As a fan of the iconic 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, starring Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci, I was very excited when a long-awaited sequel was announced. On Saturday, my wait was over.
Potential spoilers ahead…do not keep going if you don’t want know details of the film.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 brings us to the modern day, where Andrea (Andy) Sachs is now a serious journalist, Emily Charlton is a senior figure at Dior and Miranda Priestly and Nigel Kipling are…well, basically still the same.
Andy comes back into the Runway orbit when disaster strikes - just as Miranda is about to be promoted (at long last) by Elias-Clark owner Irv, they run a puff piece on a brand that (it turns out) runs sweatshop labor. The backlash against Runway and Miranda is fierce. Irv, at the prompting of his son and presumptive business heir, hires Andy as the new Features Editor at Runway, to give the magazine some writing substance and respectability. Andy had just been fired (along with her whole newsroom) and the video of that went viral, so she was in the market for work.
Miranda and her attitude hasn’t changed a lot, although clearly she’s had to tone down some of her commentary after complaints to HR, which clearly irritates her. Nigel is still her right hand man and, as we saw in TDWP1, Runway and Miranda really could not function without him. In this installment, that is absolutely the case.
In a bid to gain some standing at Runway, Andy secures an interview with a reclusive billionaire, Sasha Barnes (played by a grossly under utilised Lucy Lui), who admires the resilience of Miranda and believes in female-led entrepreneurship. She also appreciates that during their interview, Miranda did not ask about her divorce from ex-husband Benji Barnes (played by Justin Theroux and whose character my be the most vapid, irritating man on film this year).
The future of Runway is thrown into chaos when Irv Ravist dies suddenly. His son doesn’t care for the magazine or the company the way his father did, making a sale likely and the possible end of Miranda’s career, as well as glossy fashion magazines like Runway.
The film then becomes a search for a new owner to save Runway, (first found in Emily’s new boyfriend, Benji Barnes) and then a race for a more appropriate buyer to be found (after Benji outlines his vision for a Runway that is essentially AI generated).
The storyline itself, for me, is a bit ho-hum. It is not that I didn’t enjoy the film - I did - but I felt like the main plot line lacked imagination. I feel like it was a story that could be (and has been) any magazine and was quite predicatble in how it would end. That said, did I expect to wak into a film that would blow my mind, plot-wise? No.
The inclusion of Andy’s love interest, Peter, was an interesting one. Australia’s Patrick Brammall takes on the role and plays it perfectly - understated, knowing that Andy’s job and life is a big one and not trying to muscle in to be the centre of it. Instead, he just hopes to be a part of it, which was refreshing. The same might be said for Kenneth Branagh’s portrayal of Stuart Simmons, Miranda’s new husband. A successful musician who travels the world, he is happy to be the safe, quiet part of Miranda’s life and have his own identity and success. It was great to see two men support the women they love in this way without them being emasculated. Both couples made me feel like they were partnerships, rather than an alpha/beta type connection.
Let’s talk about the stars of TDWP2:
Casting
The casting was excellent. It’s impossible to imagine Meryl Streep not being iconic as Miranda Priestly and she doesn’t let us down here. Hathaway, Blunt and Tucci fit seamlessly back into their roles, and their work is fantastic. I completely hated Theroux’s character of Benji Barnes but that is probably the point, so if that is the case, his performance too was great (although I really hate the cosmetic work he’s had done to his face over the years - his natural looks were always lovely but these days are…less so).
Fashion
This is where TDWP2 really slays - the fashion is unbelieveable - not a single questionable outfit and some of the dresses Nigel loans to Andy for the trip to Milan are so stunning, you can barely believe it. I am not a fashionista, nor can I afford to wear anything worn in these films (maybe except the thrifted stuff!) but I do love seeing beautiful clothes worn in a way that gives their wearer confidence, style and grace. If you are a clothes horse or fashion watcher, I don’t need to tell you to go and see this film - you probably already have.
Overall, I liked TDWP2 and I am glad I saw it at the cinema. I liked that it acknowledged the extensive changes in publishing since the first film and the impact it is having - particularly on a free press. It was a lot of fun to dip back into the Runway world again. Is this one as iconic as the first?
Sorry - no, it is not.
Is it a worthy sequel that can be rewatched and enjoyed? Yes, for sure. A couple of hours living vicariously throuh the fashion elite of New York is always time well spent.