All weekend long I tried so hard to avoid reading any film reviews regarding SEX AND THE CITY 2. I already knew that the critics would be harsh toward the sequel but that didn’t take away the enthusiasm from me, myself and I – we are not only the loyal fans of SATC but we were / are / will always be fabulous just like the Fab 4 from SATC. Men don’t understand why women go gaga over SATC just like women can’t figure out why men become ecstatic over some alien robots that can transform into machinery. Let’s face it. Men love action flicks where buildings get blasted and cars can fly. Women are drawn to romance and Prince Charming who’s probably tall, dark and handsome with a six-pack. We can agree to disagree that we obviously are into very different genres. The good news is that both genders are doing their part to boost the box-office sales of the summer blockbusters!
I’ve been looking forward to June 1st for days now! Today is the day of media screening for SATC 2. I was all dressed up in labels, from Chanel to LV, from Robert Cavalli to Marc Jacob. The girlfriend who came with me brought one half bottle champagne and two glasses. Fabulous! Girls just wanna have fun and some bubbles!
SATC 2 begins with an all-white wedding with swans for a gay couple. The cameo appearance by Liza Minnelli is probably the most memorable highlight in this film. In order to maximize the most fun and ensure the best quality of your viewing experience my advice is to go with your girlfriends and gay boys. Don’t nag your boyfriend or your husband to go with you. Just because he’s willing to sit through 146 minutes of SATC 2 it doesn’t mean that he loves you. It just means that he’s got a stronger bladder than yours!
By now Carrie and Big have been married for almost two years. They decide not to have children because parenthood won’t fit into their lifestyle. And yet they fall into the daily routine just like most married couples – dinner (takeouts mostly) followed by getting cozy on the comfy couch, killing time by watching TV and eventually falling asleep in each other’s arms. Charlotte is the prude of the Fab 4 and believes that women are born to be wives and mothers. She’s married with two daughters and a loving and devoted husband plus a full-time nanny. But she is about to lose her cool and feels like a total failure in parenting. Miranda is married with a son who’s old enough to participate in school’s science fair. She finds it difficult to balance between work and family and has a tough time getting along with the senior partner in the firm. Last but not least, Samantha, the only gal who remains single, is terrified of aging at the age of 52 and will give whatever it takes to fight against menopause.
I know what you must be thinking︰”I’ve heard it all before once too many. Tell me something I don’t know!” Yes you’re right! Their problems are so common that they aren’t even worth mentioning. Yes the Fab 4 have come down from their pedestals and get a taste of the reality that bites and the truth that hurts but not for long. Before you know it, they’re on their way to an all expenses-paid dream vacation in Abu Dhabi where Samantha gets arrested, Carrie bumps into Aiden – the one who got away, Charlotte and Miranda come clean about their feelings as mothers while sipping cocktails, and the Fab 4 performs I AM WOMAN on stage.
The title SEX AND THE CITY doesn’t live up to its reputation. There’s a very little sex on screen except for Samantha who sleeps with the best man after the wedding in the beginning of the film and has sex with the exotic Danish guy on the hood of a jeep with 4th of July fireworks displayed in the background. I can’t help but wonder if there’s a hidden message in this sexless SATC sequel. Truth be told, married couples have very minimal sex because they’re consumed by work, children, house chores and TV. With the sex being gone with marriage the city is now in the Middle East. There’s something not right with that. Perhaps I’m a city girl and I’m always more at ease when I’m in the city.
Nonetheless do not feel discouraged to go see SATC 2. Round up your best girlfriends, put on your Jimmy Choo, ignore what the critics have to say about SATC 2 and sneak in a bottle of champagne into the theater if you dare. Because somehow you’ll identify with the Fab 4 in more ways than one and see yourself and your friends in the characters portrayed.
SATC first premiered on HBO in 1998. I was young, 25 and at the peak of my life. While most fantasized about the lifestyle in SATC I was living it. I possessed all the Carrie qualities: free spirit, obsession in fashion and shoes, domestically challenged, and adventurous. I also had my heart broken once, still believed in fairy-tale like romance and never took life too seriously.
As the show progressed I lived and learned and the most encouraging lesson was that you can be single and fabulous at the same time! Some say that Carrie is dressed up all the time and seems to be out of place most of the time. Well I’m just as bad. I figure, what’s so wrong about looking my best when I’m in the mood? So what I’m not dressed to impress anyone or to catch the attention of the opposite sex? Personal style is a way of self expression. Judging from the way I’m dressed you know I’m feeling good about myself.
Six seasons and two full-length feature films later we as the SATC loyal fans also grow up and age like the Fab 4. We’ve become very complex and resonate with the characters. Some days I’m like Charlotte, perky and optimistic; some days I’m like Miranda, jaded and cynical; some days I’m like Samantha, proud and confident. I see myself in all of them. And this is why women around the world love SATC. It is a fantasy mixed with bits of reality. But as the story goes, there is very little room left for glamour because 3 out of the Fab 4 are married. With Samantha being the ultimate single lady perhaps the next SATC film should be only about her character because she clearly stands for why SATC became popular at the first place: a powerful businesswoman who won’t take no for an answer, is sexually adventurous, lives for luxury, and is loyal to her friends. She might dress young for her age but she’s a confident proud cougar and always the center of the attention wherever she goes!
