THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 – Review by Leslie Combemale
The budget for The Devil Wears Prada 2 was significantly higher than the original 2006 film. Meryl Streep, beloved for her love-to-hate character Miranda Priestly, is quoted as saying, “on this one honey, they spent the money”. She’s right. Every dime shows up onscreen. From the opulent, sophisticated locations and sets to the gorgeous costumes and haut couture designs worn by a parade of star cameos, TDWP2 is serving SERVINGGG LEWKS. The eye candy is everywhere. Fans of the original will love this film for that alone, but they’ll also get a long awaited reintroduction to Miranda Priestly (La Streep), her ever-under appreciated right hand man Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) and her erstwhile nemeses Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) and Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt).
They may come for what they remember of those characters and their interactions, but in TDWP2, it’s Meryl Streep who chews up the dialogue and spits it out like the incomparable thespian that she is. But fans, here’s the thing: Do you want humanity with your Miranda Priestley? Do you want a character arc that shows she’s more than just “the devil”, or do you want the unchangeable evil diva you know and hate? The answer to that question will determine the level of enjoyment you’ll get out of this sequel. The other characters, especially those whose credits are listed below Streep, Hathaway, Blunt, and Tucci, are woefully underwritten. It feels like Streep knew that, and acted (the hell out of it) accordingly. She, along with the eye popping couture and costumes, is the reason for this runway season.
There are additions to the cast, which include Kenneth Branagh as Miranda’s new romantic partner, Justin Theroux as a hilarious amalgamation of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, and Lucy Liu as, effectively, (Bezos ex-wife) Mackenzie Scott. None get enough to do, thus feel superfluous, while making all the leads, excepting Tucci’s Nigel, even less likable. Oh, did I mention they aren’t really likable? Did you notice that in the first one? Neither did I. I think the fact that the film is less fun in general made that more noticeable.
Why is it less fun? The premise of the sequel is centered on the shrinking job market. Downsized journalists specifically are likely to feel PTSD from the first few minutes of the film.
Still, who doesn’t want to see what happened, twenty years later, to the team we all fell in love with in the first one? Nostalgia, rightly, has a lot of healing power right now….and who doesn’t want to see another opportunity for LA STREEP to do her thing? Between her, the beautiful clothes, and the delightful cameos, especially one from Lady Gaga, who performs a song written specifically for this movie, it felt worth the evening out at the cinema to me. Your fashion mileage may vary.
3 out of 5 stars.
