They’re back and glitzy as ever. Anne Hathaway, Miranda Priestly, and Emily Blunt with Stanley Tucci are still in competition on the fashion battlefield. Only this time, the competition isn’t just about the glorious ensembles that fashionistas will be drooling over as they consistently change from scene to scene. It was hard to get designer clothes for the first film in 2006, but this time around, Costume Designer Molly Rogers had no problem getting famous designers to sign on. A fav is the tassle jacket Meryl Streep wears in her office.
The slick script of this sequel directed by David Frankel and written by Aline Brosh McKenna and Lauren Weisberger who wrote the original 20 years ago. They shake it up with current issues in journalism and media of hirings, firings, consolidation, takeovers, and more that you hear about on the news now in the age of click bait. And now it dramatically affects the focus and interaction of these beloved characters.
Upon receiving an award for her excellence in writing for the magazine that employs her, Andy (Hathaway) and her fellow workers, get fired by text alert. This quickly becomes a film about how attitudes and presentation of fashion has changed because of electronic publishing and social media.
Upon receiving an award for her excellence in writing for the magazine that employs her, Andy (Hathaway) and her fellow workers, get fired by text alert. This quickly becomes a film about how attitudes and presentation of fashion has changed because of electronic publishing and social media.
And where does Andy end up? Back working at Runway, the magazine run by her nemesis, Miranda (Streep), who has a new husband, Stewart, (Kenneth Branagh). Streep is stunning and imposing with plenty of biting lines and side glances, but a touch tamer than before. Criticism has been noted for somewhat stereotypically racist characteristics of Andy’s Chinese-American assistant in the film and the filmmakers are understandably getting push back.
Miranda’s in line for a global promotion until there’s a dramatic change in power over the magazine’s heirarchy. The power over Runway gets turned over to the heir’s son, Jay, (B.J. Novak).
Then Emily, (Emily Blunt) Andy’s other nemesis, shows up and you have these 3 slinging insults all over the place. It’s fun to see them up against each other again, but this time, Emily has more savoir faire working at DIOR with her own big goal in mind. Her way of achieving her dream of acquisition is with funds from her very rich, but weirdly affable Benji Barnes, (Justin Theroux). This is a real departure for Theroux who usually plays a smart, handsome catch. Interesting that Benji’s rich and elusive ex-wife Sasha, (Lucy Liu) is what helps Andy get what Miranda’s been dying for.
Andy, still being bullied by her, but Nigel (Stanley Tucci) is so great casually giving her sage advice to calm her down. Tucci is the gem in this film, in the scenes with Meryl Streep as well. Hathaway works hard to nail the one interview MIranda wants for the magazine to draw mega attention to help get her global post.
As Andy starts to get in the good graces of frantic Miranda, director Frankel takes us to luxurious estates and elegant runway fashion shows packed with celebrity cameos including, Jon Batiste, Jenna Bush Hager, Naomi Campbell. There are actual scenes with a primping Lady Gaga with attitude in a dressing room, and a funny scene with Donatella Versace being ignored in a cafe in Milan. There are some interesting stories about cameos that didn’t make it.
The Soundtrack is jammed with talent with several songs from Lady Gaga, plus Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, SZA, Chappell Roan and retro tunes from Beyoncé, ABBA, Rihanna, and even Madonna’s Vogue.
Out of a job, looking for an apartment, Andy meets a young Real Estate Developer named Peter (Australian actor, Patrick Brammel) who becomes a possible love interest. We see him a few times with her in the film, but thought their relationship so platonic, there was very little chemistry.
This is a fashionistas dream with haute couture that flies by quickly. Frankel makes the interactions of this stellar four-some more than satisfying, despite an uneven pace. With so much eye candy and star power, you may want to watch it with sunglasses.
20th Century Studios 1 hour 59 minutes. PG-13
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