Three stars out of four
Gird your loins — and get ready for some frothy fun.
Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt all return in this sweet sequel that was made for a night out with friends.
When we pick up years after the events of 2006’s The Devil Wears Prada, things look very different at Runway: Magazines aren’t selling, journalism is in crisis and budget cuts are a constant. When Andrea (Hathaway) is laid off from her Important, Serious newspaper job (alongside all of her friends), she gets roped into working with Miranda (Streep) all over again. A bad job is often better than no job. And we’re off to the races!
Nigel (Tucci) still lords over the fashion closet, while Emily (Blunt) has departed for greener pastures in the designer world. There’s little plot to speak of (Andy’s forgettable romance arc seems a particular afterthought), but it sure is fun to catch up with the old crew.
While the original film was known for its bite — “hideous skirt convention” still rattles around the brain — those edges have been mostly smoothed down, as our onetime enemies must work together to stop an even bigger bad: corporate consolidation. If you squint, there’s even an all-too-real point about how you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone and the perils of trying to make something good in a world that seems to be getting worse by the moment.
It’s sort of stunning that one of the biggest blockbuster sequels of the decade (at least for the fashionistas among us) centers its plot on something as un-fantasy-like as media layoffs. While admirably accurate to where Runway would be in 2026 (just look at Vogue!), it feels very era-ending to acknowledge that the fantasy job of so many of those early 2000s rom-coms — of which the original Prada was certainly a part — no longer exists in any meaningful way.
As written by Aline Brosh McKenna (who also wrote the original, as well as rom-coms like 27 Dresses and Morning Glory) and directed by David Frankel (also returning), it feels like a swan song for a certain kind of movie, and a certain kind of time. Interestingly, there’s not even a young influencer character to be found populating Runway or Milan Fashion Week! Perhaps some things are simply too depressing to think about.
But it’s also not that serious. There are new characters played by Justin Theroux (fun) and B.J. Novak (less so); Bridgerton’s Simone Ashley creates magnetism with just a raised eyebrow and some stilettos; Lady Gaga has the time of her life portraying Lady Gaga, new songs and all; and everyone wears gorgeous garments as they jump from one luxe location to another. There are callbacks, quips (mostly delivered by MVP Blunt) and a cheerful nostalgia that papers over the weaker spots.
As one might expect, it can’t hold a candle to the impactful original, but happily, as with a vintage designer bag, there’s still plenty of charm left.
