On its 10th Anniversary, Was “Sex and The City 2” (the Movie) Really That Bad?
It was May 27, 2010 when the eagerly anticipated “Sex and The City” movie sequel premiered to savage reviews.
Roger Ebert described the film as “pretty thin gruel,” while New York Magazine called it a “mildly-to-completely terrible movie.” The cultural insensitivity of the Middle East-set portions of the film did not help matters, with The New York Times noting, “the ugly smell of unexamined privilege hangs over this film like the smoke from cheap incense.”
“Sex and the City 2” still made buckets of money at the worldwide box office, but the sheer amount of hate — and a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 16% — doomed it to Razzie Award status.
So why would I give “Sex and the City 2” another chance? Because it’s been 10 years since we’ve had new SATC content, and I miss my girls. Though the 94 regular series episodes and a thoroughly satisfying first movie should be enough to scratch my “Sex and the City” itch, I wanted to revisit the second, reviled film and see if there weren’t any redeeming features.
I had to ignore the puns so broad my third grader could have written them — like “Abu Dhabi doo!” and, God help us, “Lawrence of my labia!” — and cling to a few juicy scenes offering real feeling or insight. (I did not include Liza Minnelli’s high camp performance of “Single Ladies”, though I was tempted.)
So here they are, the 5 most compelling parts of “Sex and the City 2.”
1. How the girls met
In the amusing opening sequence, we get origin stories complete with glimpses of what the ladies looked like when they first met. (Miranda’s mushroom haircut is the absolute best.)
The gist: Carrie moved to New York in 1986 with a perm to prove it. Through the rest of the 80s, she met Charlotte on the subway, Miranda at Bloomingdale’s (Carrie was working there!) and Samantha at the infamous downtown rock club CBGB’s. (RIP CBGB’s.) Energetically choreographed to an Alicia Keys mashup of the SATC theme and Blondie’s “Rapture,” this sequence is a pure fan service moment and I am here for it.
2. Carrie and Big hit a slump
Carrie spent 6 seasons and a movie chasing Mr. Big. Now that the unattainable has been attained, Carrie’s not quite so enamored, especially when he puts his shoes on the couch and watches TV in bed.
So, after Carrie spends the night writing in her old apartment, Big suggests they take time apart more regularly, say, two nights a week. As adults without children, he argues, they have the flexibility to make their marriage whatever they want to be. Carrie isn’t so sure.
Carrie: “Is this because I’m a bitch wife who nags you?”
Big: “I feel like I’m disappointing you all the time.” (Ouch.)
Most romantic comedies end with the big wedding scene. But this is new and fertile territory, after the honeymoon is over. I appreciate the reality check, especially as it creates new stakes in their relationship.
3. Samantha hits menopause
Samantha may be a woman of a certain age, but her cutting edge vitamin routine has “tricked my body into thinking it’s younger.” Unfortunately, her estrogen supplements are confiscated in Abu Dhabi, forcing her to experiment with yam facial masks and hummus breakfasts to ward of desert hot flashes.
Though played broadly for laughs and not much sympathy for our struggling Samantha, it is refreshing to hear any discussion of menopause in pop culture, especially as it pertains to a vibrant, sexually active woman who is anything but an old crone. (It’s going to happen to all of us, ladies, and sooner than we think!)
4. Carrie runs into her ex
If you’re the type of person who occasionally Google-stalks your exes to see if they’ve gotten bald, fat, divorced or rich, you have to appreciate the fantasy of Carrie running into Aidan in a spice souk halfway around the world and agreeing to dinner.
“I think you’re playing with fire,” Charlotte warns, as Carrie, bedecked in sequins and kohl eyeliner, meets up with Aidan at his hotel. It feels like a date — a feeling she misses from her stable but slightly boring married life.
“You look hot. I’m sorry but you do,” Aidan tells her, an ex-boyfriend wish fulfillment fantasy deluxe. But 15 seconds of passionate kissing floods Carrie with guilt and shame. She ill-advisedly calls Big at work to confess her sins, then spends the rest of the movie wondering if he’ll be there when she returns. (Spoiler alert: he is.)
5. Miranda and Charlotte talk honestly about motherhood
In my hands-down favorite “Sex and the City 2” scene, Miranda and Charlotte get real over drinks at their private hotel bar. At first, Charlotte, who finally has two daughters after years of infertility, is reluctant to say anything disparaging about the institution of motherhood:
Miranda: “Being a mother kicks your ass.”
Charlotte: “Yes, but the benefits make it worth it.”
Miranda: “Okay, we’re 6700 hundred miles away from everyone. You can say it to me, I’m a mother too.”
Finally, with cocktail courage, Charlotte is able to admit that her children sometimes drive her crazy, that she really needed a break, and that she has enjoyed “not having them around” while on vacation with her besties.
“I feel like I’m failing all the time,” she confesses. The writing here and Nixon and Davis’ raw, real performances are pitch perfect and I think any mom can relate. (Even my husband related.)
Both Miranda and Charlotte struggle as moms despite having childcare, and they toast the many women who don’t. In the hilarious kicker, Charlotte says that if her husband Harry were to cheat with the nanny, her worst fear would be losing the nanny.
For that scene alone, I am glad “Sex and The City 2” was made.
No, it did not live up to the giddy highs of the series, nor the cathartic cry-fest that was the first movie, but was it any more terrible than say, Miranda getting harassed by a guy in a sandwich costume? Or Samantha’s personal trainer shaving her pubes into a lightning bolt?
If you ask me, the worst thing about “Sex and The City 2” is that it wasn’t good enough to get us the third movie we all deserved. I still mourn.
