The Devil Wears Prada 2 (12A)

Times are tough for Runway magazine and its imperious editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly, who is nervously awaiting the announcement of her promotion from company chairman Irv Ravitz. When one of Runway's articles draws attention for the wrong reasons, Irv hastily appoints award-winning writer Andy Sachs as features editor with a remit to restore the magazine's reputation for quality journalism. Miranda is certain Andy will not last long.

LondonNet Film Review

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (12A) Film Review from LondonNet

Insults and withering glares are back in fashion as Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci dust off their glad rags for a belated sequel to the sharp-suited 2006 comedy based on Lauren Weisberger’s novel. If I could liken director David Frankel’s picture to catwalk couture, it would be one of those outlandish avant-garde creations that wilfully defy practicality. The Devil Wears Prada 2 is fun to look at but not something any of us truly need…

Times are tough for Runway magazine and its imperious editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), who is nervously awaiting the announcement of her promotion from company chairman Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman). Advertising spend is falling, even for the coveted September edition, restricting budgets for glossy photo shoots masterminded by trusted lieutenant Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci). When one of Runway’s articles draws attention for the wrong reasons, Irv hastily appoints award-winning writer Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) as features editor with a remit to restore the magazine’s reputation for quality journalism.

Miranda is certain Andy will not last long. “All I need to do is bide my time until you fail, which you will,” coldly remarks the editor-in-chief. Andy persists, crafting a heartfelt apology that is widely applauded by the industry, and a series of thought-provoking articles. Meanwhile, Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt), now a senior executive at Dior – one of Runaway’s key advertisers – applies pressure to Miranda while her former nemesis is under fire. Tensions rise and Miranda and Andy continue to pull the magazine in opposite directions.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is not as consistently funny and biting as the original, despite the best efforts of a glittering array of returning talent behind and in front of the camera. The first film was released four years before Instagram started digging rabbit holes and one year before the iPhone revolutionised the handheld market, so popular culture has warped beyond recognition in the intervening decades. Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna deviates from the books published by Lauren Weisberger to contrive a timely battle for legacy print media’s survival that navigates the choppy waters of citizen journalism and cancel culture.

The script is peppered with zinging one-liners (“May the bridges I burn light the way”; “Stockholm called: they want their syndrome back!”) but some laughs feel second hand. If nothing else, it is a sustainable sequel that recycles and resells. Streep glides serenely through conflict-laden scenes and rekindles a winning double act with Tucci’s unerringly loyal confidante. Hathaway warmly embraces Andy’s naivety to facilitate a jarring plot twist but her romantic subplot with a nice guy (Patrick Brammall) outside the fashion industry is superfluous. Tongue-in-cheek cameos by the likes of Lady Gaga and Donatella Versace ensure Frankel’s sequel can never be accused of dressing “head-to-toe in performance synthetics”. Perish the thought!

– Jo Planter