With all the hype surrounding Sex And The City 2, you'd have to be living in Antarctica if you didn't know it's opening tomorrow. Last night, we got a chance to peep it in advance with HP's screening at the Paris Theater (with a themed after-party at BG), so we thought we'd give you our two cents. We didn't expect the movie to be groundbreaking (which it wasn't), nor did we have high hopes for the plot (it's somewhat non-existent). Carrie and Big still don't want a baby (watch to see if she gets preggers), Miranda has some work issues (as always), Samantha is still a sexual predator (though it's becoming a bit of a stretch), and Charlotte oscillates between whiny and cute (with some expected motherhood issues). Though it stretched an epic two- and-a-half hours, it was much funnier than the original, with some grade-A zingers that provided comic relief from the crazy amount of fashion (SJP had around 50 outfit changes). Not to say we didn't love it—there's some out-of-this-world Balmain, rockin' outfits from The Blondes, and acres of Louboutins.
So really, it's a confection, nothing more, nothing less. The girls go to a wedding, shop at Bergdorfs, and take a trip to Abu Dhabi. The acting is a little wooden and there's not alot shockers or gasp-worthy moments, but there is so much in-your-face opulence it's hard not to feel just a lil' queasy. There's some awesome scenes though—think Liza Minnelli performing "Single Ladies", slow-mo video montages of Charlotte's bra-less, Irish nanny, and Big flirting with Penelope Cruz. The real show stealer however was Samantha: Her over-the-top sex scenes made us squirm (two hard-core poundings complete with ass shots), but the dudes, Noah Mills and Max Ryan, made it all worth it. Her comedic timing was spot-on: There's one scene in a souk involving some super-conservative Muslims that had the audience howling, and another spot-on bit dealing with her anti-aging hormones.
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Where the movie got a little tricky was in it's exploration of misogyny in Muslim cultures. It's equal parts light-hearted and serious, with some latent racism thrown in—all of which seems inappropriate fare for what's virtually a puff piece. We're not sure about a sequel either. At this point, it would have to be all city, no sex.
Above, All, Bergdorf Goodman's SATC2 themed window displays.