The Devil Wears Prada was a 2006 drama comedy workplace-focused type film that not only put Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt on the Hollywood map, but also made us view the boss archetype with nuance and complexity. Meryl Streep’s portrayal as demanding editor boss lady Miranda Priestly is a nightmare to work with, but she earned her reputation and got the outlet she runs, Runway, to the top of the fashion world food chain when others just see it as just a job. People who run their own businesses and have to manage younger and entitled employees can relate.

Naturally, a legacy sequel is expected from a memorable film like The Devil Wears Prada, but kudos to Fox 2000 Pictures and the team -led by director David Frankel- for going back to the well this late and putting in effort in making the sequel on the same level as its insightful and charming prequel.

House of Gucci (and other brands we know jack about)

Taking place 20 years later after the first film, seasoned reporter Andy (Anne Hathaway) was recently laid off from her cushy journalist gig and making a difference. A serendipitous call puts her as a features editor for Runway, still a livid and busy fashion place to work at but now adapted to modern times: website, social media, and rare physical catalogues that ends up being the final word on fashion. As this was a surprise for Miranda, she is naturally pissed at the changing of the natural order and makes Andy’s life a bit of hell (initially). However, she ends up needing Andy’s help out of desperation as Runway’s reputation has been on the downward spiral from a previous editorial kerfuffle. In the mix is ex-assistant Emily (Emily Blunt) who ends up leading retail for Chanel, an ex-wife of a billionaire named Sasha (Lucy Liu), rich mogul Benji Barnes (Justin “Mr House” Theroux), Runway chairman Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), his son Jay Ravitz (B.J Novak), and the ever-charismatic Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) as Miranda’s second-in-command.

Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly is still as demanding and dictator-like as possible, but with her edges dulled due to current workplace climates (that make higher-ups watch what they say) yet finding ways to get it back as that is part of the plot arc. She changes the least throughout the show, but that is the show’s true strength: Priestly against all odds being the best editor and doing what she does with grace and aristocracy, even when she gets put down a notch or two in the second half of the film. Anne Hathaway’s Andy may have 20 years of journalistic expertise, but she still has trouble getting into the ever-evolving fashion world and trying to appease Miranda while getting Runway back on top. The idealism of her work and ethic shines in Andy, but she has to kowtow to clicks and views in her current work while figuring out how not to sacrifice said ethos. It’s a tricky balance that keeps you guessing whether Andy will falter or not.

Emily Blunt’s Emily is just as snarky as ever, even when she’s away from Runaway and doing retail as a higher-up. If anything, we get to see Emily go back and forth in playing friendly and charismatic but having wheels turning in her head through her body language and her fashion knowhow. And the more said about how Stanley Tucci’s Nigel lights up the room whenever he’s on-screen and chatting it up with either Miranda or Andy, especially in a lot of the show’s heart-to-heart moments, the better. There is also a villain moment that takes place in the last third of the film which may seem out of left field, but given the history with the characters from the first film and everything that could have transpired in the 20 years that passed, it makes a ton of sense, though some flashbacks and hints would be nice.

That said, the sequel does have some “loose-ends-tied-up” and “closure for the sake of closure” moments that feel forced and usually the norm for legacy sequels. From Nigel’s fated run in Runway to Andy’s new love interest in the form of luxury apartment operator Peter (Patrick Brammall), it’s the kind that just feels too convenient and manufactured to the point where you can see chick flick tropes emerging out of it like unwanted silverfishes in a textile factory. I was more invested in Andy and Miranda’s tension-filled relationship and Emily’s interjection in all this than Peter’s.

As far as sequels go, this one’s in the Chanel Bag, though some homework and investment from the first film is required. It’s meant to further the adventures of well-meaning Andy, her ex-and-current boss, and ex-colleague Emily after a slew of too-real-to-be-fake events making due to her return to Runway. This sequel could have been a pretty bad cash grab, but thankfully the director and writers understand the fact that business climates can change, though human habits cannot.

Streep, Hathaway, Blunt, and Tucci are in top form here -at least from a dramatic comedy standpoint. It’s surprisingly not as flashy as its predecessor, but it does hit a lot of things close to home, especially with recent buyouts and layoffs in the editorial sector of things. Even if I still know jack about clothing brands, this sequel does pique my interest and a great job at following up its much-lauded prequel in a respectable, well, fashion.

Final Score: 70/100