It’s rare to get a sequel that finds a balance between blatant fan-service and engaging storytelling, but The Devil Wears Prada 2 has found the perfect fit. When we last left our Runway crew, it was being helmed by Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) with Stanley Tucci’s Nigel in tow and Emily Blunt as “Head Emily” Emily Charlton. Andie (Anne Hathaway) was off to more journalistic pursuits and for 20 years, the wheels turned at the magazine. Time flies when you’re having fun and with it comes the future comes gifts (or curses depending on who you ask) of change, technological innovation and challenge.
Read more: “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is an Enjoyable Check-in with Our Favorite FashionistasLed by returning screenplay writer Aline Brosh McKenna (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and director David Frankel (Jerry & Marge Go Large), The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a fun mix of humor and nostalgia, with optimistic views of the issues of today thrown in to keep things current. While there is an indictment about those who should have retired years ago and are grasping to the last vestiges of relevance, it’s handled in a way that invokes empathy. Miranda is 76 in this film and upset about the idea of once again possibly losing control. It brings up a very interesting conundrum about staying even when you know it’s time to bow out, and trying to make room for new and upcoming faces.
Andy is a journalist in a world where TikTok has shortened attention spans and listicles have taken the place of multipage articles. She receives a prestigious award and learns her paper has folded the same day and she no longer has a job. After a passionate and well-received impromptu take about the state of Journalism, Andy returns home to a less than luxurious life. She lives in a tiny New York apartment where the water runs brown and the view is nonexistent. Then.one day, Andy receives a call from an unexpected ally – Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), head of the Elias-Clarke publishing house which owns Runway..
Miranda has been resistant to today’s new, more socially conscious world, and lands herself in hot water after a scandal is exposed involving one of her “Speed Fashion” pursuits. She pretends to be unbothered until word spreads that one of their largest advertising clients is upset with the negative news surrounding Miranda and the magazine. Concurrently, Andy has been asked to write a defensive piece for Miranda and is able to waylay that into a more secure (and better paying) position. She goes with Miranda and Nigel to the sponsor who just so happens to be Dior and happens to be run by the original Emily!
Initially, Emily doesn’t return the excitement that Andy has when they reunite, but we’ve learned a lot of time has passed and there’s mystery surrounding why Emily left Miranda and Runway. Although Andy’s “Miranda Mea Culpa” is lauded by inner industry types, it’s seen by far less than were impacted by the initial scandal. After some criticism from Miranda, Andy works to prove herself and ends up landing an important feature highlighting Sasha Barnes (Lucy Lui). This also introduces Benji Barnes played by a nearly unrecognizable Justin Theroux.
When it comes to things that have changed in the production, I must say, I love the addition of the tangled threads that get woven throughout this world. In the world of interpersonal relationships, if “Los Angeles is big, but Hollywood is small”, then “New York is huge, but fashion runs on cannibalistic nepotism”. Everyone knows everyone, everyone is connected and currency includes favors and borrowing high end couture. It’s a world with its own pace and it’s given equal parts reverence and a satirical poke in the film.
Andy, Nigel and Miranda are characters that feel lived in and Brosh-McKenna and Frankel use the leeway to introduce several new characters. It makes sense that Andy would have new friends while hanging on to a choice few from her past. It also makes sense that the staff at Run would be an ever revolving door of young, hungry talent searching for new opportunities. Given the number of characters and the small amount of time allotted, it’s no wonder that some of the additions are great, but underused. While I absolutely adored Tracie Thoms’ cameo, the addition of Rachel Bloom presented an unresolved plot point. It was fun, and I’m always happy to see Bloom pop up, but it was ultimately a bit unnecessary. I almost wonder if her scenes were part of a conflict that was then cut from the film. Caleb Herndon is reserved and charming as Charlie and Helen J. Shen is adorable as Andy’s assistant, Jin, but unfortunately, both are pretty one-note. While we did see a lot more of Simone Ashley as Amari, it could also be said they just hired her to look fantastic in haute couture and I’m not mad about it.
It’s just that one of the reasons Emily was such a great character is because we got to understand who she is and why she loves fashion and Miranda. Amari is capable, competent, confident and absolutely stunning, but we don’t really know anything about her outside of that. It makes sense, because it’s not really her story, but this is a trap I’ve seen a lot of remakes and reboots fall into. The addition of these characters are supposed to get you invested in the world so you can feel the change and passage of time once our known characters return. The new characters have potential and if there was a 3 in the mix, I’d love to see them again, only this time as family members and not just catering waiters at the family reunion.
However, the updates we receive about our main cast are insightful. Miranda is now dating composer and violinist Eric (Kenneth Braughnagh) while Andy flirts with a new possible love interest in Peter (Patrick Brammall). We learn that Emily has an ex-husband and 2 kids, but still no word on Nigel or any of our newbies. It remains a good sign of a project that I wanted more and the skilled hand and focus that crafted the film makes it so this is a very small gripe and didn’t lessen my enjoyment.
Miranda is still methodical and calculating, Emily is still desperate to please and Andy still hasn’t found someone else’s business that she couldn’t mind. Themes in the film talk about the war between AI and artistry, the monopolization of small businesses that help our economy thrive and the slow death of traditional journalism. With heady topics like these, you’d think it would be hard for the humor to shine through, but it’s not.
Even the times I was annoyed at Andy for sometimes cloying naivety and optimism, or at Miranda for hiding her true intentions unnecessarily, the smile never left my face. There are a lot of easter eggs and fashion cameos. I highly suggest rewatching The Devil Wears Prada (2006) before to get the full experience. The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a love letter to fashion, print media and the idea of preserving humanity in the face of technological takeover. And the movie tie-in popcorn bucket is the cutest one yet!
The Devil Wears Prada 2 will open exclusively in theaters May 1.
Score 3.5/5
