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There was a time when Sex and the City was the coolest thing on TV. But now, 12 years after the series debut—and two years after the first overstuffed Sex and the City movie—it seems that Carrie and the girls have become uncomfortable caricatures of the smart, successful, fabulous women they once were.
After two years of marriage, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) are in a bit of a slump. Instead of going out on the town every night, like they once did, they’re spending their nights ordering take-out and watching TV on their fabulous new couch.
Meanwhile, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is barely surviving her daughter’s terrible twos. She couldn’t do it without her nanny, Erin (Alice Eve)—her hot Irish nanny who’s well-endowed and who never wears a bra.
Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is miserable at work, so she quits her job to spend more time with her son—but then she realizes that she’s miserable at home, too.
Fortunately, Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is offered an opportunity to promote a high-end resort in Abu Dhabi—and she gets to bring her three best girlfriends along on the trip. But while Samantha tries to fight the effects menopause and hook up with some guy who’s even hotter than her hot flashes, Charlotte worries about leaving her husband alone with their braless nanny, and Carrie finds herself in crisis when she runs into an old love.
Just as Carrie can’t resist reconnecting with John Corbett’s Aidan, fans of the series won’t be able to resist another Sex and the City movie. Although I never got caught up in the whole SATC craze, I understand that need to reconnect with something you once loved so very much. Sometimes, though, it’s just best to move on—to look back fondly on the good old days and leave it at that.
This mega-budget sequel is little more than an obnoxious parody of its former self. Carrie and Big have turned into a cheesy ‘60s sitcom, while Charlotte has become completely vacant, Miranda’s practically non-existent, and Samantha’s turned into that creepy older woman who makes everyone uncomfortable.
While the film does explore the characters’ continuing stories (and, fortunately, it’s not as whiny or as shrieking as the first SATC movie), it’s mostly just a big, bloated mess of expensive clothes and pointless fluff. Thanks to a stereotypical gay wedding (complete with men’s choir and Liza Minnelli performing “Single Ladies”), as well as some stilted conflict and plenty of shots of Alice Eve’s bouncing, wet-tank-top-clad breasts (the point of which will be completely lost on the film’s target audience), it takes the four women a full hour to make it to Abu Dhabi.
You see, apparently, The City isn’t glamorous or opulent enough for the SATC girls anymore (it’s that darn recession, I suppose)—so they moved the sequel to some place that’s even more opulent and excessive. Abu Dhabi is stylish and overindulgent—and it gives the girls an excuse to wear lots of long, flowing dresses and colorful turbans. It also gives them a whole new stereotype to snicker about. In addition to mocking gay men (who, it seems, are always ridiculously flamboyant), now they can mock Muslims, too. While stuffy old Miranda tries to understand and respect the people’s traditions, Carrie gapes at the women eating fries under their veils, and Samantha sets out to offend as many people as possible.
Sex and the City 2 keeps trying to pushing the envelope—to show that women can have their wild and crazy fun, too. And, in a way, it is an equal opportunity kind of film: it proves that men aren’t the only ones who flock to see comedies filled with bad stereotypes and sophomoric humor.
Sure, there was a time when Sex and the City was chic and progressive. Now, however, it’s more like your grandma’s old tattoo. At some point, years ago, it was probably pretty edgy and cool, but now it’s saggy and misshapen—and it’s just not something you really want to look at anymore.
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