Sex and the City 2

Sex and the City 2

2/5

Director: Michael Patrick King

Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristen Davis, Cynthia Nixon

It has been two years, as Carrie Bradshaw Preston (Sarah Jessica Parker) correctly points out, since the wedding debacle that had millions of women worldwide all glued to the screen wondering whether Carrie and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) would finally get their happy ending. And surprise, surprise, they did, in a simple, humble ceremony down at city hall. Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristen Davis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) had their own issues to deal with but were all resolved towards the end of the tiresome two-hour long first feature film of the HBO's hit television show. And they all lived happily ever after - or so we'd hoped. But these fashionable, gold-digging, shallow ladies who have overdosed on Botox are back. They have a new set of problems to sort out, and whenever they get together for their fancy brunch, all they do is complain. They whine, they moan and the only sense of relaxation for them is to purchase things. Nice new clothes, expensive jewellery, fancy new furniture and of course, cocktails.

Carrie is somewhat bored of her married life. Two years have passed, and apparently the spark has gone. Big is old, tired and wants to spend evenings staying indoors, watching television. Carrie on the other hand, wants glamour - basically she wants to spend boatloads of money as usual. Her house is a sight to behold, full of luxurious furniture imported from abroad. But ah, money can't buy happiness. Remember Carrie, from the first film? Our ditzy heroine never learns. It's unclear what it is she wants from a marriage, and we don't blame Big for being completely stumped. Samantha is afraid of ageing. She is at the menopausal age of 52, and is taking a ridiculous amount of pills in order to "trick [her] body into thinking it's younger." Her sex life has never been better - she stills jumps on anything that's good-looking and young. She even manages to get laid at a gay wedding. Charlotte has two children to raise now, and her life seems to be falling apart. No surprises there, since this girl basically grew up knowing nothing of responsibility. She hires a nanny, a superhot one, and even then she doesn't have much spare time for herself. Basically she just doesn't have a lot of time to go shopping. The nanny naturally doesn't wear a bra and is becoming an eye-candy to her husband Harry (Evan Handler). Uh-oh, Charlotte's getting insecure. Miranda hates her job more than anything. Her sexist boss is well...sexist. She quits, and now has to look for another one.

There's not a whole lot of sex in this "Sex and the City 2." So how do the writers handle the "City" part? The girls do get a change of scenery. They fly from New York to Abu Dhabi, a trip that Samantha organised thanks to her ex-boyfriend Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis in a cameo appearance) and his movie investors. The trip is first-class from the start, and even better, the girls don't need to pay for anything. And from this moment on, what we get is a shameless display of contemptuous consumerism; so much over the top luxury, so many costume changes that occur every five minutes for the four leading characters, so much glitter all over the place that make some of the scenery more tacky than impressive.

What do these ladies get up to in Abu Dhabi? They shop. They ride on camels. They go to fancy restaurants. They stare at men. They reveal cleavage and where there is cleavage, bulges follow. And yes, we get unpleasant close-ups of tight crotches. The Australian World Cup team also happens to be in Abu Dhabi, and they are all wild, wearing Speedos and up for a good swim - an excuse for the director (Michael Patrick King) to show off nude men. It's vulgar and repulsive, but the ladies dig the action. Three out of four of them are married, but who cares - they're in different countries. Speaking of dirty looks and things that can potentially destroy a marriage, Carrie runs into Aidan (John Corbett), an ex-boyfriend who was with her for quite a while. He's married and so is she. So the logical thing to do is...um...they have dinner together. You know, to reminisce over the good old days. Will Carrie be won over by Aidan's charms? Or will she remember that she does in fact have a husband back in New York who she swore to honour, cherish and obey till death do them part? Only time will tell.

Moving the "City" from New York to Abu Dhabi turns out to be a shockingly bad idea. The film cannot resist displaying a whole range of Middle Eastern stereotypes that clash with the more outgoing, flamboyant culture. Samantha gets arrested for kissing on the beach. She is also scolded by a group of angry men in a marketplace for carrying around condoms. She also attracts disapproving eyes for her insanely revealing clothes. You're in someone else's country, you play by their rules. But does she ever listen? No. She yells and swears, the good old American way, and infuriates the angry mob even more. It's when the girls get rescued by a bunch of Arab women that the film starts to take even weirder turns. In private, these Middle Eastern women reveal what's underneath the Burkhas - the latest collection from famous brands. So they're wearing two pretty thick layers. Must get incredibly hot - it's a miracle they can stand up and walk around in the middle of an Arabian dessert. With every culture shock these characters run into, naivety soon follows. It's offensive, insensitive and represents everything people hate about America. They're vastly superior, and dismiss other beliefs and cultural importance - it's so clearly shown through the four women.

Parker, Cattrall, Davis and Nixon have grown into their characters so much over the years that it would be odd to see them play anyone else. See how awkward it was to watch Cattrall in "The Ghost"? They play the characters well, capturing their unique personalities with no difficulty. There are some effective comedic moments, thanks largely to the outrageous characteristics of our four leading ladies, but the laughs are brief, and very limited. The brief cameo appearance from Penelope Cruz is random and somewhat meaningless, Liza Minnelli proves she is still in full control of her stage presence, and Miley Cyrus can pull off a dress better than Cattrall. It's glamorous, shiny, and has a bigger scale than the first film. But the thin material with trivial sub-plots and hateful characters is spread over such an unbearably long running time. Strictly for fans only, this won't win any newcomers over.