The sequel didn't flop, but this time, even the "female devil" couldn't hold up.

Photo/ The Devil Wears Prada 2

Author | Yi Tiantian

Editor | Felicia

Header Image | The Devil Wears Prada 2

When the well - known actress "Meryl", Meryl Streep, who plays Miranda, returned to the set of The Devil Wears Prada series again, her heart raced a bit.

In front of her were the numerous roadblocks set up by the police for security. Across the street, hundreds and thousands of fans were waiting for her and Anne Hathaway to appear. Streep, who doesn't usually use social media, never expected such a grand occasion. She was suddenly pushed in front of the camera, her adrenaline spiked, and she immediately felt dizzy and just wanted to find a place to lie down and recover. Later, she complained to Hathaway, "You knew (but didn't tell me)?"

Hathaway, who had been mentally prepared, was still startled by the sight in front of her. At that moment, she realized that even after 20 years, people still hadn't forgotten Miranda (played by Streep) and Andy (played by Hathaway).

Twenty years later, Miranda and Andy fight side by side again. (Photo/ The Devil Wears Prada 2)

Even viewers who know nothing about fashion may have heard of the meme of the "sky - blue knitted sweater". Miranda's line, "The sweater you're wearing right now was actually chosen for you by the people in this room," simply explained the dissemination logic of fashion, and has made this film memorable to audiences to this day.

Andy, wearing a sky - blue knitted sweater, received a fashion lesson from Miranda in the office. (Photo/ The Devil Wears Prada)

From the official announcement of filming to its release, The Devil Wears Prada 2 has always attracted the attention of movie fans around the world. In early April, the creative team went on a roadshow around the world, and we had the opportunity to meet and chat with Streep and Hathaway. But it wasn't until April 30th that I finally saw the whole film. Just like the first film, the second one is not a pure fashion film. It's like a mirror, reflecting the anxiety that everyone is feeling right now.

A century - old fashion magazine, the situation has changed

Since the official resources of the first film can be easily found on streaming platforms, I think it's not a spoiler to review the plot outline:

Andy, an outstanding graduate from the School of Journalism at Northwestern University, came to the fashion magazine RUNWAY as the assistant to the editor - in - chief, Miranda. She lived a life where she was always on standby to answer her boss's calls, taking care of everything from buying coffee to delivering dry - cleaned clothes. She was so excellent that she even replaced the first assistant, Emily. However, at the same time, she lost her private time, and her intimate relationships were on the verge of collapse. Finally, she chose to throw her phone into the fountain, left Miranda, and turned to the serious media, The Vanguard.

Twenty years ago, Miranda's workday started with throwing her coat at her assistant's face. (Photo/ The Devil Wears Prada)

If it weren't for the uncertain environment, Miranda and Andy might not have met again after 20 years.

RUNWAY magazine, still under Miranda's leadership, faced a crisis of suspected false advertising. Andy, who had worked at The Vanguard for 20 years, had just been laid off and was soon recruited by the CEO of the publishing group to be a special feature editor at RUNWAY. Before Andy could catch her breath after arriving at work, she was taken in front of the clients to bow and apologize. The executive opposite was Emily, who had once been ignored by Miranda.

Many viewers sighed: Emily finally made it. (Photo/ The Devil Wears Prada 2)

When the old colleagues who hadn't seen each other for many years reunited, Miranda pretended as if she had never met Andy before. RUNWAY magazine didn't seem to have changed much. The second assistant still had to hold back her urine while guarding the workstation and the phone. Nigel still privately helped Andy match her clothes, and Miranda still exuded the familiar strictness and arrogance.

In today's corporate jargon, it was no easier for Andy to integrate into her old workplace than it was 20 years ago. Miranda hardly gave her any guidance or feedback on her work. She could only grope blindly with her assistant, Zhao Jin (played by Shen Yutian), and it was actually her assistant who reminded her to "balance the seriousness and entertainment value of the reports".

Just when things finally started to turn for the better, fate seemed to "chase and attack" Andy. The century - old fashion magazine was facing cost - cutting and efficiency - increasing measures. This time, not only Andy herself, but also everyone from the directors to the junior editors might face being laid off.

When fate strikes, even the workplace veterans are helpless. (Photo/ The Devil Wears Prada 2)

The realism presented in the film is enough to trigger PTSD in every office worker. The department budget has been significantly cut, employees with more than five years of service are at risk of being laid off because they are "too expensive", the travel reimbursement standard has hit rock bottom, and the boss has invited a consulting company to adjust the system... They sit in the classical buildings in Milan, eating in front of the world - famous painting The Last Supper, but saying, "In the future, everyone from models to editors can be replaced by AI." Not to mention the chief editor Miranda, even I almost shed tears when I heard that.

