What’s it about?
The story picks up twenty years after the first film, with Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) now a decorated journalist in the newspaper world. The shine wears off fast when she’s abruptly sacked—along with her whole team—thanks to the slow, inevitable collapse of traditional media. Enter Runway magazine, circling its own existential drain, calling Andy back in a bid to salvage its credibility during a PR crisis. There’s just one snag: Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) didn’t ask for her.
What did we think?
I used to work in glossy magazines, back when the lifts opened onto racks of samples and the budgets hadn’t yet been “revisited”. Which is to say, I spent the start of The Devil Wears Prada 2 watching with a slightly eye-twitchy smile. The mass sacking, the careful corporate phrasing, the sense that something shiny was quietly slipping out the back door… I recognise it all and it lands somewhere between a longing for how it used to be and a full body flinch for how it ended.
Personal corporate trauma aside, it’s a genuinely fun sequel, quick, sharp, and just self-aware enough about the state of media now. Andy feels right for this moment: successful, a little worn in, still clinging to her principles as the ground shifts underneath them. Miranda remains Miranda in a world where everything’s changed except her (and the fashion, which continues to operate on its own, entirely superior plane). Watching Miranda negotiate HR constraints is a particular kind of pleasure.
And yes, the clothes. The clothes. The clothes. I lost entire scenes to a tasteful sleeve, a twinkling heel, a coat that deserved its own trailer. No regrets.
We’re all running on nostalgia at the moment; comfort, familiarity and the pull of something we already loved. The Devil Wears Prada 2 feels like catching up with old friends who’ve aged (INCREDIBLY) well and kept their edge.
I left feeling equal parts entertained and lightly haunted, which feels correct for anyone who caught the tail end of print’s golden years and still misses the smell of a fresh issue.
This review was also published on SuperQuickReviews and has been shared with full permission of both publications.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
