Lyzsi SinclairCinema Release Review - "Sex And The City 2"
If you remember from my “She’s Out Of My League” review, I mentioned that romantic comedies and myself don’t get along really. Well, I find that ‘chick flicks’ and me have an even more strained relationship than that. Regardless, (and this is the part where you judge me) I actually really enjoyed the “Sex And The City” television series, and even though I thought the first film was only average, I still went off to the cinema to catch the sequel of the hugely successful franchise…
Carrie and friends return for their second big screen instalment, and two years after the events of the first film life is settling at a nice pace for Mrs Carrie Preston nee Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker – “Failure To Launch”) and her husband Mr Big (Chris Noth – “The Good Wife”). It’s not all she hopes however, as she begins to feel herself falling into a rut – something completely unnatural for this famous relationship writer. Meanwhile Miranda (Cynthia Nixon – “An Englishman In New York“) is dealing with a boss who won’t listen to her and shuts her down whenever he can, and Charlotte (Kristin Davis – “Couple’s Retreat“) seems to not only be struggling to cope with motherhood – but also worries that her husband Harry (Evan Handler - “Californication“) is having an affair with her attractive newly hired nanny Erin (Alice Eve – “Big Nothing”). So when Samantha (Kim Cattrall – “Ice Princess”) offers the girls a week away in the heart of luxury in Abu Dhabi, it seems the perfect opportunity for them all to stop, regroup and try to work out their own lives. With four notoriously feisty women behaving in a way sometimes the polar opposite of culture and tradition for this middle eastern country – not to mention the surprise return of Carrie’s old flame Aidan (John Corbett – “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) – will it be the peaceful yet fun break away they were all hoping for…?
I’m going to be blunt – I hated this film. It was far too long, far too boring and too pointless; and if the projector in the cinema hadn’t have kept shifting in and out of focus in the last 25 minutes of the film – I can absolutely guarantee I’d have fallen asleep. This to me is a perfect example of when a franchise has just stopped trying to be good – instead choosing to focus on exploiting the hardcore fan-base it had built up when it was still a fantastic and credible television series.
The plot line was boring, and way too predictable – with anything decent story-wise being shoved to the sidelines. In a two hour twenty six minute runtime, barely five minutes of it served as a reminder to why the show worked so well, and why we loved the characters in the first place. Sarah Jessica Parker was bland to take in both appearance-wise and in acting, and she was seemingly clinging desperately to her last remaining youthful years as an actress. By that I’m not saying she’s terrifically old, just that it’s a bit like mutton dressing up and acting like lamb. The character of Carrie built in the series was a strong, independent person who had a lust for life and fashion. All I saw was a shallow woman, who had nothing of interest to say anymore.
Kim Cattrall was standard as Samantha, but the brash vulgarity we’ve all come to love appeared to have changed slightly. It’s hard to describe, but in scenes in Abu Dhabi where she tried to prove that she’d bow to no law or culture, it seemed a bit like the childhood game of ‘Knock Door, Run’ – taunting with insult and statement but just not going far enough. Political climate of late may not have allowed for that, but when the sum of the rest of Samantha’s part in the film equates to a single woman spending all her time worrying about and trying to stop her aging – it seems she’s become the caricature critics and men who hate the series predicted she'd become.
In short the “Sex And The City” series had a chance to stand up and be a real icon of influence and change – not only in the way women are viewed, but also in the way they behave. Instead anything like that is pushed aside for what is basically two and a half hours of Michael Patrick King and co. jerking off with a copy of Harper’s Bazaar or Italian Vogue; while reading the self-help pages of a newspaper. The show – and also the first film – had fashion and design fuelling its core. The clothes in this instalment to me (as someone who once dreamed of a career in fashion) seemed monotonous and sometimes off-putting. Large parts of the film seemed to be a self-indulgent advertisement, for an almost ridiculously luxurious lifestyle of holiday in Abu Dhabi. Instead of making me wish I could live like that, I was left uninterested, and wishing for those minutes of my life back.
In essence this film was a self-righteous waste of time. “Sex And The City” was about looking at the relationships and lives of four women - not about acting as a relationship guide. Gone was the thoughtful narrative of Carrie from the series – it’s absence leaving a noticeable hole. The music was horrific at times with well-known classics being subjected to a horrendous thumping drumbeat – or worse, a recreation from Liza Minelli. Celebrity cameos from the aforementioned and Miley Cyrus also were pathetic – and other scenes just left me numb inside. One particular karaoke scene in an exclusive Abu Dhabi club included every possible bit of cliché – so much so, I winced.
There was only one saving grace in this film for me, and her name is Cynthia Nixon – with her character Miranda staying true to the series. There was no big storyline for her – but she was in essence the rock holding all the other actresses together. All her scenes were well acted, and with her character being as out-going, and yet as respectable as possible – it was a pleasure to watch her on screen. A scene where she was having a heart-to-heart with Kristin Davis’ character Charlotte, while also getting steadily drunk; was the only thing that truly made me smile and laugh out loud. Davis was given an opportunity to showcase her acting chops with Charlotte’s quiet breakdown at motherhood – but as quickly as the opportunity came, the story was ripped out from underneath her. Nixon therefore remains my favourite.
So in conclusion, a big disappointment of epic proportions for me. Perhaps if I had taken advantage of the cinema’s special drink offer before watching, I’d be a bit more receptive – but when I leave a cinema screen wishing for my time back (and this was a first for me), then it really cannot be something I’d recommend. I beg them to stop before making another possible sub-standard sequel; and I award marks really only for Cynthia Nixon. “Sex And The City 2” gets a 3/10. Flix Out.
