It was worth the 20-year wait to get a “Devil Wears Prada” sequel.
In the interim, the publishing world has taken a massive hit and Runway, the magazine that brought everyone together, is going through a bit of a transition. Online publishing overwhelms print and Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) is forced to embrace it, even though her right-hand man, Nigel (Stanley Tucci), admits it’s little more than clickbait.
Bosses above her hire a journalist in an attempt to beef up the editorial content and give the glossy publication something tweet-worthy.
That journalist? Her former assistant, Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway), a victim of downsizing, who has managed to land an exclusive interview with Sasha Barnes (Lucy Liu), the wealthy divorcee of a billionaire. Barnes’ ex (Justin Theroux) is canoodling with Emily (Emily Blunt), a former Runway assistant who’s now determining Dior’s fortunes. And, yes, the battling forces are pulled together.
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Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly in "The Devil Wears Prada 2."
Director David Frankel takes advantage of the “real” fashion world and gives Miranda an entourage worthy of Aline Brosh McKenna’s screenplay. She doesn’t just rinse and repeat; she gives the characters new reason to come into focus and air the laundry.
The media shifts are perfect for the reunion and a great way to thwart Priestly. Now, thanks to cutbacks, she has to fly coach, eat in the company cafeteria and deal with her own mundane chores. Streep handles them brilliantly and has great run-ins with Jay Ravitz (B.J. Novak), the son of Runway’s owner. He holds those dreaded cutback meetings and rarely defers to experience.
The world seems like it’s collapsing until a potential buyer enters the Runway picture. It’s a key reason why McKenna’s screenplay should be nominated as one of the year’s best. When “Prada 2” gets to a lavish gala, everyone gets a moment (and the cameos flourish).
From left, Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci in "The Devil Wears Prada 2."
While Hathaway doesn’t cower in Streep’s presence, she’s a good foil for just about everyone. Her style sense brings out the snark in Nigel, the competitiveness in Emily and the sympathy in a bunch of assistants.
Put into play, she’s a worthy successor to whomever. While the assistants aren’t as colorful as she and Blunt were, they serve as comfort in an uncomfortable world.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” has enough loose ends to merit a third film. It might not need Kenneth Branagh (who plays Priestly’s husband), Patrick Brammall (who’s Andy’s squeeze) or any number of stray editors. But it has the foundation for a great return.
Those changes in publishing are ripe for parody and a place for Miranda to expound on the value of experience. She plants the seeds and should be around to appreciate the harvest.
This sequel takes root.
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"The Devil Wears Prada 2" is in theaters now.
