The Devil Wears Prada 2 is one of those sequels that made me happy for the people who’d been waiting years for a follow-up and finally got one they enjoyed.
I’m not mad the sequel happened, but having now seen it, I can’t say, for me, that watching it was a fully worthwhile experience.
The exciting fashion, the behind-the-scenes look at life inside a high-fashion magazine, the fish-out-of-water story, and the humorous quips that made the first film so enjoyable all felt less special this time around. That could be blamed on having recently rewatched the original, but what’s more likely is that my cautious optimism after seeing the trailers proved wise.
The writers didn’t do a terrible job of capturing today’s media landscape. The problem is that the story they chose to tell within it felt too much like a repeat of the first film, rather than giving me a reason to be glad I was back with these characters.
While watching the film, I made a note that one of my favourite scenes was the ‘wing-woman’ moment. But as I type this, I’ve completely forgotten the details of the scene that inspired the note; not that I would ever spoil it for those interested in seeing it, of course. My memory isn’t always the best. Even so, it probably doesn’t bode well that I’d forgotten one of my favourite moments so quickly.
Additionally, perhaps I’m growing cynical, but did I believe the scene when a certain character was finally recognised for their contribution? No, because it felt more like a convenient way to wrap up everyone’s story with a happy ending instead of showing the outcome that seemed most likely.
Lastly, the fashion in director David Frankel’s sequel isn’t bad. I just didn’t find it as exciting as the style in the first film. As you can imagine, much of the styling joy I’m referring to came from everything Streep’s Miranda Priestley character wore so well in The Devil Wears Prada 2006.
Watch The Devil Wears Prada 2 if you’re curious.
Happy Film Loving,
G
