I’ve watched The Devil Wears Prada at least once a year since it was released in 2006 — It’s like my religion except the only devil I acknowledge is Miranda Priestley. So, naturally, I was both ecstatic and skeptical when a sequel was announced. The dreaded “sequel curse” has cheapened some of our favorite romcoms like Mamma Mia!, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, especially when there are long gaps in between the original and the reboot. And with the 20-year gap between The Devil Wears Prada and its newly released sequel, it could have gone very wrong… but it didn’t.
Thanks to the return of the core-four cast members — Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci — along with crew members from the original production and costume design teams, it managed to hold onto its charm and wit. The Devil Wears Prada 2 calls back to many of our favorite scenes, quotes, and outfits while being timely, reflecting the very real media and journalism crisis we’re facing today.
So, despite all the early leaked paparazzi photos or the viral color grading issues (which has dimmed so many remakes, sequels, and nearly every Hulu show), the movie does deliver on nostalgia and makes a strong case for sequels being great. This is everything The Devil Wears Prada 2 got right.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 spoilers ahead!
The core cast is back, the new characters are fresh, and the cameos aren’t cheesy
In the sequel, we find Miranda Priestly (Streep) and Nigel Kipling (Tucci) in similar spirits and roles at Runway magazine. The editor-in-chief is still forthright and hilariously un-politically correct. Meanwhile, Emily Charlton (Blunt) has surprisingly left the fashion publication, now running luxury retail marketing for Dior. And 20 years after Andy Sachs (Hathaway) quit Runway, we see her living out her dream as a successful journalist at the New York Vanguard newsroom… that is before things take a turn.
In addition to Andy’s best friend Lily (Tracie Thoms) returning to the sequel, there’s a host of new characters. From Miranda’s assistants Amari (Simone Ashley) and Charlie (Caleb Hearon) to Andy’s new assistant Jin (Helen Shen), there’s a younger, but not-too-woke set of employees that reflect today’s knowledgeable and scrappy fashion scene, without being as demeaning as Emly. Plus, there’s a new love interest who isn’t absolutely horrible like Nate was!
We also get some new big-name actors like Lucy Liu as wealthy philanthropist Sasha and Justin Theroux as her grimy ex-husband Benji. But my absolute delight was spotting all the half-second cameos from today’s most viral personalities (Paige DeSorbo, Amelia Dimoldenberg) and supermodels (Heidi Klum, Ashley Graham), plus plot points with iconic designers (Donatella Versace, Marc Jacobs). And of course, as it was leaked beforehand, Lady Gaga makes a cameo as herself, and her performance doesn’t disappoint.
The plotline portrays today’s media crisis very, very accurately
Right off the bat, we’re brought into the reality of the media industry today, and it truly made me cringe at how accurate and close-to-home it was. Andy gets fired from her publication… just moments before winning an award, then makes an impassioned speech pleading that: “Journalism still fucking matters.” Meanwhile, Miranda is facing the media world’s real-life shifts, like legacy magazines being sold as traditional print shifts to digital and readership declining (because as Nigel puts it, Runway‘s not a real magazine anymore), plus budget cuts and a lack of advertising money.
One of the hurdles that needs to be overcome by the characters is how readers are craving ethical fashion brands and demanding credible journalism and in-depth storytelling, which makes Andy’s new Features Editor role critical for bringing substance back to Runway.
Some more on-the-nose plot points consist of Miranda being up for a promotion as Global Head of Content of Elias-Clark (much like how Anna Wintour was recently promoted to Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast, no matter how much Streep doesn’t like to admit that she’s playing a caricature of the media mogul). And throughout the movie, more and more conflicts arise, reminding us just how fleeting and chaotic the industry is.
