08/06/2026
Months after the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2, I have finally seen it, and since Siskel and Ebert aren't around, I am here to give it two thumbs up!
I am someone who has watched The Devil Wears Prada at least 50 times, but I had heard from several people that the sequel wasn't good. As a marketer it crossed my mind that an incredible marketing campaign had simply made the movie look better than it was. Something so magnificent wouldnât very hard to hype.
Even with my own fears that it would be another letdown, like Hocus Pocus 2, Miss Congeniality 2, and Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, I needed to relax tonight, so I streamed the movie. I can honestly say there is not one thing I would change.
The writers did their job perfectly. They didn't try to remake The Devil Wears Prada, even though there were glimpses of those fantastic moments from the first movie that made me smile. It was a realistic glimpse into where these lives would be today, and every returning character felt like the person I remembered.
I'll start with Andy. She was exactly who I hoped she would be. She still carried that quiet confidence, determination, and authenticity that made her so compelling in the original. She has never been the loudest person in the room. She simply does exceptional work, and people recognize it. Twenty years later, that hadn't changed, and I loved that. There was a line she said in the movie that resonated with me as a marketer: "I spent my career trying to figure out what people need to know, and now I need to figure out what people want to click on." That sentence says so much. It captured how the world has changed and how everyoneâs lives do, all at once. And the movie does that so well, over and over again!
Which leads us right into Miranda. Miranda Priestly was still Miranda at her core. It didnât seem like the ďżźwriters tried to soften her or reinvent her. Instead, more like they were reminding us of who she was through subtle callbacks and that unmistakable presence only Meryl Streep can deliver. She could still walk into a room and have two successful, grown women instantly nervous, sweating, stumbling over themselves, or on the verge of tears. The difference wasn't Miranda. The difference was the world around her. Watching someone who once seemed untouchable navigate an industry that had changed so dramatically was fascinating, and at times, surprisingly emotional.
Seeing Nigel and Emily 20 years later felt like reuniting with old friends. And the two celebrities added to the cast made me so, so happy. Lady Gaga playing herself is every bit as iconic as she was in the 2000s. Lucy Liu played a new character and fit so perfectly, taking me right back to that great time when the original movie came out and we were all so obsessed with her as a Charlie's Angel.
And then⌠there was the score!
From the very first notes, I was transported right back into the world of The Devil Wears Prada. The music wasn't simply there to fill the background. It became part of the storytelling. It stirred nostalgia, excitement, happiness, and even moments that brought tears to my eyes. Every familiar melody was perfectly timed and everything I could have hoped for.
There was no love story. There didn't need to be one. I fell in love with the characters 20 years ago, and as the credits rolled, I realized I couldn't think of a single thing I would change. Not one scene, story line, or character choice.
I couldn't believe I had waited until it was streaming to see it because I was afraid it wouldn't live up to the original. Instead, I found a sequel that honored everything I loved about the first film while embracing the reality that both the characters and the world have changed. If you ask me again in 20 years, I bet I'll say I've seen The Devil Wears Prada 2 as many times as I watched the first one.
Side note: I wrote this and made my crafty little graphic in Canva. Facebook is pi***ng me off crediting AI.
Maybe Iâll just make some popcorn and hit âwatch from the beginningâ đ
