Film 2467 - The Devil Wears Prada 2

Intro: Boy oh boy, was I scared.

Film 2467: "The Devil Wears Prada 2" (2026), David Frankel
Watched: From the computer
Language: English
Watched with: Debbi, Niamh
Thoughts: I've been saying this since before the movie came out and, now that I've watched it, I can confirm it: we did not need this sequel.
The fact is, the first "The Devil Wears Prada" wasn't perfect, but it has become a cult movie in its own right. It's constantly quoted, it has spawned several memes, its cast is iconic and, of course, it gave us Miranda Priestly. Groundbreaking.
So how can a sequel replicate the same success 20 years later while being its own thing at the same time? It can't. And it's not because it didn't try.
For starters, the whole team is back. The four main characters — now all either Oscar winners or nominees, as the trailer eagerly reminds us — have all reprised their roles, together with the same director and screenwriter. Which is clearly a good place to start. The vibe seems to be similar, the themes seem to mirror the previous ones and the overall experience would suggest that, yes, two decades have passed, but if you enjoyed the first outing, this second one will be just as entertaining and iconic. But it's not.

The thing that annoyed me the most about "The Devil Wears Prada 2" is that everything that was done in the first film has been undone here. Miranda is a softie now, Emily secretly wanted to be Andy's friend all along, Andy leaves the business but then here she is back again, Nigel is still waiting for a promotion and finally gets it. I understand that this screenplay is essentially continuing the previous story in a way that gives closure to most of the arcs previously presented, but it does so in a way that goes against how the first story was told. Everything Miranda stood for is rejected here. She's still mean, don't get me wrong, but her resolution with Nigel was so out of character that it really bothered me. And it's not because the character changed, but because it doesn't feel like real growth. Instead, it feels like a happy ending designed to please the audience. If a person like Miranda wanted to reward one of her collaborators, she would have done it and she would have gotten there herself. She's a smart, intelligent and perceptive woman; she doesn't need Andy, of all people, to point out the obvious to her.
Andy, on the other hand, doesn't have much to do here. She's back to save the sinking ship, she has 20 years of journalistic experience behind her, yet the minute she steps back into Runway, it's like she goes back to her first day of work at the magazine. Why? I understand Miranda is bossy, often intimidating and sometimes scary, but the way the story portrays Andy is so diminishing to her character that she seems to regress instead of grow.
And, to close the circle, Emily. I don't have much to say except: why? Why bring her back only to give her the silliest storyline? She's the surprise villain of the story, yet everything is undone by the screenplay when the ending comes around and suddenly all is forgiven and forgotten. Emily is probably the standout character from the first movie. She's mean and haughty, yet so interesting and funny thanks to Emily Blunt's unforgettable portrayal, but here she's just an empty shell. She wants to steal Runway from Miranda — the same plot point from the previous movie, by the way — thanks to her useless millionaire boyfriend, then her plan doesn't work out and... it's all good and forgotten. Andy and she go out for lunch and are now friends. The end. Once again, I don't understand.
I do get the appeal of bringing such an iconic IP back and repackaging it for a new demographic. I mean, the box-office numbers are through the roof, so it clearly worked. But in terms of the quality of this movie, we're certainly not there. The fashion is there, the soundtrack is there, the cameos are there — actually, some of the characters feel more like cameos themselves, as the story doesn't really utilise them at all — but the magic? Definitely not there for me.

And one last thing that really, really bothered me was the three main couples. At least to me, none of the pairings works here. Miranda has a new, useless husband. Kenneth Branagh's talent is so underutilised here that it's shameful. Emily's millionaire (billionaire?) boyfriend, played by Justin Theroux, is useless and only serves the plot when needed. And don't even get me started on Andy's love interest, the Australian construction worker... why is he in the movie at all? Why does Andy need a new boyfriend at all, especially after the terrible one she already had in the previous movie? That is beyond me. All three couples are so ill-fitted and such a waste of the actors' talent.
All in all, "The Devil Wears Prada 2" is another sequel we didn't ask for and really didn't need. It's a pity that such an iconic piece of pop culture ended up becoming another cash-grab opportunity for Disney. I think this franchise deserved better. I don't know if I'll ever force myself to watch this movie again and maybe my opinion will change or soften with time — it happened with the first "Sex and the City" movie, at least — but for now it was a clear disappointment.
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Film 2467 - The Devil Wears Prada 2
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Justin Theroux, Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci, Lucy Liu, B. J. Novak, Simone Ashley, Tracie Thoms, Patrick Brammall, Rachel Bloom.
Box Office: $676.3 million (to this day)
Worth a watch?: I'm not sure being a fan of the original is enough to enjoy this second outing. I had low expectations and still I was disappointed. Maybe you'll find some comfort in seeing these characters on screen once again, I'm not sure. I just didn't vibe with the whole project and the overall movie experience. It felt like a cash-grab to me and I didn't appreciate it.
Awards: /
Key word: Holy Grail.
Trailer
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