Tonight's Movie: The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)

In the very early days of this blog I reviewed THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (2006).

It seemed almost surreal this week to revisit the same characters, two decades on, in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 (2026).

Although I sometimes tire of the frequent lack of originality in current cinema offerings, I must admit that I really looked forward to this sequel, and I'm glad to say I found it quite enjoyable.

The movie isn't on a par with the original -- among other things, it's not as funny, though there are some nice chuckles scattered throughout -- but I found it engrossing and I enjoyed spending more time with the familiar characters.

The entire main cast is reunited: Meryl Streep as imperious magazine editor Miranda; Anne Hathaway as her former assistant, Andy Sachs, who is now a journalist; Emily Blunt as another former assistant, Emily, who now works for Dior; and Stanley Tucci as Miranda's reliable righthand man, the sarcastic yet kind Nigel.

Also returned is Tracie Thomas as Andy's best friend, the artistic Lily. Miranda's twins (Colleen and Suzanne Dengel) can even be briefly glimpsed during a party scene.

However, there's no sign of Andy's one-time boyfriend Nate (Adrian Grenier), which means she's available for a tentative new relationship with Peter (Patrick Brammall). On hand for the first time, along with Peter, is Kenneth Branagh as Miranda's supportive husband, Stuart.

The plot, in a nutshell, finds Miranda's RUNWAY magazine in dire need of a smart writer/features editor just when Andy is unexpectedly out of a job.

The film delves into our current-day media scene, with its bankruptcies, mergers, cost cuts, and other changes in a way that seems timely. One may question whether a fashion magazine is worthy of all the energy the characters spend on saving it, but Miranda, Andy, and Nigel think so, and their dedication makes things interesting.

I have a feeling I wouldn't care a great deal for Andy were I to meet her, as she can be annoyingly self-absorbed, but like Streep's fascinatingly obnoxious Miranda, she's interesting. I'd add that none of the main characters in the movie seem particularly happy with life, including leading lady Andy.

Blunt's Emily is particularly fun, given that she's now in a position to make Miranda's life difficult as she threatens to withdraw Dior advertising from the magazine. She's also now the divorced mother of two children, who are mostly offscreen; in this way she seems to be following in Miranda's footsteps. Emily's interactions with Andy are among the most enjoyable scenes in the movie.

For me the MVP of the film, as with the first film, is Tucci, who is by turns biting, funny, supportive, and touching.

Lucy Liu is way underused as a wealthy woman interviewed by the magazine, and Justin Theroux is her ex, best described as a dumb tech genius.

Like the original movie, this sequel was written by Aline Brosh McKenna based on the characters created by novelist Lauren Weisberger. Director David Frankel and cinematographer Florian Ballhaus have also returned.

The movie runs 119 minutes.

Parental Advisory: This film is rated PG-13 for profanity.

A trailer may be viewed here.

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