser.
Andy tries to elevate the subjects of the features to wow the readers and attract new ones. This, however, fails to move the needle either with reader interest or with Miranda. In steps Nigel for advice on everything from strategy to Manolo Blahnik. As for Miranda, her pursed lips are gone, but the “that’s all” aura and demanding persona are still firmly in place. Unbowed, Andy soldiers on.
Now we get to the climax of the film. Nepo-baby son, having just inherited the media empire due to the sudden death of his father, is as good as his word and has canceled the Mercedes car services, traded in first-class travel for economy and is actively trying to find a buyer for the magazine. All this while Runway is gearing up for their fashion event of the year during Milan Fashion Week.
Not only does the wattage get turned up in Milan, but the plot also thickens. First to the clothes! That iconic montage first seen in “The Devil Wears Prada” of ever-changing couture clothing is happily here again. This time, day and nighttime looks are being strutted on the runway by the models and on the beautiful Milan streets by the stars. Oohs and aahs could be heard throughout the movie theater—mine the loudest.
When Nepo-baby son finds a buyer, Andy turns to Emily to help persuade her mega-wealthy, albeit dim, boyfriend Benji Barnes (played hilariously by Justin Theroux) to buy him out and save the day. What follows are plot twists and turns worthy of the first film, as well as new locales and exciting promotions for some of the franchise’s fan favorites.
Suffice it to say that by the movie’s final moments, all is momentarily right in the Runway world. The magazine has gotten a new lease on life, the right person is now at the top, Nigel is right behind, and Andy isn’t an ersatz “Emily” anymore.
By maintaining the fabulous flair of the original film but exploring how the media industry has changed over the last two decades, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” offers both a nostalgic return to iconic characters and a story that reflects the current moment.
That’s all.
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