The Devil Wears Prada 2 was worth the wait – but it hit a nerve

Gird your loins, the fab four are back and by this I, of course, mean Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci.

In the intervening 20 years since The Devil Wears Prada, the film has become a pop culture phenomenon, a generational comfort watch and inspiration, as well as quotable on any occasion – from ‘groundbreaking’ florals in spring to ‘by all means, move at a glacial pace, you know how that thrills me’.

So the hopes for this sequel are sky high, with promise already shown by original screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna and director David Frankel returning, alongside Blunt and Hathaway, who are major stars now, and Streep, who’s accrued a further 8 Oscar nominations since, including for her original turn as feared Runway editor Miranda Priestly. 

But it also has to acknowledge the vast, unpredictable and potentially destructive changes this industry has faced. 

Fashion mags like Runway are teetering on extinction, and the entire industry – let alone print – is in crisis in the face of tech corps and the pervasive influencer culture.

Plus, budgets have been slashed and we’re in the middle of a cost of living crisis. It’s a far bleaker and less aspirational world than that of the original film.

But that is what makes it such a meaningful time for the characters to finally return – and The Devil Wears Prada 2 doesn’t hold back, with Andy and her cohort fired by mass text in the middle of an awards ceremony.

Yes, journalists will be both triggered and vindicated by true-to-life experiences as shared in this film, which sees industry icon Miranda plunged into an embarrassing crisis from the off – before Andy Sachs, her former assistant from two decades ago (who she doesn’t recognise) is parachuted in to save the day with her features reporting by the media group’s CEO. And you know how that will thrill Miranda….

We only need to wait minutes after her reintroduction before Miranda, Andy and Nigel (Tucci) are rushing to a meeting to appease one of their biggest commercial spenders – Dior, where the snarky Emily (Blunt) now works as a high-powered executive, and is all too ready to put Andy and her journalistic ‘standards’ in their place.

Other changes include that Miranda must now – shock, horror – hang up her own coat (we see Streep struggling with comic exhaustion) after a talking-to from HR about throwing it at her assistants. They are now represented by Bridgerton star Simone Ashley’s snippy Amari and people pleaser Charlie (Caleb Hearon).

One of Amari’s jobs is, entertainingly, to keep Miranda in line when she utters such iconic, if problematic, utterances as: ‘A bumbag – may my suicide be brief but painless’. But she also has no problem upbraiding the cheerful Charlie herself, reminding him: ‘What did we say about laughing?’

It’s not all change at Runway!

In a bid to impress Miranda, Andy pretends that she’s scored Miranda’s longed-for interview with the enigmatic Sasha Barnes (Lucy Liu), newly divorced (and minted) from billionaire Benji (Justin Theroux, with a receding hairline).

However, that’s just the start of the Runway chaos, which takes in backstabbing, deaths, decimated budgets, a difficult relationship with Lady Gaga and consultants who introduce themselves with ‘Harvard MBA, not important’ all in one breath.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a sparkling continuation of form. All the cutting asides are in place as hoped for and there’s enough space for fan favourites Emily and Nigel to remain their iconic selves, as well as shaping the storyline.

Streep slips seamlessly back into those designer heels as Miranda, channelling that icy yet soft approach once again that made her one of the most popular parts she ever played. The detail in her delivery – a sigh or a hesitation – can make what would be everyday lines in the mouth of another actor soar. 

It would be a travesty not to see her land a second Oscar nomination for the same part, putting her in rarefied company, as befits her talent.

Hathaway actually has the least flashy or fun role as Andy, but is more than happy to be the audience surrogate reacting to all the eccentrics surrounding her and the ridiculous situations. Miranda’s edges haven’t really been softened (although we meet her laidback husband, played by Kenneth Branagh), so Andy is still intimidated, if more experienced and confident.

She also has a new love interest in the shape of Patrick Brammall’s charmingly geeky Peter. He’s not important to the plot other than to – extremely obviously – not be Nate, the problematic boyfriend played by Adrian Grenier in the last movie.

More could have been done with his part – or maybe it doesn’t really matter because it’s the least important relationship to fans in the movie, frankly.

But alongside the great performances, fabulous costumes and enjoyable one-liners, the biggest triumph of all for The Devil Wears Prada 2 is that it makes perfect sense. What we see the characters doing tracks exactly with what it feels like they’d be doing now, a seamless extension of their lives after 20 years rather than an awkwardly tacked-on coda.

The movie also tackles the modern media landscape and its challenges with aplomb; they have not just brought back everything because they can, but rather because there is something else yet to say.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is in cinemas this Friday.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.