Most critics find the sequel a pleasant evening rather than a necessary one, and the reviews cluster closely around that view. The praise goes almost entirely to the returning cast: Streep, Hathaway, Blunt and Tucci are picked out again and again, with several reviews noting how easily the four fall back into step, and the costumes get their due. The reservations are about the script. Critics agree it updates the story to a media world of collapsing print and online scandal, but most think it does so timidly, leaning on callbacks to the original, softening into sentiment at the close and never generating much friction between Andy and Miranda. The Ringer goes further and argues the satire is undone by the film’s own sponsorship deals. The spread is narrow, with one clear dissent: Deadline finds the story too flimsy to engage with either fashion or romance, though even there Tucci is singled out for stealing his scenes.
The sequel updates the story for today's journalism landscape with returning director David Frankel and gives the core cast fresh material to work with. Streep and company remain magnetic, though the drama lacks sufficient friction or stakes.
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