‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ And 5 ‘Chick Flicks’ That Prove The 2000s Are Back
After years of '80s and '90s nostalgia dominating everything, the early 2000s are making a comeback through the chick flick genre. Although I absolutely hate that phrase because of the negative connotation that accompanies anything with a strong female fan base, the resurgence of these fun, light movies with a (mostly) happy ending feels vindicating.
It proves that while these chick flicks are often dismissed as fluff, people have been watching them so much that Hollywood execs have decided to cash in on that momentum by developing a slew of prequels, sequels, and reboots. This list showcases movies from the 2000s (which can be found on platforms like Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+) that are being picked up again.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 follows Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway), who returns to Runway after being unceremoniously laid off from her more serious writing job. Tasked with saving the magazine from becoming irrelevant in a world dominated by influencer culture and clickbait media, Andy finds herself back at Miranda Priestly's (Meryl Streep) side.
The story begins two decades after The Devil Wears Prada (2006), which followed a much less confident Andy during her time as Miranda's assistant, alongside Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt). The sequel doesn't try to rewrite the entire power dynamic seen in the original. Instead, it drops a similar vibe into a different version of the industry. It's ideal for fans of sharp workplace character studies.
Mean Girls turns the original 2004 film into a musical that follows Cady Heron (Angourie Rice), who makes the move to public school after being homeschooled by her mom while living in Kenya. Tossed into unfamiliar territory, Cady gets pulled into the drama of teenage social hierarchy and eventually becomes "friends" with Regina George (Reneé Rapp).
Just like the original Mean Girls, that's when things start to get ugly (but with a few songs thrown into the mix). And since the 2004 version already turned high school social dynamics into a stylized satire, turning it into a musical doesn't feel weird at all. It's perfect for viewers who like heightened teen ensemble films like Heathers (1988).
Freakier Friday revisits Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan) and her mother Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) years after their original body swap in Freaky Friday. But the sequel doesn't just repeat the original mother-daughter conflict. Anna is now stuck in the exact kind of overwhelming adult situation Tess was dealing with the first time around, which completely changes the dynamic between them.
It also makes the original 2003 movie feel weirdly cyclical in hindsight, like this kind of misunderstanding just keeps evolving instead of ever fully disappearing. That's probably why Freakier Friday feels smarter compared to some of the more obvious nostalgia cash-ins. And let's not forget how warm and fuzzy the Lohan/Curtis on-screen reunion made us feel. Fans of family comedies will love it.
Elle serves as an origin story for the iconic Elle Woods, who fans first fell in love with in 2001's Legally Blonde. Lexi Minetree steps into the role that was previously held by Reese Witherspoon. The Prime Video series, which is set to debut on July 1, chronicles the character's teenage years in the ‘90s as a high school student in Seattle, which should be fun for anyone who loves teen dramas.
The best thing about Legally Blonde is that it never turned Elle into someone she wasn't. The story just highlighted her intelligence, which most people chose not to see. A sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, was released in 2003. It followed Elle on her quest to save animals from lab testing. Both films set a pretty high standard for the character, which the series will hopefully live up to.
The Princess Diaries 3 will continue the story of Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway), who fans initially met as an awkward teenager in 2001's The Princess Diaries. After learning that she's the heir to the throne of Genovia, her grandmother, Queen Clarisse (Julie Andrews), steps in to prepare Mia for the role. It's a pretty simple story on the surface, but the deeper message is about self-discovery.
Fans connected with the story so much that The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement was released in 2004. The title pretty much sums up the plot. But here are a few twists along the way. Hathaway will reprise her role as Mia in The Princess Diaries 3, which is currently in development. No official plot details have been released at this time, but fans of movies with a fairytale vibe will love it.
The 13 Going on 30 released in 2004 tells the story of Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner), who wishes she could skip ahead to adulthood and wakes up as a 30-year-old. With no memory of the past years, Jenna is suddenly living a life that looks perfect from the outside, but doesn't feel that way to her. Things start to feel more normal when she reconnects with her childhood friend, Matt Flamhaff (Mark Ruffalo).
The new version will reboot the story with Emily Bader and Logan Lerman, stepping into the roles of Jenna and Matt. 13 Going on 30, which is ideal for fans of second-chance stories, is the clearest example of how low-key popular early 2000s films have been. The original wasn't a massive franchise starter, but it kept resurfacing enough over the years for the studio to give it a second life.
