The Devil Wears Prada 2 is not bad, far from it, but it just isn’t very good, or even close to the original, which was wildly overrated to begin with. The first film was very funny, embracing a pre-social-media world where it was common to call someone a size six overweight. The next chapter had a chance to embrace the politically incorrect.

Instead, the sequel neuters these characters, watering down what made them so special to begin with.

Anne Hathaway reprises her role as Andy Sachs, who, twenty years after leaving her position at the legendary fashion magazine Runway, is now attending a media banquet for her work at The Vanguard. However, she and her coworkers received a mass text at their table informing them they had been fired. At that same time, she wins a prestigious award.

What is The Devil Wears Prada 2 about?

Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, and Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

In a moment that goes viral, she delivers a passionate speech about the state of journalism. Almost simultaneously, her former boss, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), has a viral moment of her own when her famous monthly publication ties to a sweatshop. Miranda and her life’s work need a makeover. And that is where Andrea comes in.

Cue Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), the Runway chairman and Miranda’s boss, and his son, Jay (B.J. Novak), who make some major changes. They hire Andy, I guess, thinking her viral moment will attract young, non-linear media consumers, as the magazine’s features editor. The best scene in the film, as shown in the trailer, is Andy returning to work.

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It is pure nostalgia, and the movie has plenty of it. Miranda has no clue who Andy is, and no, it is not dementia; it is just good, plain old narcissism. Priestly’s long-term right-hand, Nigel (Stanley Tucci), delivers a cynical, deadpan wit when Andrea walks into the room. The audience quickly realizes the situation is more complex than it first appears.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 Review

Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

Stanley Tucci and Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

The creative team behind the original is back, with David Frankel behind the camera, working on an original script by Aline Brosh McKenna, based on the source material and the character from Lauren Weisberger. Both Frankel and McKenna have been living off the first film’s reputation and toying with mediocrity.

When your best efforts range from Hope Springs to We Bought a Zoo, career-defining achievements haven’t exactly been made. However, the filmmakers do view these uber-beloved characters through a couple of different lenses, including the #MeToo movement. For example, in a funny scene, Miranda refers to plus-sized models as “body toxicity.”

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The other is the collapse of print media in a viral, social-media-driven culture. This is where the film falters. Instead of embracing Miranda’s poor behavior in a new light, which would have been fun, biting, and irreverent, much of the story focuses on technology and adapting the business to a digital world.

Is The Devil Wears Prada 2 worth watching?

Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, and Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, and Stanley Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) | Image via 20th Century Studios

The crux of the plot is how legacy publications adapt. Hiring a writer who went mildly viral at a niche New York paper doesn’t exactly set the coveted youth demographic on fire. Instead of focusing on that, the film bends over backward to work in Emily Blunt’s Emily Charlton, now working at Dior, who is dating a tech billionaire played by Justin Theroux.

This subplot takes over the movie, driving both the story and the comedy in the film’s second half. Thereoux’s turn is shockingly almost laugh-free. That being said, Blunt is in fine form, reprising the role that made her a star, but the third-act plot is too conventional, filled with tropes, and is utterly predictable, if not implausible, wrapping up too neatly.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a perfectly serviceable and pleasant sequel; it just plays things too safely. From a fan-service perspective, fans of the original and those who have discovered it on Disney+ will surely enjoy it. And this is hardly an objectionable money grab. The issue is that the film reduces complex issues to narrative shortcuts, the cinematic equivalent of turning haute fashion culture into clearance rack entertainment.

You can watch the new film The Devil Wears Prada 2 only in theaters starting May 1st!

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