‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ review
Now that we live in an age where legacy sequels are a dime a dozen, we’ve become accustomed to the numerous pitfalls that the bad ones fall into. They coast by on easy nostalgia-bait—dangling references to the beloved originals in your face and expecting you to go ooh and aah. Given the ubiquity of these terrible tropes, it’s a near miracle that The Devil Wears Prada 2 skates around them while still giving the fans what they want. Beautiful people in immaculate outfits? Check. The core original cast picking up where they left off with ease? Check. Glamorous shoots, parties, and European locales? Check, check, check. While I don’t think it’s going to have the same lasting legacy as an all-time comfort classic like The Devil Wears Prada, the film is an undeniable good time and a worthy follow-up.
The inciting incident that brings the gang back together is a bit of a toss-off, but at least it skips any unnecessary preamble. After 20 years as a successful journalist, Andy (Anne Hathaway) is unceremoniously fired from her paper. On the Runway side, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) lands in hot water after promoting a brand that uses sweatshop labor. Looking to rehabilitate the magazine’s public image, Runway’s parent company hires Andy as a features editor without Miranda’s permission. Therein lies the tension!
The dynamic between Andy and Miranda is less fun this time around. It’s good that Miranda doesn’t want Andy around, therefore pushing Hathaway back into her role as the heart-on-her-sleeve people-pleaser. But the two women are on more even ground in this film. Andy is an accomplished professional who’s much more comfortable in her skin, and Miranda feels defeated in the current media landscape. Despite the two leads landing towards the middle, it’s still satisfying to watch Miranda deflate Andy’s cheery attitude with a devastating dig.
The majority of the returning cast slips back into their iconic roles like well-worn outfits. Stanley Tucci’s sardonic, level-headed Nigel remains the heart of these movies, and Emily Blunt makes a triumphant return as a leveled-up Emily. It’s satisfying to watch Blunt apply her A-List status to the role that gave her her breakthrough in Hollywood. The only returning actor who can’t live up to the first film is Streep. She’s not bad at all, but it’s hard to recreate the surprise of Streep walking in and completely stealing the show with soft-spoken, withering dominance.
The Devil Wears Prada marked the transition point from Streep the great actor to Streep the great movie star. Even 20 years later, without the surprise factor, her performance in that film still holds up as a fresh, unique take on the boss from hell. In this long-awaited sequel, Streep can’t help but infuse some of her star persona into Priestly. While the film treats us to plenty of scenes with Miranda Priestly, the merciless killer, they’re infused with Meryl Streep, the fairy godmother. She’s just a little too whimsical and emotionally vulnerable, especially around Andy.
Even with this change in demeanor, it’s still fun to see Priestly back on the big screen. It’s a bit depressing watching her have to suck up to tech bros, but the film gets some decent comedy out of her adjusting to a new type of workplace where you can’t say or do anything you want. The film can’t quite live up to the escapist fun of the first when it has to deal with real-life problems like the decay of print media and the rise of tasteless, infantile billionaires, but you still get to see Lady Gaga perform in a castle in Milan as glamorous models strut around the stage. Now that The Devil Wears Prada is a bona fide classic and people aren’t afraid of pissing off Anna Wintour (the real-life inspiration for Priestly), this film has the advantage of strutting out numerous cameos from recognizable luminaries. If you’ve always dreamed of going to a party in the Hamptons attended by famous fashion icons, musicians, and athletes, this film is for you.
The big edge this movie has over the original is the lack of an intrusive romantic subplot. Gone is Vincent Chase dragging Andy for having career aspirations, replaced by a nice Australian man who doesn’t overstay his welcome. I honestly don’t think this film needed to give Andy a love interest, but it’s a harmless addition. The only major downside to The Devil Wears Prada 2 is that it sidelines Emily for most of the runtime. She hovers around the story as just another supporting player, only to reveal herself as a villain in the 3rd act. If the film had introduced her as an antagonist from the start, I feel she would have had a greater impact on the story. How fun would it be to see Blunt taking on the Miranda Priestly energy as a ruthless cutthroat?
Despite these minor complaints, the film ultimately succeeds in transporting you back to this world you love without talking down to the audience. If you’re afraid of a Disney Star Wars-esque loving close-up on the cerulean sweater, you have nothing to worry about. The film’s dedication to the original is heartfelt and genuine. There’s one particularly sweet interaction between Nigel and Andy at the end that made me think, “You guys did it. This was all worth it.” I walked out of the theater feeling light and good about the world, which is more than I can say for most legacy sequels.
★★★