By Susan Granger
Gird your loins! Fashion’s Fab Four are back: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci – reprising their iconic characters in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” a sequel that has shattered box-office records as the first female-driven dramedy to launch the summer movie season.
It’s been 20 years since idealistic Andy Sachs (Hathaway) headed to Manhattan to launch her career as a writer, only to become an assistant to Miranda Priestly (Streep), the imperious editor (think Anna Wintour) at Runway (think Vogue).
As her story picks up, ambitious Andy has just won a prestigious, investigative journalism award when she – and the rest of her colleagues at a serious periodical called The Vanguard – get fired by text message because the paper is folding.
In a tight job market, jaded Andy goes back to Runway – this time as features editor – much to everyone’s surprise, including suave art director Nigel Kipling (Tucci) and acerbic Emily Charlton (Blunt), now a high-powered Dior ad executive.
Along with the fast-paced fashion world, their comedic characters have evolved beyond precarious political correctness. Ingeniously inscrutable and indomitable as ever, Miranda’s passion for work is supported by her musician husband (Kenneth Branagh), while Andy’s love life is ignited by a hunky Aussie contractor (Patrick Brammall).
Nevertheless, scandals, deception and creeping irrelevance dominate as each tries to grasp “the last piece of wood floating next to the Titanic” during the chic couture chaos of Fashion Week in Milan, where the original Prada store still dominates the stunning Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
Pop-culture cameos abound, including Lady Gaga, fashionistas Marc Jacobs, Heidi Klum, Naomi Campbell & Donatella Versace and celebs Tina Brown, Jenna Bush Hager & Jon Baptiste, among others.
And there are many memorable lines – like “May the bridges I burn light my way” and “Shared carbs have no calories.”
Based on nostalgic characters created by Lauren Weisberger, shrewdly scripted by Aline Brosh McKenna and adroitly directed by David Frankel, this glittery, glossy sequel tries to tackle the erosion of print publications yet ignores the rise of internet ‘influencers,’ relying on billionaire buyouts, epitomized by brittle characters evoking Jeff Bezos & Lauren Sanchez.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” struts in with a snarky, crowd-pleasing, updated 8, exclusively in theaters.
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Susan Granger
Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in Journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has appeared on radio and television as an anchorwoman and movie critic for many years. Read all her reviews at susangranger.com.
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