It's been 20 years since the 2006 hit. That female-led comedy was the number 12 film in the box office the year it was released. It became a cultural phenomenon, certainly among certain demographics. It would eventually be nominated for two Oscars at the 79th Academy Awards. It didn't seem like the film necessarily lent itself to a sequel. The film was about women in the workplace and what it takes to succeed in high-profile jobs. That film seemed to say all that needed to be said. This film could be a continued exploration of that theme, but an even more relevant theme is being touched upon here that's more appreciated, if not fully fleshed out.
If you've been paying attention to news about media consolidation, then you've heard the news about Warner Bros. Discovery or WBD being acquired by Paramount Skydance this year after Netflix made an offer to acquire WBD in 2025. This film went into production before Netflix made its offer, but rumblings about WBD going for sale was out there prior. Regardless, this film could be a metaphor for that WBD acquisition. However, the 2006 blockbuster was distributed by 20th Century Fox. In 2019, the Walt Disney Company purchased 20th Century Fox after Comcast also attempted to buy it. That 2019 deal was a similar bold act of media consolidation. Given that this sequel is being distributed by the now 20th Century Studios, it's likely that writer Aline Brosh McKenna is commenting on that 2019 deal. However, I make this argument only because I don't know as much about the fashion industry and the media companies that cover such things. Most people know that this film is loosely inspired by Vogue magazine, which is owned by Condé Nast, and Anna Wintour who is the Artistic Director of that company now, as she was formerly the editor-in-chief of Vogue. Over the years, Condé Nast has undergone some media consolidation issues too, so McKenna could easily be commenting on the machinations of Condé Nast, as anything else.
Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables and The Princess Diaries) stars as Andrea Sachs or "Andy," a newspaper journalist who goes viral on the Internet when she rants about media consolidation leading to layoffs, including a lot of journalists losing their jobs. She herself is in need of a job. When she gets an offer to go back to her old one at the fashion magazine Runway, the equivalent of Vogue, she takes the opportunity. Like so many stories about people who work in media and entertainment, Andy struggles with the issue of art versus commerce. She wants to do work that's more artistic, more substantive, or more important to her integrity as a journalist and not work that's purely about making money. She doesn't want to write empty articles or sensational ones that more merely clickbait. She wants to write more hard-hitting, educational or intellectually important stuff.
This aspect though isn't really explored, as much as it could have been. The film kicks off with a scandal involving Runway itself. Apparently, the magazine did a piece about a brand that is revealed to use sweatshop labor. Yet, this scandal is simply used as an inciting incident to get Andy back working at the magazine. Her first article is about investigating this scandal and how Runway messed up. Unfortunately, the film blows past Andy investigating and actually doing the work to write it. We don't see her going and interviewing anyone at the brand. We don't see her actually going and seeing the sweatshop for herself. We see her at her desk in her tiny office typing on her laptop, but we don't see any of the gumshoe things that an investigative journalist would do to get at the bottom of a story like that.
Meryl Streep (Into the Woods and Adaptation) also stars as Miranda Priestly, the editor-in-chief of the magazine. She's a very wealthy woman and very much a snob. She's the epitome of haughty. She also seems to be a boss that has no compassion or no regard for anyone that works for her. She's a veritable ice queen. She's very aloof, and she remains quite so. The film points to her wanting to get a promotion in the magazine's parent company, Elias-Clarke, similar to the promotion that Anna Wintour got, but Miranda might not get that promotion because the young person who takes over that company might want to do some media consolidation himself.
McKenna could have made the thrust of this film be about Miranda's struggle with that media consolidation. The whole thing instead becomes a gag to depict Miranda having to do things on a lesser budget. Yet, the only time that the gag even works is in one scene where instead of flying first class, Miranda has to fly business class or coach, but the scene isn't that long. The film doesn't milk Miranda having to downsize to any significant degree. BJ Novak (Inglourious Basterds and The Office) plays Jay Ravitz, the young guy who takes over Elias-Clarke and wants to consolidate or downsize, so that he can sell the company and make himself richer, which is essentially what David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, did before he sold it to Paramount Skydance. Yet, McKenna doesn't make it a battle between Miranda and Jay, or a tug-of-war. The battle seemingly goes to someone else.
Emily Blunt (Into the Woods and A Quiet Place) co-stars as Emily Charlton, an executive at Dior, a French luxury goods company. It's considered one of the original, fashion houses, becoming one of the top designers in the world. It's also one of the top advertisers for Runway magazine. Emily used to work at Runway, and she would love to do so again. She's dating a billionaire named Benji Barnes, played by Justin Theroux (The Leftovers and The Girl on the Train), and he has the ability to buy Elias-Clarke from Jay. Benji's bid comes with some ideological differences about how the magazine could change how it operates. Instead of engaging with what those changes would mean, as opposed to what Miranda would want, isn't really explored. The film gives Benji's ideological difference lip service, basically he wants to turn it all over to A.I., but nothing any further gets explored.
There's also a subplot where Andy considers writing a book about Miranda. One would assume that that would require Andy digging into Miranda's life and her past. That subplot isn't really developed into anything substantial either. There's a nod at the end to Miranda's regrets or sacrifices when it comes to her life and doing her job, but that's all it is. It's a nod, instead of being something that is developed or explored. This film does take us to fashion week in Milan, Italy, where it looks like documentary footage was captured with the actors incorporated almost seamlessly. Along the way, we get some lighthearted humor. If that's enough for you, then this film could be a nice return to the 20-year-old hit.
Rated PG-13 for strong language and suggestive references.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 59 mins.
In theaters.
