Movie Review: The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)
Synopsis: After a sweatshop scandal severely damages Runway's credibility and puts the magazine at risk of losing advertisers, Miranda Priestly's boss, Irv Ravitz, forces her to hire Andy Sachs, now an award-winning but unemployed newspaper reporter, as the magazine's features editor. Miranda is less than receptive to the idea, especially when Andy's well-written articles fail to draw an online audience. Then, when things seem to finally be turning around, Irv's sudden death puts the magazine's ownership and future into question.
Who's in it? The movie stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt and Lucy Liu.
Review: I think I've mentioned my wife's favorite movie is The Devil Wears Prada. So, when she heard there was going to be a sequel, she circled the date on her calendar. Since I am a great husband, I also made note of it and bought us tickets for opening night last night.
I entered the theater with quite a few doubts about the movie. Sequels to good movies are always iffy to begin with. Sequels that are made twenty years after the first movie and are relying on nostalgia add a whole new level to that iffiness. However, after watching it, I can say it was well worth making it the central part of our date night.
I think the thing I liked best about this movie was it wasn't as predictable as I thought it was going to be. Andy (Hathaway) had a lot of growth from the first movie and, based on the information we were given, a solid resume. However, her re-hire at Runway didn't produce the immediate results that were expected and it was clear she still had a lot to learn. Miranda (Streep) meanwhile was still her capable self but was handcuffed by everything from an owner (and his son) who had lost some faith in her to restrictions placed on her by human resources.
The latter of the two was the most intriguing because there were plenty of times when she just seemed to be defeated. That, in turn, made a happy ending seem almost impossible.
The other thing I liked about this movie was the overall strong woman theme. As I've said in the past, I have daughters and because of that, do appreciate movies that portray women in empowering roles. This is especially true of the twist ending that almost had me applauding in the theater.
Adding to this was how the movie managed to do that without necessarily disparaging the male characters, well at least not most of them. Some, like Emily's (Blunt) boyfriend, Benji (Justin Theroux) were rightfully portrayed as asses. However, Andy's boyfriend (Patrick Brammall) was reasonably supportive, even when he didn't need to be while Miranda's newest husband (Kenneth Branagh) was a clear upgrade over the one she had in the first movie. And of course, Nigel (Tucci) was the firm voice of reason that was often needed.
I even felt as though the movie's main "bad guy," Jay Ravitz (B. J. Novak) was reasonably balanced. He wasn't necessarily likeable, but I also couldn't necessarily blame him for his desire to make the magazine more financially efficient, especially since things like flying first class to Milan were luxuries and not necessities.
If I had any complaints about the movie, it would be the big runway show toward the end. Given how much plot emphasis was put on that, including bringing in Lady Gaga as a performer and making sure to have models of all body types, I would have loved to have seen the show rather than the chopped-up version (with more Lady Gaga than models) that was on the screen.
Final Opinion: Not all sequels are equal, and I will go as far as to say this is one of the best ones I've seen. The original film is still slightly better in my opinion, but this was a fantastic second installment.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other movie sequels:
Movie Review: Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
Movie Review: An American Werewolf in Paris (1997)
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