The Devil Wears Prada 2

When 20 years pass between a movie and its sequel, a lot of disappointment can result when the follow-up is at last released. Derivative, underdeveloped story threads and an overreliance on nostalgic strolls down memory lane often abound, leaving viewers suitably underwhelmed, especially loyal fans of the source material. However, every so often, audiences are the lucky beneficiaries of pleasant surprises, movies that live up to their billing and come close to matching the magic of their predecessors. Such is the case with director David Frankel’s long-awaited answer to the iconic 2006 comedy “The Devil Wears Prada,” a delightful blend of the elements that made the original such a success, skillfully mixed with enough new material to create a work all its own. This latest offering follows what happens when the iconic Runway fashion magazine, led by longtime editor/diva in residence Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), finds itself in hot water for unwittingly publishing an offensive article in praise of a clothing manufacturer that’s essentially an exploitative sweat shop, placing the publication’s and editor’s future in jeopardy. To effect damage control, Runway quickly hires award-winning journalist Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) to come on board as the magazine’s new features editor. Andy’s hiring proves propitious for her, having just been unexpectedly laid off from her job (despite her recent accolades), and for Runway, given her familiarity with the magazine, having once worked there, ironically, as Miranda’s often-put-upon assistant. Having now been thrown together under these trying circumstances, the confrontational duo struggles to make things work out, an ordeal that eventually culminates in a battle in which multiple parties vie for ownership of the publication. Joining the fray in this rollercoaster scenario are Miranda’s trusty righthand man, Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci), Andy’s onetime condescending rival, Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt), and an array of Runway assistants, staffers and interns, along with a host of friends, foes, competitors and celebrity cameos including appearances by the likes of Lady Gaga, Lucy Liu and Kenneth Branagh. The narrative generally flows smoothly, if a bit episodic and compartmentalized at times, with more than its fair share of laughs, vibrant fashion montages, gorgeously shot location settings in New York and Milan, and a frank, bitingly honest appraisal of how the publishing business has “changed” (i.e., declined) in the two decades since the original film. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” likely won’t go down in the annals of filmmaking as an enduring piece of cinema, but it certainly makes the grade as a capable, entertaining sequel that isn’t the kind of letdown that so many of its celluloid peers often are. Indeed, as Miranda would likely sum it up, “That’s all.…”