The stubborn, sharp-tongued and ambitious Miranda Priestly that we met in the original The Devil Wears Prada is, well… dead.
I’d hate to be the one to call the time of death on the iconic character – considering there is no role that Meryl Streep cannot master – but it had to be done.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 released in cinemas around Australia on April 30. But I was one of the lucky few to watch the movie in advance at the Sydney premiere.
Immediately, we were hit with a wave of nostalgia as the opening sequence mimicked the 2006 movie, Andy (Anne Hathaway) running chaotically through the Manhattan streets, and a street vendor comparing turquoise belts that are just “so different.”
We were soon met with the (actual) reality that the journalism industry is depleting, magazine sizes were thinning and the once glamorous version of Runway magazine in the 2000s was a mystic dream.
No more private drivers.
No more expensive lunch meetings.
No more private jets.
As a journalist working for an iconic magazine, this isn’t new information for myself or anyone else in the publishing world. But the writers kept some of the glitz and glamour when creating the sequel, because in the realm of budget cuts, of course Miranda still has two assistants.
And they still have complete access to a fashion wardrobe the size of a small apartment overflowing with luxury designers where employees can keep items… In reality, the fashion wardrobe is a tucked away security-locked room with poor lighting and absolutely no borrowing allowance.
Runway wasn’t the only thing experiencing a makeover. Miranda must have been pulled aside by HR because the Editor-in-Chief was putting away her own coat!
Now, I’m a firm believer in character development and I can’t deny that the sequel version of Miranda with loud facial expressions made me giggle.
But, why was Miranda Priestly smiling so much?
The savagery we all expected from her was dulled and indifferent until Andy kicked her into action.
Miranda was fighting for her job 20 years ago. Are you going to seriously tell me that she became a complacent pushover amid a publishing crisis and wasn’t removed as top boss?
This is not the ambitious woman we once knew.
Albeit, Miranda’s aggressive demeanor in the 2006 movie is my nightmare incarnate, she was undoubtedly an inspiration to career-driven women. Now leading the charge is the sardonic Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt), who left Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) and Miranda at Runway to become a high-powered executive at Dior.
She was the sequel’s backbone whose career progressed in an unexpected way, served fashion looks, experienced a turbulent love story and delivered witty one-liners.
“May the bridges I burn light my way,” Emily said. Now, this is a quote I can stand behind.
Despite their friendly-fire in the first movie, Emily forms a bond with her ex co-worker Andy. Their friendship built on witty remarks and workplace trauma carried more weight than Andy’s love interest Peter.
Peter is a charming real estate agent brilliantly played by Australia’s own Patrick Brammall. They meet, date, and reunite after a (very) minor hiccup.
Andy isn’t a love-struck girl in her 20s anymore. She’s an award-winning journalist.
We even watched Andy fight tooth and nail for an interview with the ludicrously rich divorcee Sasha (Lucy Lui), who just wants to be recognised outside of her romantic relationships. So, with this in mind, why was Andy’s love life unnecessarily included?
Side note, why did Sasha’s interview look reminiscent of Oprah Winfrey’s 2021 interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex…
All said and done, I’m a sucker for nostalgia. So, despite my complaints about its lackluster plot, I’d still watch The Devil Wears Prada 2 with a score of 2.5 out of 5 stars.
