Film File - Sex And The City 2

"I arrived on this island at exactly 3:30 on Tuesday, June 11, 1986. It seems like only yesterday." Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is thinking back to where it all began before herself and her three gal pals set about putting sex into the city. Twelve years, six seasons and one successful feature film later, 'Sex And The City' has grown into an international phenomenon, with audiences around the world feeling so close to Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda that they practically consider them more like personal friends than fictional characters. Even in these hard-pressed times, a fair smattering of Irish fans made the journey to New York especially for the film's opening there last week. "When the first movie opened," recalls writer/producer/director Michael Patrick King, "I would see lines of women at the theatres all dressed up as if they were going to a party, not just a movie. I wanted this movie to be the party." Carrie Bradshaw, now Mrs John Preston, aka Big, is feeling a bit unsettled in her settled, married life, wondering "what happens after you say 'I do'. She has even gone so far as to express her feelings about the idea of marriage in her new book, 'I Do, Do I?' Over in Brooklyn, Miranda and Steve's marriage, having come through the turmoil of his one-time infidelity, is on firmer ground, while on Park Avenue, Charlotte and Harry are coping with the temper tantrums of their 'terrible twos' plus an Irish au pair of such statuesque proportions she's never had to wear a bra. Samantha, the smart hedonist who lives life on her own terms, is finding herself locking horns with the first symptoms of menopause and what it means for her liberated lifestyle. Not to be outdone by the ladies, Stanford (Willie Garson) and Anthony (Mario Cantone) - Carrie and Charlotte's best gay friends - get married in a black-tie gala complete with swans, an all-male chorus and none other than Liza Minnelli herself officiating. Samantha's former boyfriend, Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis), in New York for the premiere of his newest film, invites his former flame and her friends to the big event which includes fashion guru Tim Gunn and teen sensation Miley Cyrus. The opportunity for the foursome to decamp from Manhattan happens when Samantha meets Sheik Khalid (Art Malik) at the premiere. The sheik wants Samantha to do for his hotel in Abu Dhabi what she did for Smith's career - make all of America see it as a star - and invites her to visit, all expenses paid. Of course, Samantha makes bringing her girlfriends with her part of the deal. 'Sex And The City 2' also features some other new faces, including Noah Mills as Anthony's hot young brother, who catches more than Samantha's eye; Max Ryan as Rikard Spirt, a man the ladies encounter on the sands of the Sahara; and Raza Jaffrey as Garau, a butler at the desert hotel with whom Carrie makes a connection. So, beyond the basic plot, what's the film really like? Not great, sadly. Apart from a few chuckles - especially Liza Minelli's star turn as the wedding planner complete with a topping rendition of 'Single Ladies' - the film is a badly paced, uneven and, at times, a downright foolish attempt to mine the last few million from a franchise that would have better been left alone in its majesty. While the first 40 minutes do at least offer some stunning views of New York, when the gals head for the Middle East, things go seriously awry. While the Muslim country of Abu Dhabi is reasonably liberated compared to its massively conservative neighbours in the region, the film's woeful attempts at humourous jabs around its culture are excruciating in the extreme. And as for the fashions - well, if famed designer Patricia Field wanted to underline the fact that these gals are no longer as firm as they once were, she sure did a good job with a wardrobe that looks more thrift shop than the best that the world's fashion houses have to offer. And when the four sing a karaoke version of 'I Am Woman', well, one mostly yearns for Liza to return and show them how it's really done. So bad are the forced jokes and faux fashion, that even when Carrie runs into her old flame, Aiden (John Corbett), who is happily married with three small boys, the plot is already well past the point of no return. Like many a good franchise whose makers didn't know to quit while they were ahead, the 'Sex And The City' legacy is deeply tarnished now. If you want to experience it the way it was meant to be, buy the box set.