The Devil Wears Prada 2 has finally arrived, and it is set for very chic box office takings of over $200m in its first week. Praised as one of the few Hollywood sequels to measure up to its beloved original, the movie sees Meryl Streep reunite with Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci two decades after the original film’s release. The sequel is a flurry of designer rags, withering put-downs and a slew of celebrity cameos.
The film deals with the slow, depressing decline of the women’s glossy magazine industry. At the opening, Runway magazine is on life support, with editor in chief Miranda Priestly (Streep) attempting to keep it afloat with social-first content and Gorpcore fashion shoots. As she grimly puts it, “the September issue’s already so thin you could floss with it.” After being fired from her job writing government exposés, Andy Sachs (Hathaway) is brought in to “restore credibility” to Runway amid a PR crisis after accidentally promoting sweatshops.
The sequel handles the death of media deftly, with Andy detailing the “layoffs, consolidation and downsizing” that has left many journalists jobless. One former co-worker is even ghost-writing the memoir of Paris Hilton’s chihuahua. The reunion between Andy and Miranda is a highlight, with the veteran editor tearing into her former charge. Nigel (Tucci) has the funniest scenes, from greeting Andy with “Look what TJ Maxx dragged in” to giving her a makeover with a hideous Hermès bag.
The years have mellowed Miranda, though she hasn’t fully thawed. There are satisfying callbacks to the original, as Miranda attempts to navigate modern mores. After seeing a lineup of models, she asks with genuine confusion: “Some of the bodies are very …body positive. But why?” The acidic humour has been toned down, but it is a delight to see Streep in light comedy mode, including a scene where she tipsily demands more rosé at a garden party.
The movie is an effective portrait of Miranda at a crossroads as she fleetingly considers retirement. The first movie showed why “everyone wants to be us”, but the sequel shows the personal cost of maintaining that glamorous facade. After publisher Irv Ravitz dies, the future of Runway is placed into the hands of his heirs, setting up a potential power struggle. The film ends with a hint of more to come, as Miranda and Andy share a knowing look that suggests their story is far from over.
