Film, May 11 -- The Devil Wears Prada 2
Director: David Frankel
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci
Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), the CEO of 'Elias-Clarke', which publishes 'Runway', dies of a heart attack on the evening he was about to make Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) the head of content of the magazine group. His son Jay Ravitz (BJ Novak) takes his place, but he believes in downsizing, cost-cutting and clickbait content. He is in a rush and brings in management consultants to recommend cost cuts. Miranda bears it all without any complaints.
As I sit there in a multiplex in central Kolkata for an afternoon show with a meagre crowd (mostly girls and Gen Z), I find myself having a deja vu. I also felt a pang in my chest. I have seen it all before - the same exercise of downsizing, mergers, cost-cutting and eventually shutdowns. In 2017, when I was working with a premier media organisation (I was part of their newspaper vertical), I saw how, within months, the house crumbled. Journalists were terminated, multiple editions and bureaus closed, after a major consulting firm visited the company to restructure it and accommodate a massive digitisation programme.
When 'The Devil Wears Prada' was released in 2006, I was in college. Truth be told, I didn't watch it then. It was only after I joined the features department of a reputed media organisation that I watched it. At that time, the world of high fashion, stilettos and expensive brands, glass offices and the zeal to prove oneself, just like Andrea (Anne Hathaway), excited me. Maybe many like me, back then, wanted to be Andrea. Streep's Miranda became a pop culture phenomenon. Her 'That's all', her icy-cold responses and impossible standards became reference points for nervous but ambitious journalists trying to survive intimidating newsrooms.
But that was 20 years ago. Today, print revenues are dipping, the digital ecosystem is steering media organisations toward clickbait news and algorithms and metrics have changed editorial jobs at publishing houses. Now, you are mostly judged by how many articles you have filed and how many clicks and reactions they got, rather than the impact and value of the article itself. Serious journalism no longer pays well. Clickbait does.
And this is where the sequel does better. This one is about much more than luxurious lifestyles and wardrobe choices. This one is about layoffs, downsizing and cost-cutting, the buzzwords of today's job market, especially in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Even Miranda's imperious and icy-cold nature (she still remains so) has taken a hit. Gone are the days of her throwing coats and bags on assistants' desks. No one runs for her coffee anymore and she is constantly reminded to keep a check on her bluntness by her first assistant, Simone Ashley (Amari). And unlike Andrea or Andy Sachs, Amari isn't terrified of Miranda.
When the first-look posters and shooting videos were doing the rounds on the internet last year, as a fan of the earlier film, I honestly didn't want Miranda to return and risk spoiling the legacy of the original. But this sequel feels necessary. It is a reality check for media organisations that carry a legacy but have shifted to digital. The film shines a spotlight on how employees are sacked over a phone call or an email (like what recently happened at an IT company) and how the legacy of an organisation is now measured by metrics and algorithms.
But despite all the seriousness, 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' doesn't lose its satire, biting humour and wit and special thanks for that goes to Emily (Miranda's former first assistant and now a retail head at 'Dior'). The race to the top is gruesome but also entertaining and no one does it better than Emily. Of course, we miss Miranda's iconic "Why is no one ready?" and "That's all", but sorry, this time it is Emily who gets the best lines. "May the bridges I burn light my way," or the way she says, "Shared carbs have no calories." Her expressions are spot on.
Hathaway's Andy is no different, except this time she returns to her former organisation to 'restore the credibility' of 'Runway'. And just like in the previous film, she once again tries to save Miranda and her editorial reign. Stanley Tucci also returns as Miranda's faithful stylist Nigel, toiling away patiently while still keeping his eye on Andy.
And if you think amid all this there isn't fashion, well, there is. The climax unfolds in Milan and you see high fashion everywhere. And then there's Streep, proving at the age of 76 why she remains the queen of expressions. Miranda knows the media world has changed, but she also knows her standards and ways haven't. I missed her iconic hair flip and grand entry sequence, but the Dries Van Noten tassel jacket and that subtle shake when she enters the lift for an impromptu meeting with consultants over cost-cutting make up for everything else. It's iconic. There's simply no one who can do what Streep does. Every single time.
So, gird your loins, because this sequel serves high fashion with an equally high reality check. That's all.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.