Sex and the City 2
I
didn’t like the first Sex and the City movie, but I was a big fan of
the series, so I did have a certain amount of hope for the sequel.
Sex and the City 2
has done an amazing thing. First of all, it is vaguely surprising that it
could be even worse that the first movie. In fact, far worse… and I truly
would not have believed that possible.
However more than that, Sex and the City 2 has ruined the
TV series for me. Literally, I may as well throw
away all the DVD box sets I own – and I have them all, even the weak final
season – because after seeing what became of these characters I
can not imagine ever watching even a single second of the series ever
again.
This movie is that bad.
Sex and the City
is dead to me.
Congratulations, Michael Patrick King, you have finally figured out the way
to kill the golden goose.
At
least, I assume that this was an attempt at a very public hari-kari by the
creator of the series. He can’t truly believe that fans of the show – that
anyone – really wants this. Does he?
I
mean, yes, the Sex and the City ladies have always been shallow and
superficial, but in the series they did it with style.
Now,
their tone-deafness to real world realities is quite astonishing. The 90s
are over, ladies. The 00s, too, for that matter. The dream world of
promiscuous fashionistas living in a fantasyland New York without worrying
about any financial restrictions, dress codes, sexually-transmitted diseases
and outlet shops seems so out of step with the current state of the
country.
Here, the four friends vaguely acknowledge that the economy is bad in a
vague, shadowy way, then consume with shocking abandon.
Of
course, perhaps another huge part of the problem is that the women have
really become insufferable in the two movies, constantly whining about their
perfect lives and feeling like they are put upon.
At
least, once upon a time, these four women had been funny. That is long
gone, too. Now they are dour and depressing.
The
series used to be somewhat insightful and clever about modern mating
rituals. This is long gone, too, with two of the women – Charlotte (Kristin
Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) more interested in their problems with
children and their jobs than sex. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is too busy
looking for cracks in her rock-solid marriage to worry about it too.
In
fact, all four of them are involved with men who are astonishingly tolerant
of these women’s constant foul moods and neediness.
The
film also makes a huge mistake by taking the women outside of their comfort
zone of New York. (After all,
“The
City”
is so important to this franchise as to be a part of the title!) Instead they have taken the girls on an all-expense paid
vacation in an obscenely decadent Middle Eastern resort. Literally, there
was a period of about fifteen minutes or so that nothing happened other than
showing off the opulence of the place.
Of
course, the women are staggeringly insensitive to local customs. And why
not? They are staggeringly insensitive to everyone, each other included.
It is to be expected.
A
sing along of “I Am Woman” is not going to overcome sexism in Muslim
countries. And, frankly, if you actually listen to the lyrics of the song,
you realize that these pampered fashion victims are hardly symbolic of the
“girl power” of Helen Reddy’s song.
The
characters can’t even tell a joke anymore. Instead, the script is an
endless string of banalities and groan-worthy puns, probably the worst of
which has Samantha seeing a sexy man walking across a desert and purring,
“Lawrence of my labia.”
Yucccck! I need a shower.
The
movie, like the last one, is an insanely long two-and-a-half hours. Between
the two films there is the equivalent of ten episodes of
the series – nearly an entire
season of the show.
Worst. Season. Ever. By far.
Goodbye Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. It was nice knowing you
once upon a time. Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on your way out of
my life. And, by the way, this time around, it wasn’t me. It really was
you.
Jay S. Jacobs
Copyright ©2010 PopEntertainment.com.
All rights reserved. Posted: May 30, 2010.
