A planned sequel and a West End musical, but is The Devil Wears Prada outdated? | comedy movies

dHere is the follow-up to the movie. The devil wears PradaIn “conversations” with original screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna to present the script. The 2006 film, starring Anne Hathaway as Andy, assistant to the wintry editor of Meryl Streep's New York fashion magazine, Miranda Priestly, was a huge global hit ($327 million at the box office). A stage musical sequel to an Elton John musical starring Vanessa Williams as Priestley is also planned to open later this month at the Dominion Theater in London's West End. Nearly two decades after the original, the franchise appears to have been resurrected, but there are also troubling issues surrounding it.

The first point to highlight about The devil wears Prada It was, to use the fashionable vernacular, wonderful, dear! Based on Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel, a thinly veiled account of her time working as Anna Wintour's assistant in the United States. FashionIt's a really fun film about fashion that respects the majesty of Ben Stiller. zoolanderThey are surprisingly rare. Curiously, for an industry full of great characters, filmmaking tends to be laborious (Robert Altman, 1994). ready to use), unjustified dismissal (2009 A merchant's confession) and downright boring (Daniel Day-Lewis designer Paul Thomas wipes Anderson's pincushion like he's swallowing it. indirect text in 2018).

Bright, sparkling, acidic, exotic, The devil wears Prada Without stepping on Louboutin's heels and overcoming all the usual obstacles of fashionable cinema, he offered vivid characters: Hathaway's disturbed intelligence; Emily Blunt's supportive Emily and Stanley Tucci's gay expert, roles that propelled their careers into orbit. Streep's sick, visceral Wintour-esque turn earned Priestley a Golden Globe and Oscar nomination.

Plus, the movie is Serious Woman: written by a woman, based on a book by a female author, and built almost entirely around memorable female characters, none of whom should be discounted when Hollywood still views “women's movies” with skepticism. . There's a lot to enjoy about comedy. But it's about eating.

Vanessa Williams as Miranda Priestly for the musical version of The Devil Wears Prada. Photo: Matt Crockett

Approaches to body standards are often stuck in a dark age. In one scene, Andy eats a grilled cheese sandwich in keeping with the fashion ensemble. In another, Emily talks about her new diet: “Well, I don't eat anything and if I feel like I'm going to pass out, I eat a cube of cheese.” And everyone laughed and played.

It's Vince's work: reminiscent of the 1970s, when women were hypnotized into eating cheese and lettuce. Although satirical, The devil wears Prada Taking advantage of concerns about size, the objectively thin Andy worried about his normal appetite. He revealed that when Andy is not anorexic, mild eating disorders (not worrying about overeating, just eating) often pass as “normal.” Andy (who doesn't seem to notice the movie) represents how much fashion/fashion publications have contributed to that pressure over the years.

Acceptance too The devil wears Prada No attempt was made to counter the size zero tyranny of the early 2000s, when people like Nicole Richie strutted around with bags like a caveman's purse to look even slimmer (hooray!). Their own craze for thinness is so magnified that it makes eating disorders, as they present themselves, arguably less attractive.

It would be one thing if this wasn't an issue during our times of activation and size inclusion, but it seems all is not well in the realm of body positivity. There have been complaints lately from fashion editors who have been alerted to the return of super-thinness to ozembic-infested catwalks. According to the report, there are skeletal models visible, some with hairy arms “suggesting” that an anorexic body is trying to keep warm after starving. fashion businessA recent quantitative report states: “The body positivity movement has lost steam in mainstream culture as the pendulum has swung back toward the appeal of thinness.”

That's it #bodypos: the habit of losing weight, waiting for the words to come true. Is this wrong? The devil wears Prada? Of course not. It's not just the fashion industry's fault. From influencers to TikTok, this poison has seeped deep into the cultural water supply. The case is The devil wears Prada It's about the changing climate coming back: Gen Z audiences, for example, are in the mood for “not eating” jokes, and they should be included.

Another area that could clash with Gen Z approaches is how strongly the original film pushes what could be described as a theme of “corporate abuse disguised as a professional audition”: newcomer Andy Miranda Priestley is being rejected. Almost two decades later, when the younger generation is working for little or no exposure or experience, it all seems a bit confusing. Even these young people are seen as “lucky” who work for free with the support of their contacts and family. Previous generations also “paid their dues,” which was seen as an initial step toward a professional career, not a full-fledged ski jump.

Hathaway with Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada. Photo: Maximum Image/Image

Enter Generation Z: known for their “brat” attitude in the workplace, but who can blame them when they see their former colleagues being exploited? Put in this context, is the fashion newbie who wants to breathe the fragrant air of the hallowed halls of fashion out of fashion? Are young people so clueless and angry today? However, the fashion world is curious, and if there is a young person on the continuum, it can't be like Andy.

There are other questions too The devil wears Prada. In Priestess, another strong girl appears on screen who is basically a monster. One wonders why so many powerful women in film are relegated to the status of Disney witches. Does this mean there will be some humanistic insights into the pressures of sexual age, since the sequel is supposedly about Priestley in her dominant form, forced to cow the newly dominant Emily?

Likewise, Ducey's character, the fun-loving gay man, basically follows the model established by Rupert Everett. my best friend's wedding In 1997. It's true that I really enjoy these shows, but still, in 2024, will this be the only way to get gay screen time? It's also time to complain about Andy's boyfriend Nate, although a quick look reveals that people already have Nate as the real villain of the movie.

Finally, we, the public. How are we going to see the sequel? And yet, lazily tossing around gender, size, age difference, and similar outfits, as long as the clothes are tight and comical? The devil wears Prada Fashion and the world in general took a big hit before correcting itself. This appears to be the return as some of the larger issues associated with the film reassert themselves.

It's amazing how they managed to make such a great comedy out of the fashion industry, and most of it isn't funny. It will be interesting to see if they can pull it off again.