The Devil Wears Prada 2

Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) and Nigel (Stanley Tucci) are back in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (Distributed by 20th Century Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Twenty years ago, the already iconic Meryl Streep starred in yet another role she will forever be remembered for. In this case, it was as the demanding, visionary, manipulative, trend-setting, fashion magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly. A blunt workaholic who has no patience for anyone not on her level (meaning anybody), who only cares about what is best for her magazine, Streep gave a tremendous, surprisingly nuanced, performance. She made what could easily have been a one-dimensional villain into an intriguingly complex antihero in what was essentially a light coming-of-age comedy about a young woman who lucks into a coveted gig as an assistant to a nightmarish boss.

The story was simple enough that coming up with sequel ideas was probably not that difficult. The question is: does it feel necessary? Or is it merely continuing a story that was already over? The answer is a mixed bag. The Devil Wears Prada 2 (112 minutes, without the end credits) reassembles the core cast (Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci), shakes the characters around a little, then tosses in some modern themes, such as the death of print journalism due to the rise of the internet. It wastes absolutely no time reintroducing everyone; after all, we know why we’re here.

I appreciate that the screenplay, by returning writer Aline Brosh McKenna, gives the four returning characters their own arcs. That does keep things interesting. It also forces the movie to juggle more ideas than it can really handle. It is cute, with funny moments, and does enough different things, while still feeling a lot like its predecessor. In short, it is fine; I am not mad that I saw it.

Twenty years after she left Runway, Andy Sachs has become a successful newspaper writer. When she gets fired, Runway’s owner sees her as a quick fix to an embarrassing scandal. Now, Andy is back, this time as a writer, and once again must figure out how to navigate the unwelcoming world of Miranda Priestly.

Though Anne Hathaway’s Andy gets the most screentime, the unquestionable reason audiences will be flocking to The Devil Wears Prada 2 this weekend is to see what Miranda Priestly is up to now. Miranda is allowed to show more emotion than just anger and annoyance this time. Runway is being threatened, so Meryl Streep presents some vulnerability. The caricature that began to display depth in the first one starts off as a caricature again, before her shell slides down and we (as well as Andy) see that the woman underneath is scared. She is still super protective of herself, but we get more than a brief glimpse of the “real” Miranda.

Oddly, that makes this less of a challenge for Streep. She is not humanizing a monster anymore. When Miranda is gently corrected for her inappropriate speech at work, it isn’t a bigot being brought back to Earth; it is an old woman having difficulty accepting how the world has changed around her. It is amusing, yet also a bit cheap. Teasing Miranda as a dinosaur doesn’t land because she is so far above everyone else. Even those who dislike her are in awe of her. It is still a treat to see Streep find different notes in this impossible woman.

When The Devil Wears Prada 2 simply lets us watch Miranda, Stanley Tucci’s delightfully loyal Nigel or Emily Blunt as droll former assistant turned Dior executive Emily remind us why people loved these characters in the first place, it works. In a minor key, but enjoyable nonetheless. When it tries to say something about the modern workplace, it goes nowhere. That is in large part because Andy isn’t a particularly engaging lead. Though I am a fan of Anne Hathaway, Andy is such a bland audience surrogate that it is hard to care about what happens to her.

This is an entertaining movie when she gets to step into the background and let the others do their thing. Not entertaining enough for me to hope for a third, but enough that I can recommend this to fans hoping for another peak behind the fashionable curtain. You might not love it, yet you probably won’t hate it.

3¼ out of 5

Cast:

Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs

Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly

Emily Blunt as Emily

Stanley Tucci as Nigel

Justin Theroux as Benji Barnes

B.J. Novak as Jay Ravitz

Kenneth Branagh as Stuart

Directed by David Frankel

Written by Aline Brosh McKenna