May 4, 2026 · Watch the official trailer
There’s a difference between a quality film and a watchable film that Hollywood seems to care less and less about distinguishing.
As time goes on with the emergence of instant gratification, streaming services and the ability for audiences to clickbait their way through pop culture, drawing the eyes of viewers by revitalizing popular films from previous eras has become a cliché way to generate instant buzz in spite of low market viability.
Such is the case with the wildly unnecessary yet competently made “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which brings back director David Frankel, screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna and stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci for an overly pessimistic, melancholic view of fashion and the commodification of journalism — particularly in its print form — that feels only loosely tied to its smash-hit 2006 original in theme and character alone.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” finds Andy Sachs decades after her internship at Runway magazine, returning as features editor for a now declawed version of Miranda Priestly as the publication deals with a changing of the guard in print media and the idea that time has passed it by.
Like many sequels, the film attempts to justify its existence by expanding its scope, pushing Andy, Miranda, Emily and Nigel across the East Coast and ultimately to Milan as a means of showcasing a wide array of costumes and designer pieces.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” is an exceptionally flashy film, sharply shot and filled with high production value that gives the movie a genuine lived-in authenticity. Numerous fashion designers and models appear throughout the film attending major events, while Christian Dior plays a major role in the narrative as well.
The strength of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is clearly its star-studded cast.
Despite no longer being a fish out of water, Hathaway gives Andy the same bubbly naivete she brought to the role nearly two decades ago, and the simple earnestness Andy has for being a good person in an industry that can be so cutthroat was more refreshing in the original but still works here.
She once again serves as a natural foil to Streep as Miranda Priestly, one of the actor’s most iconic roles, and the cold distance between the two as they work together to keep Runway afloat translates well onscreen.
Though the film literally features scenes where Miranda is scolded for saying politically incorrect things in meetings, that narrative decision often makes the character feel less interesting. While the screenplay attempts to modernize her in a changing corporate climate, it strips away some of the sharp unpredictability that made Miranda such a compelling force in the original.
On the other hand, Blunt is far less central to the sequel, and her return as Emily feels shoehorned in simply to reunite key players rather than serve a legitimate narrative purpose.While Blunt is still well suited for the catty antagonism that made Emily memorable in the original film, the yin-yang dynamic between her and Hathaway is largely shelved here, making her inclusion feel even more hollow.
By far the shining star of this 2026 iteration is Tucci as Nigel.
Even in limited screen time, Tucci perfectly balances the fatherly tone he feels toward Andy with the subdued subservience he shows Miranda while still feeling like a competent second-in-command at a major fashion magazine.
As is true with most Tucci performances, audiences can quickly feel the emotional depth in his cadence and gravitas while also clearly seeing his mind at work as he lingers in the background of scenes.
Frankel’s direction is adequate for the middle-of-the-road story he’s trying to tell. It’s visually impactful and focused on creating iconography through fashion and world aesthetic, making everything in and around Runway magazine feel larger than life.
The traditional makeover sequence where a relatively plain Andy is transformed into a high-couture version of herself is further extended into a sudden apartment change that introduces a tertiary romance subplot that feels easily written in and out of the narrative as an afterthought.
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” feels incredibly important in the fleeting moments audiences are watching it and largely forgettable the moment they leave the theater.
Without its star-studded cast and brand recognition, it’s likely this film would slip in and out of theaters with very little fanfare.
There’s nothing particularly urgent about a film that can’t decide whether it wants to be about the world of high fashion or the existential crisis of print journalism in a modern era, and audiences likely don’t need to rush to theaters to see it.
It’s probably best served as home viewing several months later while scrolling for something to watch.
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