The Runway Magazine team is back 20 years later and ready to work in The Devil Wears Prada 2. Andy (played by Anne Hathaway) is suddenly fired after 20 years of living her journalistic dreams. Angry and jobless in a shaky print media market, Andy finds herself back in fashion thanks to a job offer at Runway Magazine. While she must still contend with her former boss Miranda (played by Meryl Streep), the cold and quietly vicious editor-in-chief of Runway (and the devil in Prada), and is also reunited with Nigel (played by Stanley Tucci), her former mentor and Runway’s sage art director. Now at Dior, Emily (played by Emily Blunt) returns as the competitive, power-hungry frenemy, and Lily (played by Tracie Thoms) remains Andy’s close friend.
The 2006 original film stood on its own two heels as a feel-good rom-com that, while seeming a bit dated today, still has fans, style, and remains enjoyable. The Devil Wears Prada 2 is an equally fun comedy-drama that isn’t afraid to love and laugh at the industry simultaneously. The core characters are still easy to enjoy for their quirks, attitudes, and humor. Blunt and Hathaway make Emily and Andy’s opposites-attract friendship fun to watch. Miranda is still humorously brutal, unflappable, and passionate about her career. The memorable 1st and 2nd assistant roles are slightly less harassed than when Andy was first at Runway Magazine, but Amari (played by Simone Ashley) and Charlie (played by Caleb Heron) keep the funny assistant dynamic alive. However, Andy’s own assistant, Jin (played by Helen J. Shen), seemed too peripheral and could have used more thought and development.
As the story spans the NYC and Milan luxury fashion scenes, there is heightened glam and a stronger narrative that includes revenge, betrayal, loss, and power, especially for powerful women. The story also shines the briefest of lights on changes in the fashion industry, print media, and concerns over the impact of AI. While it’s a fun time at the movies, The Devil Wears Prada 2 does lean on an overwhelming volume of cameos and name drops. It’s almost exhausting, although paired with the film’s glitz, the crush of real-life famous fashion designers, models, and journalists isn’t really out of place. It also produced a very entertaining music-fashion moment with Lady Gaga, as well as the original song “Runway” by Lady Gaga and Doechii.
Fortunately, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a sequel that has not lost what made the first one good: High fashion, brutally funny quips, entertaining characters, and heart. This comedy film is in theaters May 1st. I rate it a (3/4) 🍿
Interviews on the Red Carpet:
