While watching the opening credits of The Devil Wears Prada 2, I realize the sequel isn’t based on Lauren Weisberger’s 2013 follow-up novel Revenge Wears Prada but rather an original screenplay by the returning Aline Brosh McKenna. The latter, of course, previously adapted Weisberger’s 2003 novel The Devil Wears Prada for the 2006 movie, despite the big-screen version taking the major creative liberties in turning the source material’s cynical tone into a more nuanced, coming-of-age story of Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) from a struggling personal assistant to Meryl Streep’s editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly, to an assured professional. It works well, resulting in an unbelievably massive sleeper hit at $326.7 million worldwide.
So, the last time we saw Andy chose to move on by securing a new job at a newspaper agency, thanks to Miranda vouching for her after the editor called her former workplace, Runway, for reference. That was 20 years ago, and a lot has changed in the fashion and media landscape. And it reflects these real-world market shifts right from the earlier scene, as the first movie’s director, David Frankel, hits too close to home after Andy loses her job as a journalist. She remains optimistic, and one day, she got an unlikely opportunity to return to work at Runway. Not the same position, but as a features editor to help overcome the controversy surrounding the so-called fast-fashion brand Speedfash that puts the once-dominating Runway in jeopardy.
Andy’s return isn’t receiving a warm welcome from Miranda, who barely mellowed even after decades have passed. This re-ignites the love-hate workplace dynamic between her and Andy, giving the sequel a sense of callbacks. Nostalgia sure plays a part here, but I’m glad that Frankel doesn’t let it overwhelm the story for old times’ sake. McKenna’s screenplay addresses the modern-day challenges by incorporating the cold, hard fact of digital media overshadowing traditional publishing with updated, yet relevant themes of cancel culture, shrinking budgets, layoffs, and corporate restructuring.
Frankel equally deserves mention for striking a right balance between capturing the significant changes in the industry and honoring the spirit of the 2006 original that makes The Devil Wears Prada such a beloved hit in the first place. The sequel also marks the return of Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt), a former senior assistant working for Miranda, who is now a senior executive at Dior. She was one of the best supporting characters in the first movie, and with her arc shifted to a higher level, I was expecting a turning point that would lead to a much-needed conflict to raise the dramatic stakes in the sequel. It does at some point in the movie, but at the expense of unfortunately dumbing down Emily Blunt’s character by playing it too safe for its own good. Or dare I say, a shallow characterization, despite Blunt trying her best to reprise her mean girl and sharp-tongued persona that made her such a standout in the first movie. She certainly deserves better than what she gets here.
Like the first movie, the sequel injected romantic subplots revolving around Andy, Miranda, and Emily with their respective male partners, played by Patrick Brammall, Kenneth Branagh, and Justin Theroux. Only this time, unlike the first movie’s more resonant Andy and her estranged boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier, who didn’t return for the sequel) relationship arc, the subplots feel mostly like fillers trying to patch some of the gaps in the sequel’s nearly two-hour runtime. Take Kenneth Branagh’s Stuart, for example, who plays Miranda’s new husband. Enlisting a reliable name actor like Branagh, only to find out his role is unfairly reduced to a thankless role, did him any favor to make his character worthwhile.
And yet, that doesn’t mean The Devil Wears Prada 2 has collapsed under the pile of mediocrity. Far from it, actually, especially given the winning on-screen chemistry between Hathaway and Streep. They are among the main reasons that keep the sequel alive, while Stanley Tucci’s return as Runway’s fashion director Nigel Kipling has again delivered solid support.
Then, there’s the second half of the movie, as Frankel upped the ante once the story arrives at a juncture with the cruel reality of how money matters more than passion and creativity. This adds a compelling structure to the drama while retaining the glamor of the high fashion that defines The Devil Wears Prada franchise. Molly Rogers, who took over the Oscar-nominated Patricia Field from the original, does an equally good job in mixing and matching the wardrobe styling between timelessness and modernity.
