Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway reunite in a glossy sequel that flips the runway into a newsroom. Andy Sachs has grown into a confident journalist while Miranda Priestly returns with the same iron gaze, and a sweatshop scandal sets the industry ablaze. The film leans hard on style and costume, even as its plot sometimes feels crowded with new faces and cameos. Expect sharp looks, familiar barbs, and a story that chases relevance in a very different media world.
Anne Hathaway’s Andy is now an award-winning reporter at New York Vanguard, a far cry from the harried assistant who learned the ropes at Runway. That confidence is tested when the paper collapses after a $500 million write-off by its parent company, leaving Andy searching for the next step in a shaky industry. Her shift from outsider to polished professional is believable, but the script doesn’t always give her a satisfying emotional arc to match the new wardrobe.
Meryl Streep slips back into Miranda Priestly with effortless menace, this time poised for promotion to global head of content under the magazine’s powerful owners. Corporate maneuvering and damage control drive the plot after Runway is hit by a sweatshop scandal that threatens to ruin the brand. Miranda reacts to the crisis on multiple fronts, showing awkward attempts to adapt and occasional flashes of vulnerability beneath the ruthless exterior.
In a move meant to quiet the PR storm, the magazine offers Andy a high-profile position as features editor, which instantly reignites her fraught relationship with Miranda. Their reunion is predictably tense; Miranda greets Andy with brutal clarity and the line “You will fail.” That moment lands with the same chill it did years ago, proving Streep still knows how to puncture a scene with a single sentence.
Stanley Tucci returns as Nigel, the cheeky ally who quietly roots for Andy, while Emily Blunt’s Emily has climbed into a Dior office and wields that success with icy calm. New players slide into the story—Miranda’s husband Stuart and Andy’s tentative romantic interest Peter—plus a secluded, wealthy interview target played by Lucy Liu’s character, tied to an eccentric tech billionaire. The parade of additions gives the film variety but also leaves some characters feeling undercooked.
Performances are reliable across the board, with Hathaway keeping Andy grounded and Streep owning every room she enters. The sequel never quite recaptures the original’s crispness in character growth, though both leads still deliver moments that entertain and sting. Supporting turns add color, but the movie’s appetite for cameos and subplots diffuses the emotional payoff.
Visually, the picture is irresistible: David Frankel’s direction keeps scenes moving and the editing by Andrew Marcus keeps the tempo mostly brisk. Costume designer Molly Rogers deserves particular praise for a wardrobe that operates like another character, delivering runway-ready looks that never feel wasted. Even viewers who don’t follow fashion closely will find the outfits and production design consistently fun to watch.
Where the film stumbles is its bloat; several plot threads never fully resolve and a few fresh faces feel like decorative accessories rather than essential players. Some scenes showcase Miranda wrestling with modern standards—hanging up her own coat and policing her language—moments that are funny but occasionally weightless. The movie is polished and stylish, yet it rarely surprises.
“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.
