As I left AMC Theaters late on May 1 — opening night of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” — I was still singing along to the songs from the movie’s original soundtrack. “Runway” by Lady Gaga was stuck in my head the whole drive home as I sorted through my thoughts on the new movie.
Amazing soundtrack, fairly good acting, slow developing plot, but most of all, 100% nostalgia inducing.
During my early 2000s romcom movie era around age eleven — as almost all tween girls go through — I watched “The Devil Wears Prada,” not expecting a movie about journalism. The movie’s centered around a young woman, Andy, who’s trying to make her way into the world of journalism in New York City, only to be stuck hating her job at “Runway” fashion magazine.
The movie quickly became a classic after its 2006 release, and it’s definitely one of my all-time favorite movies. So, of course, when I found out the long-awaited sequel was coming out twenty years later, I leaped at the opportunity to see it opening night — oh yeah, and to write this review about it.
The moment the opening scene flickered onto the big screen, I was taken back to the streets of classic New York City. A montage of city traffic and morning walkers was displayed on the screen as I eagerly watched the beginning of the movie.
A few minutes in, however, I couldn’t help but feel a slight disappointment creeping into the back of my mind.
Andy — played by Oscar-winning Anne Hathaway — despite being a now successful journalist, loses her job in the very first scene. Hathaway’s acting was poor as she conveyed Andy’s remorseful feelings about technology's takeover of journalism. I found myself slightly frustrated at the director for not reshooting what should be the best scene in the movie — the opening.
My stubbornness was short lived before I finally shrugged off my disdain and began to enjoy the movie. After all, the original was one of my go-to movies.
The sequel brought in modern aspects of pop culture including the distant voice of Olivia Dean playing in the background of a cafe, and one of my personal favorites, “No One Noticed,” by The Marias, as background music during a deep conversation between Hathaway’s character and her new love interest played by Australian actor Patrick Brammall.
The perfect song for the scene.
Slowly, I also saw the character development of the infamous Miranda Priestly — director of “Runway.”
Priestly — an insulting and harsh character played by another Oscar winner, Meryl Streep — displays more of her emotions and struggles to maintain her workaholic lifestyle as time goes by. This was an aspect I quite enjoyed as Streep portrayed incredible acting towards the character development in her role.
Streep and Hathaway’s characters maintain their past character foil as a snotty, designer clothing shopper editor and a self-fulfillment-seeking thrifter who enjoys writing, with some minor adjustments to their level of fondness towards each other.
The movie also ties in modern issues regarding AI, power from wealth and the continuing overshadowing of journalism due to technology. As a journalist myself, the movie started to feel more relatable to me, despite the overarching theme of high-end fashion.
The fashion montages in the sequel were far better than the original due to better film editing technology and skills.
What gave me even more nostalgia, though, was the adoring Nigel — played by yet another Oscar winner, Stanley Tucci — and his character’s love for Andy, the wannabe journalist. As Andy is brought back into the world of fashion at “Runway,” Tucci’s character looks out for her as a daughter, introducing viewers to one of the most caring movie duos.
When Nigel told Andy, “You’ll always be my girl,” any anger I had directed towards the movie makers dissipated immediately.
The plot continued to mature with many unexpected twists happening throughout, keeping the suspense level high for viewers.
The movie contained excellent montages, magnificent set designs and even a little juicy romance between Hathaway and an Australian man, relating the movie back to its original romcom-esque category.
The ending definitely met my expectations. I won’t give away any spoilers, but the cinematography of the ending scene wraps the whole sequel in one giant bow.
Whilst I can’t speak for everyone in that theater, I can affirmatively say I left with a big smile on my face. It wasn’t the best movie sequel I’ve come across, but “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is a good movie for anyone looking for a light laugh or wanting to learn something about the world of designer fashion.
Now, as Miranda Priestly would say, that’s all.
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