Carrie and friends return for their second big screen instalment, and two years after the events of the first film life is settling at a nice pace for Mrs Carrie Preston nee Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker – “Failure To Launch”) and her husband Mr Big (Chris Noth – “The Good Wife”). It’s not all she hopes however, as she begins to feel herself falling into a rut – something completely unnatural for this famous relationship writer. Meanwhile Miranda (Cynthia Nixon – “An Englishman In New York“) is dealing with a boss who won’t listen to her and shuts her down whenever he can, and Charlotte (Kristin Davis – “Couple’s Retreat“) seems to not only be struggling to cope with motherhood – but also worries that her husband Harry (Evan Handler - “Californication“) is having an affair with her attractive newly hired nanny Erin (Alice Eve – “Big Nothing”). So when Samantha (Kim Cattrall – “Ice Princess”) offers the girls a week away in the heart of luxury in Abu Dhabi, it seems the perfect opportunity for them all to stop, regroup and try to work out their own lives. With four notoriously feisty women behaving in a way sometimes the polar opposite of culture and tradition for this middle eastern country – not to mention the surprise return of Carrie’s old flame Aidan (John Corbett – “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) – will it be the peaceful yet fun break away they were all hoping for…?
I’m going to be blunt – I hated this film. It was far too long, far too boring and too pointless; and if the projector in the cinema hadn’t have kept shifting in and out of focus in the last 25 minutes of the film – I can absolutely guarantee I’d have fallen asleep. This to me is a perfect example of when a franchise has just stopped trying to be good – instead choosing to focus on exploiting the hardcore fan-base it had built up when it was still a fantastic and credible television series.
The plot line was boring, and way too predictable – with anything decent story-wise being shoved to the sidelines. In a two hour twenty six minute runtime, barely five minutes of it served as a reminder to why the show worked so well, and why we loved the characters in the first place. Sarah Jessica Parker was bland to take in both appearance-wise and in acting, and she was seemingly clinging desperately to her last remaining youthful years as an actress. By that I’m not saying she’s terrifically old, just that it’s a bit like mutton dressing up and acting like lamb. The character of Carrie built in the series was a strong, independent person who had a lust for life and fashion. All I saw was a shallow woman, who had nothing of interest to say anymore.
Sarah Jessica Parker was a chore to watch...
Kim Cattrall was standard as Samantha, but the brash vulgarity we’ve all come to love appeared to have changed slightly. It’s hard to describe, but in scenes in Abu Dhabi where she tried to prove that she’d bow to no law or culture, it seemed a bit like the childhood game of ‘Knock Door, Run’ – taunting with insult and statement but just not going far enough. Political climate of late may not have allowed for that, but when the sum of the rest of Samantha’s part in the film equates to a single woman spending all her time worrying about and trying to stop her aging – it seems she’s become the caricature critics and men who hate the series predicted she'd become.
In short the “Sex And The City” series had a chance to stand up and be a real icon of influence and change – not only in the way women are viewed, but also in the way they behave. Instead anything like that is pushed aside for what is basically two and a half hours of Michael Patrick King and co. jerking off with a copy of Harper’s Bazaar or Italian Vogue; while reading the self-help pages of a newspaper. The show – and also the first film – had fashion and design fuelling its core. The clothes in this instalment to me (as someone who once dreamed of a career in fashion) seemed monotonous and sometimes off-putting. Large parts of the film seemed to be a self-indulgent advertisement, for an almost ridiculously luxurious lifestyle of holiday in Abu Dhabi. Instead of making me wish I could live like that, I was left uninterested, and wishing for those minutes of my life back.
In essence this film was a self-righteous waste of time. “Sex And The City” was about looking at the relationships and lives of four women - not about acting as a relationship guide. Gone was the thoughtful narrative of Carrie from the series – it’s absence leaving a noticeable hole. The music was horrific at times with well-known classics being subjected to a horrendous thumping drumbeat – or worse, a recreation from Liza Minelli. Celebrity cameos from the aforementioned and Miley Cyrus also were pathetic – and other scenes just left me numb inside. One particular karaoke scene in an exclusive Abu Dhabi club included every possible bit of cliché – so much so, I winced.
A shambolic karaoke scene appeared to try to hard...
There was only one saving grace in this film for me, and her name is Cynthia Nixon – with her character Miranda staying true to the series. There was no big storyline for her – but she was in essence the rock holding all the other actresses together. All her scenes were well acted, and with her character being as out-going, and yet as respectable as possible – it was a pleasure to watch her on screen. A scene where she was having a heart-to-heart with Kristin Davis’ character Charlotte, while also getting steadily drunk; was the only thing that truly made me smile and laugh out loud. Davis was given an opportunity to showcase her acting chops with Charlotte’s quiet breakdown at motherhood – but as quickly as the opportunity came, the story was ripped out from underneath her. Nixon therefore remains my favourite.
Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis were wonderfully funny in a heart-to-heart scene.
So in conclusion, a big disappointment of epic proportions for me. Perhaps if I had taken advantage of the cinema’s special drink offer before watching, I’d be a bit more receptive – but when I leave a cinema screen wishing for my time back (and this was a first for me), then it really cannot be something I’d recommend. I beg them to stop before making another possible sub-standard sequel; and I award marks really only for Cynthia Nixon. “Sex And The City 2” gets a 3/10. Flix Out.
