Rifle through all the fabulous fashion that you naturally expect in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” and you might be surprised – and, if you type for a living, rather excited – to find a thoughtful examination of modern journalism.
We’re not talking “All the President’s Men” with a Dior tag here. The breezy follow-up reuniting Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep – and bringing back scene-stealers Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt – mostly sticks to the formula that worked in 2006’s first “Devil” and tosses in plenty of Easter eggs for movie fans and fashionistas alike. However, director David Frankel’s comedy (★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters May 1) is honest and clear-eyed as it digs into a media world where story clicks increasingly matter more than quality.
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It’s been 20 years since spunky young Andy Sachs (Hathaway) weathered all the withering glares and icy insults working for imperious Runway magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly (Streep), eventually tossing her phone into a fountain and getting a newspaper job. But she finds herself back where she started, in a sense.
After she and the entire staff at the New York Vanguard get axed via text message, Andy makes a stirring speech championing the importance of journalism. At the same time, Priestly’s magazine gets embroiled in a sweatshop scandal that does a number on their PR. (Miranda gets meme’d on Instagram and it’s not pretty.) To help fix the situation, the ethically minded Andy is hired to be the new features editor, though when she shows up to work, it’s news to Miranda, who pretty much pretends to not know who Andy is. (Or doesn’t actually remember, because she’s still a mercurial piece of work.)
