While I thoroughly enjoyed “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” the fact that I don’t love the first film makes me wonder how true fans of the original feel about it. I find 2006’s “The Devil Wears Prada” pretty flat and devoid of humor, with everyone being horrible but not many instances of people being entertaining or interesting. Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci have their moments in that iteration, but mostly it’s just a belabored Faustian tale without much of a hook. And while it’s full of great fashion, the original “Devil” is shot so flatly that it does a great disservice to the art and clothing. In many ways, “Devil Wears Prada 2” is a serviceable late sequel that occasionally tips too far into nostalgic callbacks, but there is a real humanity at the center of it. And they remembered to include actual jokes this time! All of that, plus better cinematography (odd as it’s the same DP) resulted in a movie that is a bit slight but highly enjoyable.
Twenty years since Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) left her assistant job at Runway magazine, and she has made a great career in reporting. However, even as her work is awarded for its excellence, the changing media landscape of consolidations and downsizing finds her without a job. Coincidentally, Runway is experiencing a massive scandal and needs someone to lend gravitas to the situation. The publisher (Tibor Feldman) and his son (B.J. Novak) hire Andy to be the new features editor for Runway, a fact that shocks and insults Runway’s editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep). Miranda is still the withholding, passive-aggressive/aggressive-aggressive, patronizing career woman she’s always been and Andy must find a way to navigate her new responsibilities without falling back into bad habits. Along the way she’s reunited with old friends Nigel (Stanley Tucci) and Emily (Emily Blunt), while the magazine soon befalls its own troubles due to that aforementioned changing media landscape.
One issue that people may have with “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is that some of the frost has thawed on Miranda. In the boardroom and office, she’s still a commanding if domineering presence, but there are multiple scenes of her vulnerability in the sequel (as opposed to the singular moment when she’s getting divorced in the first film). For some, that can be disappointing and a flaw with the film that this iconic baddie has some openings in her usual airtight armor. But for me it works twofold – one, it represents that time has changed and her relationship with Andy has shifted as well; she can let down that wall just a bit. Two, it also speaks to a surprising theme in “Devil Wears Prada 2” which is the need for humanity. There are multiple screeds against AI and corporatization of the arts and journalism, and Miranda’s lowered defense is a good reminder that despite all her pithy barbs and constant machinations, she is still very much human. Again, for some this may be seen as a misstep, but Streep’s performance and the unifying themes made it work better for me than others.
Along with the cast, returning director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna (based on the characters by Lauren Weisberger) both slides back into the mold of the first film (if you missed scenes of a harried Hathaway running around trying to get stuff done, you’re in luck!) while reflecting the passage of time. The script has a few too many winks to the first film, the exposition can be a bit forced and awkward, and some of the “twists” are blatantly forecasted, but these are minor issues that don’t detract too much from the enjoyment of the film. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is very much “Aliens” to “The Devil Wears Prada”’s “Alien”: it’s bigger and bolder, doubling down on what worked before while adding a surprising element of thematic resonance. There are a ton more cameos, more fashions on display, and (thank the lord) more actual humor and not just people passing off being bitchy as a substitute for comedy. Also, Andy’s love interest this time around (Patrick Brammall) is a bit boring but ultimately not a dick (as opposed to the original’s Adrian Grenier character), and his chemistry with Hathaway is much more palpable.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” is a fun, funny bit of spectacle that actually has something to say about the enshittification of so much of our culture. At once a comedy, a drama, a bit of a heist film, and a romance, it manages to combine all these elements into a winning movie that is incredibly enjoyable. There’s some repetition to the first, but it works as an echo of the past while still moving the story (and the characters) forward. It’s nice to return to this world and see that something’s never change, but that growth is still possible — and that humanity is worth fighting for. Especially while looking fabulous.
3.5 / 5 Stars
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt, Tracie Thoms, Patrick Brammall, Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak
Directed by: David Frankel
