'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Review: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway return for a chic but bland sequel
Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway are back to strike a pose.
The two Oscar-winning actresses reprise their roles in the sequel to the hit 2006 fashion dramedy, "The Devil Wears Prada," adapted from the Lauren Weisberger novel inspired from her time as a personal assistant for famed Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
Hathaway returns as Andrea "Andy" Sachs, now an award-winning journalist at New York Vanguard who has spread her wings since leaving Runway Magazine at the end of the first film. Unlike the Andy Sachs we meet when she first joined Runway, the new Andy is confident and stylish, but maintains her charm and humility. But life comes to a screeching halt when she and her colleagues learn that everyone at the paper has been laid off due to a $500 million write-off by its parent company.
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Meanwhile, Streep revives her Wintour-esque Miranda Priestly, Runway's executive editor who is on the cusp of being promoted to global head of content by parent company CEO Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman) and his son Jay (B.J. Novak). But a wrench is thrown into the plans when Runway becomes engulfed in a sweatshop scandal.
The Ravitzs are desperate to quell the PR crisis and restore the magazine's credibility — hence their hefty job offer for Andy become Runway's new features editor.
Miranda is caught off guard by the hiring decision — and immediately has to be reminded who Andy upon her arrival. Andy doesn't exactly receive a warm welcome from Miranda, who quickly tells her, "You will fail." Old habits die hard at Runway.
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Though Andy and Miranda are at odds once again, they both have to grapple with the ever-changing media landscape between the decline of print magazines and how multibillion-dollar conglomerates increasingly dictate whether publications continue to live on or shutter.
Returning for "The Devil Wears Prada 2" is the snarky but kind Nigel (Stanley Tucci), Miranda's right hand who is quietly rooting for Andy's success, and the snobby yet stoic Emily (Emily Blunt), Miranda's now-former assistant who has since landed a top position at Dior, something she's able to leverage amid Miranda's sweatshop fiasco.
Some of the film's best moments is seeing Miranda struggling to adjust to modern standards, like not abusing her staff (she has to hang up her own coat?!) and curbing her not-so-PC language at editorial meetings. But the rest is rather bland and bloated.
"Prada 2" introduces new characters that don't have much going on, like Miranda's new husband Stuart (Kenneth Branaugh) and Andy's new love interest Peter (Patrick Brammall — the invite for Adrian Grenier's Nate from the first movie must've got lost in the mail). Lucy Liu joins the cast as the wealthy, secluded ex-wife of an eccentric tech billionaire (played by Justin Theroux) and is deemed the "holy grail" of interviews for Andy to book. Plus, there's a crop of new Runway staffers Andy meets as well as several cameos — but not Sydney Sweeney as was widely reported.
Hathaway can reliably play a down-to-earth protagonist, except Andy doesn't have nearly the fulfilling character arch that she went through in the first film. The same applies to Streep, who notably earned an Oscar nomination for her role as Miranda Priestly. While it's by far the funnest role in "Prada 2," it also doesn't feel fresh like it did 20 years ago.
What "Prada 2" lacks in substance it makes up in style with David Frankel's chic direction and smooth editing by Andrew Marcus. And obviously, a special shout out must go to costume designer Molly Rogers, who previously won an Emmy for her work on "Sex and the City." I'm certainly no fashionista, but even I am able to appreciate the gorgeous wardrobe the movie showcases virtually from beginning to end.
Did we need a "Devil Wears Prada" sequel? No. While it doesn't have the staying power like its predecessor, there's enough here for "Prada 2" to run with — or should I say runway with. This is an ideal watch for a short flight, but its purpose doesn't go much further beyond that.
"The Devil Wears Prada 2" is rated PG-13 for strong language and some suggestive references. Running time: 1 hour, 59 minutes. In theaters now.