Anne Hathaway finds herself under the thumb of Meryl Streep once again in 2026's The Devil Wears Prada 2. Like the first film, this surprisingly conservative tale about fashion journalism has a simplistic, occasionally amusing story.
The film hits the ground running, beginning with Andy (Hathaway) receiving a journalistic award and at the same time a text informing her that she's fired from her current, prestigious paper due to downsizing. The disconnect between shows of respect in the industry and reliable employment in the industry felt pretty spot on.
One thing leads to another, and Andy goes back to the magazine run by Miranda (Streep), the titular devil who still rules the room with an iron heel. Miranda, amusingly, can't, or pretends she can't, remember Andy and treats her as a lowly lackey once again. And, once again, Andy's best friend at the workplace is Miranda's second in command, Nigel (Stanley Tucci), who's implied to be gay but the movie, even in 2026, is still too conservative to acknowledge it openly and only features heterosexual relationships in the world of fashion. The first film always reminded me of Funny Face, the 1957 musical about a fashion magazine, because the world of The Devil Wears Prada still feels like the 1950s. However, Funny Face remains a more surprising, captivating film than either entry in the Devil Wears Prada series.
The moral of the film ends up being about how some people have what it takes to be in charge and some don't. Again, it's a surprisingly conservative point, and a valid one, though not made in any way that particularly challenges the audience. Of course, there's a lot of nice clothes in the movie. Certainly there's not a thing wrong with Streep's performance. Anne Hathaway is good, too, this being one of five major movies she's appearing in this year, two of which are currently in theatres. That beats the three movies Lana Condor's in.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is available on Disney+.
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