'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Review
- Juli Horsford
- 12 hours ago
- 2 min read
Release Date: 05/01/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Comedy. Drama.
MPAA: Rated PG13.
Distributor: 20th Century Studios.
The Verdict: A Must-See
The problem with sequels is they usually lead to bitter disappointment. No one ever needs to watch Jaws 2 or Speed 2: Cruise Control for example. There are exceptions to this rule of course—Toy Story 2, The Godfather Part II, The Dark Knight, etc. And The Devil Wears Prada 2 happily falls into the latter category.
It’s been twenty years since The Devil Wears Prada stormed into theaters and gave us gird your loins memes, a new obsession with KT Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See,” and a rekindled appreciation for Meryl Streep’s acting abilities. This time around, the screenwriting duo of Aline Brosh McKenna and Lauren Weisberger (both also wrote the original) decide to focus less on Miranda Priestly’s appallingly mean workplace and instead tackle the ever-changing media landscape.
Runway is barely hanging on in the digital age and a poorly researched story has the magazine at the forefront of a scandal. Miranda (Meryl Streep) is in the hot seat and her boss, Irv (Tibor Feldman), decides it’s time for a shake-up. He hires the recently laid off Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) to bring a new vision as the features editor. The trio of Miranda, Andy, and Nigel (Stanley Tucci) get to work on course correction for the publication immediately. That involves meeting with big-time advertisers like Dior, where Emily (Emily Blunt) works. So the whole gang is back together with the mission of saving Runway and staying relevant to social media consumers who have the attention span of a goldfish.
Director David Frankel (who also helmed the first movie) is able to once again capture the magnetic chemistry of the cast. The core four slip back into their characters as if no time has passed at all. Emily Blunt delivers a few marvelous one-liners. Meryl Streep still exudes the tough as nails exterior, but this time makes Miranda a bit more relatable as she fights to keep her job. Stanley Tucci continues looking suave in chic suits. And Anne Hathaway is the reliable rudder that steers the plot through various detours.
For all of its fun moments (and there are plenty) and callbacks to the original movie, the remarkable thing about the sequel is that it actually has something to say. A more mature and confident Andy flexes a heavy devotion to journalism and a strong dislike of media companies who favor bottom lines over bylines. The emphasis on the importance of journalism hums during montage scenes of Andy filing stories and during intimate conversations between her and her staff. These are real people who care immensely about their profession, reporting meaningful stories, and (obviously) keeping their jobs.
So much of the world has changed over the last 20 years. The Devil Wears Prada 2 completes the lofty task of adapting to stay relevant while still staying true to what made the first film so memorable. In short, this is a sequel that’s well worth a watch.
