Review Roundup: Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep Return in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2

Runway is back. The Devil Wears Prada 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2006 film, arrives in theaters on May 1, with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci all reprising their roles. Reviews are now in for the film; find out what critics think in our roundup below.

New additions to the cast include Kenneth Branagh, Helen J. Shen, Rachel Bloom, Patrick Brammall, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak, Pauline Chalamet, Caleb Hearon, Simone Ashley, and Tibor Ravitz. Tracie Thoms and Tibor Feldman also reprise their roles as “Lily” and “Irv” from the first film. 

The 2006 blockbuster film from Twentieth Century Studios, adapted from Lauren Weisberger's best-selling 2003 novel, went on to gross $326 million worldwide and received two Academy Award nominations.

The stage musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada is currently running at London’s Dominion Theatre, featuring an original score by music icon and Olivier and Tony Award winner Elton John, lyrics by Tony-winner Shaina Taub, book by Kate Wetherhead with direction & choreography by three-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell. Vanessa Williams is playing the role of Miranda Priestly.

Damon Wise, Deadline: "That’s perhaps because, in the end,  The Devil Wears Prada 2 is, once again, more invested in Andy’s fairytale journey than anyone else’s. Indeed, she rises above all the obstacles put in front of her to such an extent that it’s a wonder she doesn’t throw her hat up into the air at the end of the title sequence: Like Mary Tyler Moore, she’s gonna make it after all!"

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter: "Arriving 20 years after the original, David Frankel’s sequel hits familiar beats that fans will eat up and deftly reconfigures the core trio of women into new adversarial positions, even if it ultimately lapses into cozy sentimentality. The movie is best when it sticks to fluffy, fun nostalgia rather than shooting for substance."

Guy Lodge, Variety: "Ultimately, however, the film’s chief pleasures are those of practiced professionals doing their job, and doing it well. None of the stars here is slacking, and their combined, easily resumed chemistry ensures that this sequel, for good long stretches, feels like old times — even if it’s hard to imagine fans of its predecessor cherishing repeat viewings to quite the same extent."

Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com: "The film’s exceedingly naïve “good billionaire” angle aside, it’s nice to reunite with old characters that we love, witness a healthy dose of fan servicing—the finale between Andy and Emily is especially shameless yet wonderful—and get a glimpse of that braid-knit cerulean sweater again, which, I admit, I liked much better in its original lumpy form."

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian: "And for the DWP connoisseurs, there’s even an outing for Andy’s awful blue polyblend sweater that Nigel found to be such a windup back in the day. This is good-natured, buoyant entertainment. It’s wearing well."

David Fear, Rolling Stone: "For many viewers, The Devil Wears Prada 2 will be another dollop of high-fashion wish fulfillment, a chance to once again gain access to an exclusive realm of air kisses and luxury-brand window shopping. For journalists, this is a horror movie, no matter how stylish and dazzling you dress it up."

Kate Erbland, IndieWire: "Seriously, when did everyone forget that this franchise is based on a dishy roman à clef in which Wintour is, hello, referred to as the Devil? That punch and pop is missing this time around, bespoke comedy replaced here with strictly off-the-rack endeavors. Fine enough, really, but if the first film was the kind of thing that never goes out of style, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” will last a season. That’s all."

William Bibbiani, TheWrap: “The Devil Wears Prada 2” doesn’t have a coherent theme, so its vibes have nothing to stick to. It never makes the convincing argument for its own existence, other than saying the journalism business stinks right now, and that there’s no solution that doesn’t involve billionaires who are more likely to ruin the industry than save it. Maybe that’s true but it’s not much of a movie."

BJ Colangelo, SlashFilm: "The characters remain inherently watchable so there's a baseline pleasure in returning to them, but that's ultimately the problem — affection does the heavy lifting that the storytelling won't. For a movie that insists on the value of artistry, it certainly plays like an expensive knock-off. I liked it fine, because I love these characters in this world, but ultimately... that's all."

Beth Webb, Empire: "Around them, the film’s world remains a taffeta-draped playground through which the characters showcase traffic-stopping designer ensembles, reminding us why they risk it all for ‘Runway’. And at its epicentre, Streep lets us a little deeper into Miranda’s psyche without losing that magnetic elusiveness. Her power survives intact, even if she’s not given a worthy adversary to unleash it upon."

 Photo Credit: Macall Polay/20th Century Studios