THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE
RYAN: “The September Issue” is kind of like the real-life version of “The Devil Wears Prada,” except much less fun.
CAROLINE: It’s a documentary about Anna Wintour and her staff putting together the fall issue of Vogue, which is always the biggest, fattest issue. Or at least it used to be, pre-recession, when this movie was shot. It’s funny to see them celebrating about their largest issue ever, when now in 2009 it’s decreased more than 20% or something.
RYAN: It’s a sign o’ the times, honey.
CAROLINE: It was semi-interesting to see how they put the magazine together, but if this movie had been any longer than ninety minutes, I would have had to take a nap.
RYAN: Totally. It’s very slow-paced and the music started to bug me halfway through. And I kept waiting for some level of drama, which never really came. There were a few office scenes that were funny because I think similar things go down in any office, such as resentment toward your superior. What do you think of Ms. Wintour after seeing this?
CAROLINE: She seems fine. She’s obviously very accomplished, and she didn’t come off as bitchy or anything. But it would have been a much more interesting movie if it were from the perspective of her underlings. Mainly what I came away with was that I cannot believe that three of the homeliest women I’ve ever seen are running the most respected fashion mag in the world. I realize they’re all older and we can’t hold that against them; but they could at least try to look pretty. Anna Wintour at least dresses well. The other two were seriously frightening.
RYAN: They have awful hair and skin, and they won’t wear a stitch of make-up. How hard is it to swipe on a little foundation in the morning, ladies? Their clothes were so dowdy too. I so don’t get it. And then you’ve got André Leon Talley, who is just a joke unto himself.
CAROLINE: To quote you during the movie, “Who has sex with him?” I’m sure I don’t know the answer.
CAROLINE: He just sits next to Anna at fashion shows. He’s her gay best friend who she’s kept around all this time. Good for him, I guess.
RYAN: I liked seeing the similarities to “The Devil Wears Prada,” like Anna Wintour’s office which was identical to how it was in “Prada.” Plus all the assistants and the photo shoots and racks of clothing. And there were a few fun scenes of Anna at home with her daughter. I just wish there was some drama. I’m wondering if they caught some but weren’t allowed to put it in the movie or something.CAROLINE: Yeah, it was pretty dull. It’s well made, I suppose, just not very compelling. It’s just a look at how a fashion magazine gets put together. Sort of cool, but not very exciting. The scenes with Sienna Miller, the cover model for the issue, were cool, but few and far between.
RYAN: It’s not a documentary like “Every Little Step” or a Michael Moore film that will really affect or inspire you, unless you’re really into fashion.CAROLINE: I think we’re both into fashion enough to appreciate the movie, but not rave about it. We love “Project Runway,” for example, but I don’t care enough about Anna Wintour to love this movie. RYAN: She came across as apathetic and uninspired in some scenes.
CAROLINE: I also noticed that rather than give her opinion on a photo spread, she’d ask other people what they thought first. Almost like she needed their approval. She also wears the exact same style of dress every day.
RYAN: And her hair hasn’t changed since she was 17.
— BOTTOM LINE —
CAROLINE: It’s fine, but not nearly as exciting as I’d expected or hoped.
If you don’t care about fashion or live in NYC or Paris, this is not a movie for you.RYAN: And even if you are totally into fashion, you’re going to like “The Devil Wears Prada” more than this. I guess you could Netflick it, but it’s definitely not a must-see on the big screen.
— RATING —
