So, we’re looking at a sequel twenty years in the making. That’s right. Twenty years. 2-0. I’m not sure how I feel about how many times I’ve had to say that lately. 

Kids, I have… let’s call it a complicated relationship with The Devil Wears Prada. Coming out in 2006, the first film is formative for me… in a truly uncomfortable way.

I was in my second year of college in 2006 and spent the summer interning in (and thoroughly getting my butt handed to me) by New York City. I saw this movie in theaters while I was working my dream internship. I was also living in my Grandmother’s basement and making $50.00 a week. 

At that time, I saw myself in Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) more than almost any other character with the exception of Sean (Colin Hanks) in Orange County, but that’s a different write-up.

I saw myself in the bookish, awkward young woman struggling to stand out in a world that didn’t see her. And to be frank, I didn’t end up liking the world that I saw.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 attempts to catch lightning in a bottle 20 years later as Andy returns to Runway, this time, as Features Editor. She has one task, revive the struggling magazine as the print journalism world crumbles around her. Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt return. David Frankel directs the film from a script by Aline Brosh McKenna.

Like the rest of us, they’re a little older, but surprisingly not a little wiser. Aside from the occasional (admittedly funny) joke about Miranda’s (Streep) struggles with HR, this script should have been set in 2010 or 2012.

Andy Sachs is now a crusading journalist. Is there any other kind? We learn immediately she’s been working for a New York City newspaper and is winning awards for all her serious journalism. However, in the film’s opening minutes, we see Andy (and her co-workers) fired via text. Because, you know, print journalism is dead.

Kids, print journalism has been dying. Heck, in many markets, it may even be dead. My favorite hometown paper went belly-up in 2009.

Furthermore, anyone who spends any time in film circles on social media will know that entertainment websites announce mass layoffs any given week. Brilliant writers continue to struggle in a digital world that’s increasingly interested in AI. 

Then we get to AI… that’s barely mentioned in the film.

So much in The Devil Wears Prada 2 ends up feeling like a dusty time capsule. The heavy-handed message about the death of print journalism feels 10 years too late. The characters, meanwhile, feel like caricatures living in a suspended animation.

As Andy returns to Runway, she doesn’t feel like a confident 45 year old woman with 20 years of journalism experience behind her.

Perhaps it’s a statement about the power Miranda wields in this world, but as Andy steps back into the Runway office, she reverts into twenty-something still living her “Girl Boss” era. She’s stomping her feet, pouting and seeking validation to the point that even Nigel (Tucci) mentions she still hasn’t grown out of the annoying trait.

This leads to a second act that pulls Andy out of her own story to the point she’s reduced to (fabulous) costume shots and falling into schemes that she honestly should see through. 

Playing into all this is a movie that isn’t sure what it wants to be. The Devil Wears Prada 2 steps away from its “chick flick” roots a bit in this new film. Truthfully? I missed that a bit. I still have a Natasha Bedingfield and KT Tunstall playlist… I was shaped by the 2010s chick-flick. While we keep the fashion and the unobtainable lifestyle, the hurried script prevents much of the story from hitting with the joy it could so easily bring.

The film features some interesting casting decisions in featuring B.J. Novak and Patrick Brammall (watch Colin from Accounts if you haven’t), both men end up feeling like little more than caricatures. Brammall, in particular is wasted in an attempt to get an unneeded love story jammed in where it really isn’t needed. Frankly, Tracie Thoms as Lily seems to be all Andy needs. 

Look, I am all for a good piece of nostalgia bait. However, I struggled this time around. Sure, The Devil Wears Prada 2 features the characters we enjoyed and delicious fashion. However, it felt stifled to me. It struggles to move forward with a dated script and character growth that gave the team at Runway a miss.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 opens in theaters around the country May 1, 2026.