Meryl Streep (left) is back as Miranda, and Anne Hathaway (right) is back as Andy in “The Devil Wears Prada 2 (Photo Credit: Getty Images).
(“The Devil Wears Prada 2” trailer courtesy of 20th Century Studios)
Apparently, R&B group Shalamar got it wrong when they said the second time around is (always) better than the first time.
The late 1970s and early 1980s group might have been right about romantic relationships.
But when it comes to “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” the franchise loses a bit of its luster and shine, 20 years after the original, which was a classic.
In “The Devil Wears Prada,” Miranda (Meryl Streep, “Project Hail Mary”) represented a different era.
She was the boss from hell.
Miranda demanded undying loyalty to Runway Magazine.
And she did not care if she said the wrong thing or offended a lowly subordinate.
In “The Devil Wears Prada,” recent journalism school graduate Andy (Anne Hathaway, “Interstellar”) cannot find a real job as a reporter.
Therefore, she takes a job as one of Miranda’s gophers.
If Miranda wants coffee, Andy goes for it.
If Miranda wants certain clothing items, she goes for it.
And if Andy wants her laundry picked up, Andy goes for it.
Slowly, but surely, Andy earns the trust of Miranda.
In “The Devil Wears Prada,” Andy eventually pleases her demanding boss so much that her boss recommends her for a real journalism job.
She even tells Andy’s future employer that they would be a fool not to hire her.
Twenty years later, people would be fools to enter the field of journalism because technology and shifting media consumption habits have made the profession almost obsolete, yet no less important.
The closing of newsrooms has adversely affected many people in the journalism field, like Andy and her friends.
In fact, everyone in Andy’s room is laid off via text message from their publication during an awards ceremony.
On the other hand, Runway Magazine has felt the changes in journalism as well.
Instead of reading stories, consumers just want quick videos.
Many people cannot afford the luxury items co-signed by Miranda.
And when Runway Magazine gets in bed with a clothing company that uses sweatshop labor, the publication needs a real journalist to come in and restore its credibility.
Re-enter, Andy.
In “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” Andy is so excited to be the new features editor for Runway Magazine that she stops by Miranda’s office to say thanks on her first day on the job.
But in true Miranda fashion, she does not even remember Andy two decades later.
Nigel (Stanley Tucci, “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody”) must inform Miranda that Andy was once one of her “Emilies.”
In “The Devil Wears Prada,” Emily is Miranda’s lead assistant.
But in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” Emily has more in mind than just pleasing Miranda.
In “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” all three women have come to a crossroads in their careers.
Miranda is getting towards retirement age.
She has slowed down a bit.
But she still eyes a promotion from Runway’s parent company.
Andy wants to do real reporting.
And Runway Magazine desperately needs real stories.
However, the problem is how to write important feature stories in an era in which people gravitate towards hot takes and soundbites on social media.
And Emily has the biggest ambition of all three women.
And with a man on her side with a big bank account, she might become something much bigger than someone’s assistant.
If successful, Emily might need a few assistants for herself.
The reason that “The Devil Wears Prada 2” does not have the same feel as its predecessor is that times have changed so much in 20 years.
The media landscape has changed drastically.
But more importantly, society has changed even more.
Certain things that a boss could say 20 years ago would have them in the human resources offices today.
Certain words are off limits.
Fat shaming and/or starving oneself so that they can fit into a size zero dress is not tolerated anymore.
And having a personal gopher that hangs up that boss’ coat is frowned upon in the new woke world that The Devil Wears Prada 2” finds itself in.
That reality makes it almost impossible to replicate the magic in the original picture.
The character Miranda is like a dinosaur.
Twenty years ago, Miranda was the definition of an influencer.
In fact, she was THE influencer in the fashion industry.
Two decades later, the influencers are young people with an iPhone and millions of followers, not someone with a corner office in a New York City high-rise building.
But one thing that has not changed is the back-biting and backstabbing that goes on every day in corporate America, where everyone is out for themselves, and no one is loyal.
Unfortunately, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is derivative to an extent.
The movie has shades of “The Best Man Holiday,” with Andy in a similar business situation to Harper (Taye Diggs) and Miranda playing Lance (Morris Chestnut).
The only difference is that Andy and Miranda were never close friends, and Miranda is not blind to Andy’s business opportunity like Lance was in “The Best Man Holiday.”
In the case of “The Best Man Holiday,” the second time around might not be as good as the first time, like “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”
But there was not as big a drop-off in “The Best Man” franchise as in “The Devil Wears Prada” franchise.
But with the star power of “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” it is still a decent affair, albeit not a great one like its predecessor.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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