I enjoyed The September Issue, but not in the way I was expecting. I figured the film would be a chance to see the real Devil Wears Prada. Well it definitely is that, but it turns out that the real deal is a lot more boring, and the cast of characters a lot uglier and more plainly dressed.  (No one on Wintour’s staff is going to be confused with Giselle, trust me.) I think I prefer the Devil Wears Prada version.

Let’s cut right to the meat of it. I could not believe how boring Anna Wintour is! She is nothing like Meryl Streep’s ridiculous character in Devil Wears Prada. This woman is just like every other high-level corporate leader I’ve ever come in contact with. She’s practically a robot, completely focused on her job. I can’t see this woman ever wasting time torturing an assistant – she’s too busy for that. She’d just fire them in a second and move on. Wintour does not even have anything interesting to say about fashion. She does not have anything interesting to say about ANYTHING. When asked what she would do with one wish, she replys “a better back-hand.” This tells you everything you need to know about Anna Wintour.

The September Issue is not a very well made documentary. They do not explain the action adequately, they do a poor job of introducing the various characters, and there is way too much rapid cutting – the film is definitely edited for the A.D.D. generation. I think part of the reason for this is because the scenes are not very interesting and neither are the people – there’s a reason no one sets up cameras in corporate America and then markets the product as entertainment. So they just try to keep the pace quick and make it all look glamorous. But in my mind, they fail. To me, it looks a lot like my day job, only in a different business. Not fun.

Still, it’s fun to see all the silly artistry of the fashion industry. Very entertaining!