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FeedMovie Review: Sex and the City 2
Films opening this week:
Casino Jack and the United States of Money - Eastern Hills Dipson
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Maple Ridge; Market Arcade; Elmwood, Galleria, Transit, Hollywood, Quaker Regals; Flix; Transit Drive-In
Sex and the City 2 - Maple Ridge; Amherst Dipson; Market Arcade; Elmwood, Galleria, Transit, Hollywood, Quaker Regals; Flix; Transit Drive-In
Remember your wild imaginings of what Liza Minnelli would look like jiving and grooving while singing Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)”? You know the dream that’s haunted you since Sasha Fierce’s hook took over the airwaves two short years ago? Sex and the City 2 delivered that vision to my retinas twenty minutes or so into the screening. I’m not sure I ever really recovered.
Other snapshots include ugly fabric swatch combinations somehow labeled "fashion"; bra-less Alice Eve jumping around; a surreal and ultimately tasteless sojourn in Abu Dhabi (which does Arab culture no favors); and a weirdly entertaining karaoke evening of pure incomprehensible craziness. Was there a story tying this random insanity together? Thank heavens I didn’t expect one. And thank you, Michael Patrick King, for making me laugh at least once.
The most enjoyable minutes—the first thirty or so—occur in the city's home base, New York. There are some smooth camera tricks morphing the glamorous women from their dated 80s fashions to their present day attire before arriving at the hilarious gay wedding between characters Stanford Blatch and Anthony Marentino. Swans, a chorus of men in white, and the astonishing Minnelli keep the laughs coming fast and hard. But then we turn to the trials and tribulations of Carrie and Mr. Big. After the rough and tumble journey towards their vows in Sex and the City, they're sharing a stagnant life and losing the necessary spark.
Soon, the group is off to the Middle East. And watching Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie, Kristin Davis’s Charlotte York—I still can’t believe the naïveté and absolute childlike innocence she exudes at all times—Cynthia Nixon’s Miranda, and especially Kim Cattrall’s Samantha roam these foreign streets can be cringe-worthy.
It is all an excuse for inside storylines and callbacks aimed at extreme fans of the show. I heard gasps and whispers—“Oh, it’s the dress”—and then there were the cheers at seeing John Corbett’s name. (“Aidan Shaw!”) I am sure true diehard fans will love this film. It is, quite simply, a vehicle to jam-pack as much wardrobe, wealthy living, exotic locales, girl talk, and menopausal jokes as it can. Many instances did tickle my fancy, including the hummus and yam consumption, the butler [Paula] Abdul (Walton Nuñez), the glitz and “freshness” of Arab karaoke, as well as the out-of-the-blue cameo from Penélope Cruz.
As, a guy who never had an interest in the series, I yearned for a return to NYC. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the Arab locales and the Abu Dhabi hotel extravagance—it really is spectacular. But it wasn't enough to salvage the stupidity of so much else in the film.
At least Abu Dhabi had one redeeming quality to keep me invested—Raza Jaffrey’s Butler Guarau. He is the brightest spot in the film. If you want the true meaning of love and the sacrifice necessary to achieve it, look no further than Raza.
Sex and the City 2 4/10
photography:
[1] (L-R) KRISTIN DAVIS as Charlotte York, SARAH JESSICA PARKER as Carrie Bradshaw, KIM CATTRALL as Samantha Jones and CYNTHIA NIXON as Miranda Hobbes in New Line Cinema's comedy "SEX AND THE CITY 2," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Craig Blankenhorn
[2] (L-R) CHRIS NOTH as Mr. Big, TIM GUNN (in back) as himself, SARAH JESSICA PARKER as Carrie Bradshaw, WILLIE GARSON as Stanford Blatch and MARIO CANTONE as Anthony Marentino in New Line Cinema's comedy "SEX AND THE CITY 2," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo by Craig Blankenhorn
