CRANFORD — People were enthusiastic. In a nod to the original movie, they wore their big, dark sunglasses and cerulean-colored sweaters. Armed with giant buckets of popcorn, they were ready for the show. The theater was packed – not one empty seat.
It was the opening weekend of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” at Cranford Theater. Twenty years since the original “The Devil Wears Prada” came out, the sequel certainly delivered. With original cast members Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci reprising their roles, new cast members included Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, Simone Ashley and Kenneth Branagh.
Two decades after Andrea “Andy” Sachs (Hathaway) leaves her position as an assistant at Runway magazine, she’s now a respected journalist in New York City. When her entire newsroom is laid off, Andy is hired to come back to Runway to help the magazine that’s failing. The punchline is, her old boss at Runway, Miranda Priestly, did not approve of this.
The plot is strong and enticing, with quite a few twists as the team navigates the publishing world in a new era of online clickbait and A.I.
Fashion is off the charts. Fendi, Christian Dior, Gaultier and Dolce & Gabbana, to name a few. There’s also an Easter Egg where Andy shows up wearing a revamped version of her legendary drab cerulean sweater – now upgraded into a chic DYI vest – in addition to some other clever Easter Eggs calling back to the original.
During Milan Fashion Week, there’s a musical appearance by Lady Gaga performing “Shape of a Woman.” Gaga has two other songs in the soundtrack, “Glamorous Life” and “Runway” (with Doechii). The soundtrack also features songs from Dua Lipa and Miley Cyrus.
Fiorenza D’Aprano, who owns a salon in Cranford, was there to see “fashion, the humor and Meryl Streep – the devil.”
Diomar Cano, of Roselle Park, came wearing his Lady Gaga shirt, who he was excited to see in the film. “The original was underrated, when it came out. It’s a feel-good movie. I’m anticipating a good sequel. This one is gonna work out.”
After the film, he passionately raved about how good it was.
Claire Hughes, of Westfield, said, “The four main stars, you can’t beat them.”
She and her husband, Richie, were happy to come to Cranford Theater again and wanted to support the theater.
Richie said, “I was looking forward to getting out. All the people in the movie are good. I don’t like the new movies. This should be traditional.”
Visit Cranford Theater at: https://www.cranfordtheater.com/.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta
