While there’s no recapturing the delightful surprise of the first, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is still a treat for fans of the original. The movie sparkles with little callbacks, from a “cerulean blue” reference in a background shot to characters discussing what’s happened since the last movie left off. As with much of the returning cast, original director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna return to continue the story, although with a few alterations. The original is filled with escapism, even if we—like Andy—may not naturally fit into the world of a cutthroat glossy magazine. Two decades later, and while millennial Andy is more at ease taking the lead of a department than when audiences first met her as an assistant, everyone now looks weary from the toll that life has taken on them, whether that’s opportunities snatched away by power-hungry bosses or from fending off different corporate owners who don’t understand an outlet like Runway. Even Miranda appears more demure as she has to deal with her former assistant Emily (Emily Blunt) now representing Dior’s interests in the U.S.
In this way, fashion feels almost like an accessory to The Devil Wears Prada 2. Much of the story follows the state of media, from Runway‘s move to becoming digital-first to shrinking its September issue to the size of “something you can floss with,” according to Nigel. McKenna punches up the one-liners—most of them Nigel’s—throughout the sequel, attempting to keep up the lighthearted mood in the face of anxiety around the magazine’s ownership. The film needs those little moments of levity to counterbalance the very real fear around the next round of layoffs or the uncertainty of unemployment as it spreads to professions outside journalism. Although supporting characters sometimes try too hard to earn their punchlines, like when a cartoonishly evil consultant calls the long-respected editor “Miranda Beastly.” Gags like this take the script’s pointed critique about these business tactics and make it painfully unfunny.
Although a number of designers declined to grace the original movie’s Runway magazine for fear of angering the inspiration for Miranda Priestly, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, this is not a problem for The Devil Wears Prada 2. This time, almost every crowded scene features a recognizable face, including designers like Marc Jacobs and Donatella Versace. To complete the look, there’s even influencers like Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg among the gaggle of the trendy models for a few seconds of screentime. By the time Lady Gaga arrives, it almost feels like an episode of TMZ running through the day’s paparazzi photos. But Frankel never lingers on a shot too long––in fact, he and editor Andrew Marcus cover so much ground so quickly, there are points that the film feels choppy, sped along the assembly line until scenes slow down enough for Andy to get on Miranda’s nerves, Nigel and Emily to deliver another withering remark, or for the new supporting cast to earn their time in the spotlight, including Miranda’s dutiful assistant Amari (Simone Ashley), her dashing partner Stuart (Kenneth Branagh), the smooth-brained tech guru Benji (Justin Theroux), and the business-casual scion to his father’s magazine empire, Jay (B.J. Novak).
Although not all of the jokes and emotional beats land, The Devil Wears Prada 2 still gets the essence of what made the original a hit. The characters, slightly changed by time and their industry’s winds of change, are still compelling. Miranda still keeps an air of mystery about her, which Streep plays like a cat who climbs on top of furniture to avoid human meddling. Her combative dynamic with Andy doesn’t waver, but now, Andy’s enthusiasm is weighed down by anxiety over losing her last job, and she’s more protective of Miranda despite their differences; even Andy’s slight romance with an Aussie contractor can’t dampen her relentless commitment to the work, even if it often gets her into trouble. Miranda and Andy’s rapport has stood the test of time, anchoring what could have been a frivolous sequel into something much more surprising about surviving tumultuous times with the unlikeliest of coworkers.
Director: David Frankel
Writers: Aline Brosh McKenna
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, Kenneth Branagh, Stanley Tucci, B.J. Novak, Simone Ashley, Tracie Thoms, Tibor Feldman, Patrick Brammall, Caleb Hearon, Helen J. Shen
Release Date: May 1, 2026
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