We have to admit that the environment has changed a lot. In the film, no one buys the print version of RUNWAY, and the digital version can be accessed freely. To please the clients, several pages of advertising space are given away for free. In the real world, Anna Wintour, the prototype of Miranda, actively joined in the fun, co - shot the cover of the May issue of VOGUE magazine and short social media videos with Streep, and also appeared on stage with Hathaway at the Oscar Awards. You know, 20 years ago, quite a few brands were afraid of Wintour and didn't dare to lend clothes to the The Devil Wears Prada crew.

(Photo/Vogue)

After the cover photo of the two together was released, it received 1.41 million likes.

When making the sequel 20 years later, the creative team didn't whitewash the situation and didn't avoid the clichés of the previous work. Many of the complaints from the first film were refuted by the sequel itself. The undercurrents between the characters were put on the table again, and everyone responded to their own or others' ambitions in their own way. Streep and Hathaway told us that this is a warm - hearted film. In my opinion, the ability to present this kind of warmth is beyond the reach of AI.

The prerequisite for a female powerhouse is to be a woman

Undoubtedly, the theme that runs through this IP series of movies is the growth of women.

If in the previous work, Miranda's actions like throwing her coat at her assistant's face could be regarded as workplace bullying, the sequel gave Miranda a lesson in "what goes around comes around". After experiencing complaints from her subordinates and supervision from the human resources department, Miranda had to hang up her clothes by herself, and was often reminded by her new assistant, Amalie (played by Simone Ashley), about her choice of words during the topic - selection meetings. Before that, everyone used to be silent during the topic - selection meetings when Miranda was around.

The gaze from Generation Z. (Photo/ The Devil Wears Prada 2)

In the era when the previous work was released, "girlboss" was still a new concept in the public eye. The stylist Patricia Field insisted at that time that she didn't model Miranda's image after Wintour because "Meryl and Anna don't look alike at all". Recently, Streep responded on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that they mainly drew inspiration from Clint Eastwood and Mike Nichols to shape Miranda. Twenty years ago, she said that there were not many female leaders in real life to refer to.

Meryl Streep appeared on the show wearing a sky - blue knitted sweater. (Photo/ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert)

Facts have proved that Streep's acting skills in the previous work were so excellent that for the first time in her decades - long career, she received empathy from male viewers. In the film, on the night before the Paris lunch, Miranda, without makeup and taking off her glasses, told Andy the news of her upcoming divorce. It was the first time the female devil showed her vulnerability in front of her assistant. "Men know very well that they must always maintain a certain image and must never let it collapse - the 'general' always has everything under control and is indestructible," Streep told me. "(At that time) a male viewer told me, 'I completely understand how you feel. I can really feel your state of mind.' I think it's really interesting. In my entire acting career, no other character has ever had such a reaction."

Twenty years ago, Streep told the media that based on her experience of working with male and female directors, people find it harder to accept orders from women. In her opinion, Miranda's strictness comes from her pursuit of efficiency in the long - term high - intensity work. However, Streep doesn't want to live such a "terrible" life.

Compared with the euphemistic writing in entertainment news, Miranda cares more about the next day's work. (Photo/ The Devil Wears Prada)

Miranda in the sequel is still busy, but she shows more female empathy and self - awareness. She doesn't define the interviewees by their private lives, is aware of the price of focusing on work, has existential crises due to the unstable environment, and realizes that she has ignored the demands of her capable subordinates for many years. She is an old - fashioned workplace mentor and may have been questioned for "PUAing her subordinates" more than once, but now she understands that timely positive feedback, including but not limited to delegating power, promotion, and salary increase, is meaningful. And at the end of the film, she tried her best to put it into practice.

In Streep's view, in the current situation where female leaders are controversial, it is of practical significance for the film to explore how women lead and in what way.

At the end of the film, Miranda chooses to face the difficulties and turn the situation around. (Photo/ The Devil Wears Prada 2)

As a contrast to Miranda, Emily, who makes her debut in the sequel, can be regarded as a winner in life. She jumped from a fashion magazine to a luxury brand as an executive and became a client of her former boss. How satisfying it is! However, she seems to have difficulty in self - affirmation. She needs her "sugar daddy" boyfriend to boost her status and always cares about Miranda