The Devil Wears Prada 2

The Devil Wears Prada 2
Starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci
Directed by David Frankel

Releasing a movie twenty or more years after the original is a big gamble to make, and very rarely does it produce the same results. "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" was decent, but not necessary. "Tron: Ares" was a mess. "Blade Runner 2049" was exceptional but not seen by a lot of people. "Top Gun: Maverick" is the gold standard, earning over a billion dollars and a few Oscar nods. "The Devil Wears Prada 2" was a sequel no one thought would ever be made - most notably due to Meryl Streep not wanting to make sequels - but by the fashion gods it finally happened, and while it's not as magical as the original, it proves its existence, it was written, directed, and acted by people who have a passion for the project, and it was like seeing an old friend: no time seems to have passed.

After losing her job as a reporter, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is brought in by Runway's parent company owner Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman) to work as their features editor after the company received scrutiny over failing to vet a puff piece about a brand that used sweatshop labor. Runway's editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), had no idea that Andy was hired, as she once employed her twenty years earlier as her second assistant, but has no memory of her. Andy reunites with Miranda's right-hand man Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) as she writes a piece that smooths the media scrutiny, but isn't read by many people, after they reconnect with another former aid of Miranda's, Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt), who's now a senior executive at Dior.

Miranda is facing a new world where print is out of vogue, and she is uncharacteristically listless, having faced several HR complaints about her attitude, and how she's perceived in the public.  Miranda is seen as a relic of old times, and with a world that's constantly advancing, she is threatened to be left in history. Andy decides to work her magic to save Miranda from obscurity and keep Runway afloat while continuing to endure Miranda's attitude.

The original "The Devil Wears Prada" worked so well because it not only incorporated high fashion and interpersonal drama delivered with perfection by four acclaimed performers. Twenty years later, not a lot has changed - there's still high fashion and interpersonal drama, but this time delivered by four Oscar-nominated and winning actors who have only somehow elevated their games this time around. This wasn't a sequel done to earn a quick buck, but one that took decades to happen due to everyone's high standards being met - and while the original magic isn't 100% there, it's still more than enough.

"The Devil Wears Prada" is known for its realism, and the sequel is no different. The original saw Miranda ruling with an iron fist, throwing her coats at assistants, and bringing everyone down around her mentally. Now, however, that's not how the corporate world works, and Miranda looks almost defeated at that fact. She's forced to be nicer, she can't speak what's on her mind, and she's almost falling two steps behind the social structure change. In a world where words like "merging," "downsizing" and "content" are the buzz words, she doesn't seem to understand what they mean. Meryl Streep is a cinematic goddess who has only done one sequel before this one, and while it's amazing having her back, it's like watching a god fall from grace. Miranda isn't at the top of her game anymore, and it's something even Andy notices. It's also extremely real: the fashion world today might look glamorous and beautiful on the outside, but its as cutthroat and ugly as can be on the inside.

Anne Hathaway brings her effortless charm back as Andy, who's still as bubbly, positive, and quick as ever, despite Miranda still berating her (although not as often as the original). She hatches a plan to save Runway after its new parent company owner seemingly doesn't care for it, and is also someone who's endured real life struggles in the movie. Media as we once knew it is dead, and in favor of newspapers people now read on their phones, according to Nigel, "as they're taking a pee." People don't care about in-depth articles anymore, but want the buzz words quick and succinct. The fashion print is also dying in favor of click bait and scrolls, which leaves everyone in Runway trying to catch up, and Andy seems to be the bridge between the old and the new.

Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci also return and are as divine as ever, with Blunt tackling a different form of Emily - now a confident, independent senior executive at Dior. She is the only one of the group who remembers Andy, and their interactions are another shining light in this stellar sequel. Likewise, Tucci's Nigel is given more to work with in regards to his relationship with Miranda, and how he's seen by her. He has always been her silent right-hand, but as Andy noticed, Miranda sometimes dismisses him without even possibly knowing it. This perfect square of performers hold down the fort, along with returning director David Frankel and writer Aline Brosh McKenna. 

While the movie does seem a bit generic in its theme - an older leader falling behind with the changing times - it never chastises Miranda for it. While she shows more humanity by her inability to understand change (both in technology and workplace management, where her new assistant oftentimes tells her she can't say certain things), she still keeps her head held high when necessary, only falling apart when no one else is looking. This is a highlight of Streep's performance, as she's ever a professional and without Miranda, there is no Runway and, more importantly, no "devil."

Taking place in lavish locations, showcasing stunning fashion and bringing back the original cast and crew, "The Devil Wears Prada 2" is a movie that's owned its place, leaving you feeling like reuniting with old friends after several years apart - but feeling like only days have passed.

The Score: A