Andy goes begrudgingly from Paris Fashion Week → excitedly to Milan Fashion Week
As we all know, Andy goes to Paris in the first movie, basically against her will, to the detriment of Emily, and leading to a job-ending moment. And while we don’t see too much of the fashion spectacles in Paris, a new fashion capitol gets the spotlight in the sequel. This time around, Andy finds herself at Milan Fashion Week in better spirits, despite the Runway obstacles she’s facing, and shows out in bold looks. (Yes, we get a fashion montage of her and Miranda’s many front-row outfits.)
But Milan, which is known as one of the more experimental Fashion Weeks, almost becomes a main character in this movie, highlighting monuments and fashion houses and delightfully sprinkling some Italian conversations into the storyline.
Yes, there are callbacks to of all our favorite scenes, quotes, and fashion moments
Speaking of fashion montages, The Devil Wears Prada 2 delivers on all the nostalgic references we wanted, from Nigel’s fashion closet makeover — what was once Dolce & Gabbana and Jimmy Choo is now Fendi and Toteme — to Andy’s collection of work outfits when entering the Runway offices.
There are also several scenes and callbacks that parallel the first movie and made me giddy, from a reference to Cerulean blue belts, Nigel and Andy eating in the cafeteria, and Miranda’s work coat collection — though this time, HR complaints have halted the editor-in-chief from chucking them onto her assistants desks.
You can be sure that iconic lines like “A million girls would kill for this job” and “That’s all” get said once or twice too. Plus, there are some new one-liners that are sure to become insanely quotable, like: “Look what TJ Maxx dragged in” and “May the bridges I burn light my way.”
The fashion and outfits make a case for becoming just iconic as the first movie
One of the main reasons we love The Devil Wears Prada is rightfully because of the fashion, no matter how absurd it can sometimes be. And costume designer Molly Rogers supplied tons of looks that we’ll want to replicate (either at the office or for Halloween).
Andy has luckily found her sense of style after becoming a big thrift-shopper, finding statement pieces like an $11 Margiela jacket that Nigel actually approves of, and that she can afford on a journalist’s salary. There are references to the iconic Chanel thigh-high boots, plus there’s even an appearance from the Cerulean sweater (keep your eyes peeled!), but today, Andy regularly opts for monochromatic suits or matching sets, sleek jumpsuits, lots of plaid, and (so many) skinny ties for everything from the office to the runways. And this wardrobe just may turn Andy into a modern style icon all over again.
There feels like there’s twice as many outfits in this movie — so many that a few were cut from the final edit, like Hathaway’s proclaimed favorite, an all-white T-shirt train outfit, and Rogers’ favorite, which she tells Refinery29 was a dramatic black gown worn by Emily in a cut scene. There truly are so many blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments that did make it in though, that you’ll want to watch the movie multiple times to spot all the great fashion.
The soundtrack blends nostalgic tunes with hits from today’s biggest It girls
Music played such a big role in the first movie with songs like “Vogue” and “Suddenly I See” becoming synonymous with specific scenes in the larger cultural zeitgeist. And the sequel does an incredible job of bringing back some of the originals, while introducing a soundtrack of today’s biggest (and newest) artists.
I found myself bopping along to hits from the likes of Dua Lipa, Olivia Dean, Raye, Miley Cyrus, Laufey, and SZA played, as well as original songs from up-and-comer Sienna Spiro plus Doechii and Lady Gaga. The duo’s song “Runway” is an instant hit — it’s been been stuck in my head since it was released — backs a fun, fashion-filled scene that brings so much energy into the movie.
I didn’t see the plot twist coming, and it’s juicy
I truly don’t want to spoil the big plot twists of the movie because the gasps myself and the audience made as it all unfolded were great in-person movie theater moments. But let’s just say someone needed to replace Andy’s former boyfriend Nate as the biggest villain. The catty and competitive nature of the fashion and media industries doesn’t go untouched, with plenty of drama to take us from start to finish.
And so when the credits started rolling, I found myself letting out a literal sigh of relief. I didn’t hate it. I actually really liked it. I wanted to talk to my friends about it. And I immediately bought my tickets to see it in the theater again.
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