“And Emily? That’s all” are some of the first words spoken between Miranda Priestly and Andy “Emily” Sachs. Despite saying “that’s all” it was in fact, not all, not only because they had an entire movie ahead of them, but because just two decades later a second movie would be announced: “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”
The first movie, which is an adaptation of Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel of the same name, follows Andrea “Andy” Sachs, a recent college graduate, who becomes the assistant to the cold and demanding Miranda Priestly, the editor-in-chief of Runway Magazine. The storyline is loosely based on the real life Vogue Magazine where Weisberger worked for a time as an assistant to Anna Wintour. Though she got a job in the fashion industry, Andy has big plans to become a journalist which initially leads her to view Runway as a temporary position. However, as the movie progresses, Andy starts to see the importance of the work done at Runway and becomes more committed to the assignments she is given. Seeing her higher level of commitment, Miranda gives Andy more important work and even invites her to go to Paris Fashion Week with her. After a fight between the two, Andy quits, afraid of becoming the type of person Miranda is. At the end of the movie, she gets an interview with the New York Mirror newspaper where she learns Miranda told the editor “he would be an idiot not to hire her.”
Once “The Devil Wears Prada” was released to the public, it became an overwhelming major 2006 summer hit, establishing a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes whilst cementing the movie as a household name. During the initial release of the first movie, there were rumors among fans about a sequel that would be released, but eventually they fizzled out when no confirmation of a sequel came out. However, just 20 years later, the long awaited sequel was released and lovers of the first movie had mixed reactions. The second movie was extremely hyped up and glamorized, but it didn’t really live up to any of the expectations of any viewer.
The “Devil Wears Prada 2” continues Andy’s story, as she is now a respected journalist in New York and returning to Runway after getting offered a job as the Senior Features Editor. This was unbeknownst to Miranda as she was fired from the magazine after a scandal involving a failure to review a piece praising a brand that uses sweatshops to make their clothes.
In this modern day Runway, Andy finds many changes to the environment and Miranda have been made as a result of the current workplace standards and mass digitization across the world. Despite how much Miranda has changed with her wording and her actions, with Andy even watching Miranda hang up her own coat– something she used to throw at people– as well as witnessing speech get censored during meetings to avoid HR violations. Even with these changes, she is still the same blunt character that will speak her mind much to the dismay of the character around her.
As the story continues, Andy discovers that her former co-worker Emily moved to Dior and is using this scandal for her own personal gain. After a series of failed articles, Andy lands a coveted interview with a celebrity Miranda has been trying to get in contact with for years, Sasha Barnes. While this is happening an evil plan involving Emily and Sasha’s ex-husband, Benji Barnes, brews in the wake of parent company chairman Irv Ravitz’s death. The plan comes to fruition as they move to make a deal with the late Irv Ravitz’s son Jay to buy Runway, but quickly ends with purchase from Sasha Barnes completely buying Elias-Clarke, Runway’s parent company. The film ends with Andy choosing to stay at Runway this time and Miranda giving her a much nicer office.
One thing many fans noted about the movie is that the story felt like it was being written as it was going along. Many events felt out of place or happened suddenly and without needed context. The first half of the movie moved so fast without much action, leaving fans confused as to what direction it was taking. They were also quick to point out the main antagonist Emily Charlton, who was Andy’s former co-worker at Runway and Miranda’s former assistant, felt like a completely different person. Her motivations and where she ended up, luxury retail at Dior, didn’t make sense at all.
Speaking of her motivations, it’s revealed towards the end of the movie that the reason Emily left Runway was because Miranda pushed her out due to her lack of drive, creativity and direction and that Emily wanted to be Miranda but could never be. This left many fans confused. Emily might have been mean and selfish, but she idolized Miranda, so much so she got herself sent to the hospital in hopes of going to Paris with Miranda. Many fans expected to see Emily with her own office and in a bigger role at Runway instead of having left entirely. Emily may have objectively not been a good person, but she still did her job well and loved Runway with a passion. Fans felt if the writers wanted a shallow and unsuccessful antagonist coming for Miranda’s job, they should have just created a new character instead of just changing a perfectly good one.
Another big issue fans have had with the movie is the toned down character of Miranda Priestly. They feel that she didn’t hold the same power as she did in the first movie and all of the things that defined her character in the first movie, such as her witty remarks and demanding attitude, were either cut back or gone all together with the excuse in the movie being HR violations at Runway.
Despite all of the issues that “The Devil Wears Prada 2” had, many viewers still adored the more glamorous aspect of the movie. Towards the end, the story moves to Milan, one of the fashion capitals, with a more immersive look into the preparations of Milan Fashion Week. The viewers see models getting ready, the gorgeous outfits and all of the shimmer in the presentation itself.
Many iconic celebrities were also included in the scene, such as Lady Gaga’s cameo where she performed her original song, “Shape of a Woman.” Other celebrities beyond just Lady Gaga made an appearance in the movie as well, including fashion icons such as Donatella Versace, Marc Jacobs and well-known models. Over 40 celebrities were reportedly present at one point or another, including musician Jon Batiste, NBA player Karl-Anthony Towns and former First Daughter and journalist Jenna Bush Hager.
No matter how fans felt about the movie, it is, by many standards, a success. Anne Hathaway (Andy Sachs) and Meryl Streep (Miranda Priestley) have both been praised for their performances and ability to bring these characters back to life after all these years. Stanley Tucci has also been praised for his comedic timing and impeccable characterization of his character Nigel Kipling. The sequel made seven million dollars on its opening day alone and since then has raked in 441 million dollars globally since then. Overall, fans and movie executives alike can agree that these characters’ chapters have come to a close and finally they can say with confidence that “Emily? That’s all.”
