SEX AND THE CITY 2

When you think of Sex And The City you think – strong women, relationships (some brief, some not) and heaps of individuality. Not forgetting Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte who are polar opposites with their outlooks on life, love and men but peas in a pod on all matters sisterhood.

If you love the Sex And The City series, you won’t be disappointed with Carrie Bradshaw and the girls’ latest instalment.

Unlike the first film we’re far away from the bright lights of The Big Apple.  The setting for this is Abu Dhabi, which gives the almost formulaic and familiar setting a nice exotic twist.

The terrible twos is the general theme to the plot; Carrie is increasingly frustrated in her two year marriage to Big. Marital life certainly has its ups and downs, which Carrie is experiencing.  This new more run of the mill existence seeps into Carries writing, with her critics preferring the old Carrie. But are they the only ones who do?

Charlotte has a second baby, Rose who’s very much in the terrible twos and is driving her to the verge of a meltdown. Charlotte’s normal, polished and together demeanour is challenged by motherhood but also by her bra-loathing nanny.

Miranda hasn’t changed much and is still the career minded big time city lawyer but could she find a better work-life balance at another firm? Samantha’s still larger than life and shocking us with her outrageous behaviour. Samantha fans will not be disappointed – if you think you’ve seen it all, you really haven’t. In the last film Samantha had a battle with breast cancer to win but this time she has menopause to contend with. And of course another film means a new man and more shenanigans. Will a brush with law finally tame Samantha’s behaviour?

Why it works? Well we’ve been waiting for the reunion of the quartet like they’re our best friends. Every girl can identify with at least one of the girls and it’s good to see our more-glamorous others play out our lives and come off stronger and better than before. The new film’s closer aligned to the TV series, which we all love and we missed in the first film. The storyline and the characters are more believable and closer to what we remembered.

The film really sets the standard for things to come when Charlotte’s BGF (Best Gay Friend) and wedding planner, Anthony marries Carrie’s BGF in a theatrical, over-the-top ceremony with Liza Minnelli marrying the pair. Whilst the new film is more relatable to us than the last, it keeps us guessing, you never really know what’s going to happen next.

Hot cameos include Liza Minnelli, Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus and British comedian Omid Djalili. Another one to watch is older man eye candy Max Ryan, Samantha’s love interest, who ‘ll keep you hot under the collar.

Why it didn’t work? The girls are much older and settled now, apart from Samantha, so there isn’t as much sex as the title suggests, which doesn’t provide as much fantasy or escapism as we’d like. We don’t want to see that in years to come we may be too busy with screaming babies and slobbish husbands to have any intimacy. Whilst the setting is exotic, it’s unfamiliar ground and the girls are somewhat out of context.

My verdict? A must-see film. If you haven’t seen it you really must. It’s a big screen watch with your girl pals and then you’ll also buy it on DVD later. Fans of the foursome will not be disappointed and those who’ve been hibernating for the last decade who haven’t caught an episode of Sex And The City will be brought back to consciousness with a bump. Incredibly entertaining, the epitome of many girl’s friendships and much eye candy by way of fashion, gold and men. Not to be missed.

Susan Saunders