The September Issue

This ostensibly “inside” look at the months-in-the-making September issue of fashion bible Vogue from director R.J. Cutler (A Perfect Candidate) is hampered by an excess of image management from magazine editor Anna Wintour. Perhaps gun-shy after getting savaged in print (and on film by Meryl Streep) in The Devil Wears Prada, Wintour keeps her fangs unbared and her mouth shut, consenting to only a few terse interviews. The rest of the time is filled by Vogue creative director Grace Coddington, who gives a good peek at the making of the magazine but spends too much camera time complaining about the corruption of her vision. The September Issue isn’t a bad film, but it feels more like a pilot than a feature, and its look at the fashion industry is no more revelatory than an average episode of Project Greenlight.