June 1, 2010
For many female TV fans (and perhaps secretly some males too), this week represents the end of a long wait for the second Sex and the City film, highly-anticipated following the success of its prequel two years ago. Unfortunately, whilst there are moments of the charm, quips and harmless cheese that fans have come to love, the film fails to live up to its expectation, soon faltering into some uncomfortable, embarrassing and slightly controversial viewing.
The initial premise is good. The film takes place two years on from the last one, starting out with Carrie recalling her arrival in New York and her blossoming friendships with the girls. Cue flashbacks to some time in the 80s of the girls in hilarious outfits and questionable hair-dos. The girls then attend the gay marriage of their friends, whose venue is a sea of appropriately flamboyant décor, costumes, well-groomed men and Liza Minelli (whose impressive and funny performance of Beyonce’s All the Single Ladies is one of the highlights of the film). The girls appear with their respective men in tow and we seem to be treading on familiar but comfortable ground.
The problem occurs when the girls swap the Big Apple for Abu Dhabi, after Samantha manages to wangle an all-expenses-paid therapeutic holiday for the four of them. The intention to develop some of the sub-plots is no doubt well-meant: Carrie is desperate to keep the ‘sparkle’ alive in her marriage; Charlotte is struggling with the strain of motherhood; Samantha is terrified at the thought of the menopause; Miranda is stressed out and under-appreciated at work. However, New York City has to an extent become synonymous with the series itself and without it the film loses its centre. What follows is a series of gratuitous lavishness and a stunted plot, with some tactless jibes about the Muslim dress-code.
At the same time, there are some positives to be taken from the film, despite the overriding sense of disappointment. One of these is the emergence of Miranda’s character as a fun-seeking, sensitive and loyal friend, whose conversation with Charlotte about the stresses of motherhood offers some more than palatable food for thought. Samantha, meanwhile, brightens up the somewhat lagging storyline with some rib-tickling remarks that sum up her no-nonsense character. Unfortunately, Carrie predominantly comes across as self-absorbed and unrealistic (this latter observation perhaps stems from Carrie’s retreat to her spare city apartment, where she goes to work and gain some space from her husband, ‘Big’. If only we were all so lucky).
Overall, then, despite glimpses of the fun and wit that characterised the series and which were achieved in the first film, Sex and the City 2 is unfortunately something of a disappointment. One cannot help but feel that the ideas are running dry now and that this will be the last filmic offering from the producers. If I am wrong, then let us hope that the next film will return to New York.
The initial premise is good. The film takes place two years on from the last one, starting out with Carrie recalling her arrival in New York and her blossoming friendships with the girls. Cue flashbacks to some time in the 80s of the girls in hilarious outfits and questionable hair-dos. The girls then attend the gay marriage of their friends, whose venue is a sea of appropriately flamboyant décor, costumes, well-groomed men and Liza Minelli (whose impressive and funny performance of Beyonce’s All the Single Ladies is one of the highlights of the film). The girls appear with their respective men in tow and we seem to be treading on familiar but comfortable ground.
The problem occurs when the girls swap the Big Apple for Abu Dhabi, after Samantha manages to wangle an all-expenses-paid therapeutic holiday for the four of them. The intention to develop some of the sub-plots is no doubt well-meant: Carrie is desperate to keep the ‘sparkle’ alive in her marriage; Charlotte is struggling with the strain of motherhood; Samantha is terrified at the thought of the menopause; Miranda is stressed out and under-appreciated at work. However, New York City has to an extent become synonymous with the series itself and without it the film loses its centre. What follows is a series of gratuitous lavishness and a stunted plot, with some tactless jibes about the Muslim dress-code.
At the same time, there are some positives to be taken from the film, despite the overriding sense of disappointment. One of these is the emergence of Miranda’s character as a fun-seeking, sensitive and loyal friend, whose conversation with Charlotte about the stresses of motherhood offers some more than palatable food for thought. Samantha, meanwhile, brightens up the somewhat lagging storyline with some rib-tickling remarks that sum up her no-nonsense character. Unfortunately, Carrie predominantly comes across as self-absorbed and unrealistic (this latter observation perhaps stems from Carrie’s retreat to her spare city apartment, where she goes to work and gain some space from her husband, ‘Big’. If only we were all so lucky).
Overall, then, despite glimpses of the fun and wit that characterised the series and which were achieved in the first film, Sex and the City 2 is unfortunately something of a disappointment. One cannot help but feel that the ideas are running dry now and that this will be the last filmic offering from the producers. If I am wrong, then let us hope that the next film will return to New York.