THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 Review

We're all just going to pretend that this review being fashionably late was an international, well thought-out pun and not a result of me finding myself buried under too many last second tasks. (I am a notorious pun lover, after all.)

To say that The Devil Wears Prada 2 hit me like a ton of bricks would be an understatement. I in no way anticipated that the first five minutes of the film would show us Andy (Anne Hathaway) getting laid off via text message immediately before winning an award for her journalism. (It happened in the first five minutes, it's not a spoiler, please calm down.) Nor did I anticipate that the film would be more about the state of my chosen industry rather than the cutthroat world of fashion.

It's funny, a week or so ago there was a piece about the sheer vapidity of legacy sequels, specifically targeting The Devil Wears Prada 2 because what could it possibly have to say? A lot, it turns out.

I'm not here to tell you that it's a perfect film. Aline Brosh McKenna and Lauren Weisberger's screenplay takes a few minutes to get rolling. The amount of exposition and catch-up required to support the rest of the film results in a first act that meanders and sometimes limps, but once The Devil Wears Prada 2 slips on its Jimmy Choos it struts along as if it hasn't been 20 years since we last saw our earnest little bestie and her haughty fashion friends.

Andy returns to Runway out of happenstance. A rare Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) faux pas results in magazine owner Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman) scooping Andy out of unemployment immediately, hoping her deft features coverage will get the mag back on track.

That is, if Runway was really a magazine anymore. Our beloved Nigel (Stanley Tucci) quickly points out that while the print edition still exists, sales are non-existent and it's all about snackable soundbites and quick-hits that people can scroll through and ignore. It hits devastatingly close to home, but not has hard as when Andy writes a banger piece that restores Runway's reputation only to receive the comment "yeah, but did anyone other than culture writers read it?"

Thanks for the knife straight through my shriveled, feature writer heart, McKenna and Weisberger. I'm fine.

As I alluded to earlier, The Devil Wears Prada 2 isn't just about nostalgia. That's there, for sure! But the film has everything to say about our current media landscape and does far more than just re-introduce us to characters we fell in love with two decades ago. Each of our key players see growth over the film, more than justifying its connection to the IP (gag). Andy and Emily's (Emily Blunt) relationship shifts in refreshing and engaging ways, but it's Miranda and Nigel's connection that will get you misty eyed. (Don't worry, she's the same old bitch [complimentary].)

It could be argued that the film's ending takes away from the teeth of its commentary on digital media. Without going into spoilers (maybe that will be another day), I can certainly see that perspective. From my side, as a journalist who was laid off immediately after pulling the highest numbers in back-to-back events who hasn't been able to find a job in the past 10 months, I say maybe we deserve that ending. Maybe there's something to be said about letting the earnest one be earnest, and the devil remain as such. Maybe the way it makes you feel at the end isn't meant to reflect our reality, but the chance of what can happen.

All my cynical ass knows is that paragraph was hard to write without overtly outlining the climax of the story. Oh, and that The Devil Wears Prada 2 is pretty. Beyond the fashion, there are just some really lovely shots — particularly when the team heads to Milan, and some especially stunning costumes. Costume designer Molly Rogers went off with some of these get-ups, particularly with Andy's sheer, suspedered number in the second act. (I tried to find a photo, it doesn't exist yet. You'll just have to go see the movie!)

Fashion has never been just about clothes and The Devil Wears Prada 2 is far more than a legacy sequel with nothing to say. I won't tell you I didn't go into this film expecting to enjoy it — who doesn't love the original, after all — but I most certainly didn't expect to be affected in the way that I was. Sure, there's a hyper specificity to my exact situation. But I am not the only high-performing journalist to be in that situation, and I am far from the most talented woman in my field to be without a job.

Maybe it is just a cash grab. But hey, if it gets a couple people more aware of what's happening in the digital space and journalism as a whole, then fuck it. I hope it makes a billion.

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