★★★★½ out of 5 -- Rated: PG-13 -- Run time: 1 hour, 59 minutes
Back in 2006, the film version of the novel, “The Devil Wears Prada,” was a big hit, taking an up-close look at the super-charged, cutthroat behavior at an influential New York magazine covering the fashion world.
Many expected a sequel would be forthcoming, but the main cast members, as well as the director and screenwriter, felt they had made a stand-alone, one-and-done film.
Then in 2013, the author of the original novel – Lauren Weisberger - wrote a follow-up novel: “Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns.”
But again, no interest from the movie’s principals.
Fast forward to the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards, where stars Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt reunited as presenters in a well-received skit referencing their old movie.
A few months later, Streep attended a special screening of the film and participated in the audience talkback with original director David Frankel and original screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna.
Streep had not seen the film since the original release, and after the well-received evening, the creative wheels began to turn.
An original new story was created, and so now—20 years after the first film—we have “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” a movie that brings back not just the original director and screenwriter, but also actors Streep, Hathaway, Blunt, and Stanley Tucci.
And the result is impressive.
The storyline has Hathaway’s character of Andy Sachs—the one-time junior assistant at the powerful Runway magazine—now a successful newspaper writer (at least until her job is eliminated).
Luckily, she gets an offer from the owner of Runway to rejoin the magazine as head of their feature stories department and to also help clean up a scandal that has her acid-tongued former boss, Miranda Priestly (Streep), off-balance and playing defense.
Director Frankel moves the movie along at a brisk pace, and we see what the characters are now up to: Blunt’s scene-stealing assistant character of “Emily” from the first film is now a powerful executive at Dior and also dating a billionaire played by Justin Theroux. Her zinger put-downs are as hilarious as ever.
Tucci is also back as Nigel, Miranda’s long-suffering right-hand man, who once again provides so much of the movie’s heart as he provides guidance not just to his boss but also to Andy.
The script by McKenna (whose other credits include “We Bought a Zoo” and “27 Dresses”) also introduces a slew of new characters—the engaging Simone Ashley as Miranda’s new No. 1 assistant, as well as junior assistants played by Helen J Shen & Caleb Hearon.
Miranda has a new husband portrayed by Kenneth Branagh, who doesn’t really have a lot to do, while Andy meets a nice guy played by Australian actor Patrick Brammall, whose story impact is also limited.
More influential is B.J. Novak (“The Office”) as a key businessman who makes things complicated for the Runway team.
The first third of the film feels a bit familiar as it covers ground we already know, but then a surprise development takes the movie in an exciting new direction.
The focus is less on fashion and more on the intrigue of corporate politics. There is definitely a “Succession”-like vibe going on.
But fear not, fashion is still a prominent part of the story, with glamour, impressive outfits, and absolutely fantastic scenery as the story moves to a huge fashion show in Milan, Italy.
And keep your eyes out for the many cameos in the movie, including Heidi Klum, Naomi Campbell, Donatella Versace and many more.
The cast of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is so very strong. What more can one say about Streep and Tucci? They have those characters down pat. And Hathaway, with her radiant smile, provides a deep sense of caring that audiences will embrace.
This is one of those rare sequels that doesn’t overly rely on what came before. There’s plenty of “oomph” here and some touching scenes involving Tucci, Streep, Blunt and Hathaway that will leave audiences very satisfied.