Review: 'Sex and the City 2'

For the hardcore fans, the night Sex and the City 2 comes out is no joking matter. You know how Harry Potter fans come to the theater decked out in capes and wizard costumes? Similarly, SATC fans dress up too: they get all made up, pick out a killer outfit (high heels are a given) and for accessories: bring all of their best girlfriends along for the ride. In the much anticipated sequel, we get a gay wedding, great cameos from Liza Minnelli, Miley Cyrus and Penelope Cruz, a trip to Abu Dhabi, and of course, clothes that are to die for. Costume designer Patricia Field didn't disappoint: the outfits in the film are so lavish that the film works, if on no other level, then as a very long, over-the-top fashion show.

I do, unfortunately, have one not so little complaint: the movie just wasn't very good. A longtime fan of the TV series, i've come to know Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda very well. The sequel, even more so than the 1st Sex and the City movie, continued to neglect the other three girls, and focus only on Carrie. To make matters worse, Carrie is as self-absorbed and bitchy as ever. This would be only a minor complaint...if only the movie weren't a bloated 2 and 1/2 hours long.

Here's the thing: we've gotten to that point in the story where things are very different than they were in season 1 of the show. This is no longer the story of four single middle-aged girls. Three are married, two of which have kids. Sex and the City 2 was an excuse to push the story further, and give us more time with the gals. But in those 2 and 1/2 hours, unlike the first film, nothing...seriously nothing, happened. Thankfully there were those moments where we got a taste of that SATC humor we all know and cherish. And we even got a very touching scene between Miranda and Charlotte to remind us why we love these women's friendship so much. But more often than not, it felt like the film was just making a fool of our four characters. Charlotte spends the majority of the film on her cell phone, paranoid that her husband's cheating on her; Samantha spends more time talking about menopause than sex (but don't worry...you will get your dose of crude Samantha humor and it pays off); Carrie spends the entire time worrying about her marriage with Big, and Miranda kind of just sits there and spouts out facts about the Middle East. However, the setting of Abu Dhabi (which was actually filmed in Morocco) was a treat, and some of the great humor of the movie played off the culturally differences when it comes to women and sex in the Middle East vs the U.S. We even get reunited with the beloved character of Aidan...even if he only has about 5 minutes of screen time.

All in all, fans will still be entertained, and will most likely enjoy the experience of being in the Middle East with their fav girls. But even so, in the words of Carrie Bradshaw: 'I couldn't help but wonder'...was the sequel really all that necessary?

Rating: C