I watched “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and I'm sorry to say I felt totally disappointed and underwhelmed with this. These feelings were not what I was expecting or even hoping for when I walked into the theater. But the longer I watched this film, the more disappointed I became. The first “Devil Wears Prada” Film was released in 2006 adapted from the popular novel of the same name by Lauren Weisberger, first published in 2003.
This 2006 film is a light-hearted coming of age tale centered around Anne Hathaway, playing the wide eyed girl trying to manage her difficult job in New York City. But on a closer look, “The Devil Wears Prada” is a power fantasy in this seductive world of fashion journalism.
This world is one set mostly behind the scenes that before this film didn't get much space in the general pop culture spotlight. Now in the sequel, 20 years later, Anne Hathaway's character, Andy has become a respected print journalist who returns to the office of Runway Magazine as their Features Editor.
Her hiring is a desperate attempt to make Runway more relevant in the changing world of publishing. Yet again. Andy works under the stern and icy leadership of the editor in chief of Runway, Miranda Priestley, played by Meryl Streep.
When the magazine's ownership is forced into jeopardy, Andy and Miranda have to get creative to keep the magazine alive and keep their jobs. My disappointment in this sequel comes from three things. First, the four main characters act exactly the same as they did in the previous film. Nobody appears to have any mental development or maturation, especially Anne Hathaway, who acts like a naive, plucky teenager.
Since these characters have gone through such little changes in their lives, their dialog feels the same too. Which brings me to my second disappointment. The nostalgia for the first film is so forced and so prevalent, I started thinking, does this sequel even have enough of its own content to fill its two-hour runtime?
There's far too many lines, too many joke attempts and too many musical cues referencing moments from the first film. I felt I was being force fed the collective memories of the fans who made the first film a hit. Any sequel is obliged to have some references to its predecessor, but this one has far too many.
Thirdly, this film has too much going on to be believable or focused. Andy develops a new love interest when buying a new apartment. A billionaire technology genius toys with buying the Runway Magazine. Lady Gaga makes an appearance and sings an original song on a runway during a fashion show. And Miranda has a new life partner of her own played by Kenneth Branagh, who I'm assuming was cast to add some acting prestige to this.
Trying to juggle so many sub plots in one film, the screenplay drops them all in its clumsy continuity and cheerfulness. Every single character story-line is wrapped up perfectly by the end, making me think the screenwriter, Eileen Brosch McKenna, was forced to keep this story as bright and as polished as possible.
With nothing interesting or new to say “The Devil Wears Prada 2” feels manufactured and overly produced, even though the first film's director, David Frankel also directed this sequel, it feels like Ryan Seacrest directed or co-produced this one.
It looks glamorous and without visual blemishes, but it has nothing lasting or memorable to say. I'm so sorry this ended up being my review for this film.
For Flix at 48 I'm Casey T Allen.
