I loved SATC on HBO. Seriously, my parents got me into it and I was obsessed with the fashion and tales of Miranda, Carrie, Charlotte and Samantha.
Similar to the Simpsons, you can reference just about any dating moment back to an SATC episode and when the show went off the air, it was an event in our household.
And then HBO/Michael Patrick King made the series into movies. *crickets chirping*. I was critical of the first movie because I wasn’t a huge fan of the storyline (and how long it played out on screen) and the insane product, prominent product placement. I work in communications so I get why that is important but I don’t need to be beaten over the head with it. Seriously, I’m not dumb.
Now a second movie has been released and after some bad initial buzz on Twitter, I treated to a pre-noon matinee to see if it was as bad as I feared.
Movie: Sex and the City 2
Rating: R
Release date: May 27, 2010
Everyday Adventures’ grade: C
Summary: It’s two years after the end of the first movie and Carrie/Big (Sarah Jessica Parker/Chris Noth) are having martial growing pains (after two years? Jesus), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is having trouble at home with her girls, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon)….yeah nothing really new with her and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is dealing with menopause. Remember when this show used to be good?
My thoughts: It kills me to give this a C. I LOVED this show on HBO but I don’t like how this has manifested into film. First, it’s 2.5 hours, which is a LONG time to hear Samantha climax, Carrie whine, Charlotte screech and Miranda b*tch. Really, 22 minutes is much more tolerable. The thing with this as a movie is that all the wit, charm and zingers that happened in the show just comes off as campy. You can almost see SJP going to hit her mark and make a witty comment that makes you groan rather than giggle.
I’ve heard people say this movie doesn’t have “heart” or humor and I have to agree. Even the fashion isn’t as elegant and refined as it was on the show. I still love Patricia Fields, she’s brilliant with pairing clothing and mixing trends but it just falls flat or is so over the top you are blinded by the color and patterns.
I think the other reason I was disappointed with this is way the characters have translated to film. For example, Charlotte was always a Type-A prissy perfectionist on the show but she was never shrilly and annoying like she is in the film (the first one too). Rather than be happy that she’s finally a mom, I just want her to shut the h*ll up with her complaining and shreeking, which was prominent in the Abu Dhabi sequence.
That part also fell flat for me. It was like the Brady’s on vacation, sweeping shots of these women with couture trains behind them and possibly the most tragic outfit ever on Kim Cattrall during the camel scene. Those girls are best left in New York.
But, it was great to see Aiden again. Carrie broke my heart when she cheated on him. But even that wasn’t too rewarding for obvious reasons. Despite Aiden’s sight for sore eyes, Chris Noth still looks good and zings as Mr. Big. Yeah, there is something about him in a suit that makes me giggle.
Verdict: Wait for DVD or go to a cheapie matinee. Oh and I hope there isn’t a SATC 3. Invest in the DVDs and you’ll be so much happier than you feel walking out of that theater.
Did you see SATC? What did you think?
Update: I wanted to just clarify, I didn’t loathe or hate this movie. I was just…disappointed. I think the DVDs are better
I think I agree with you. It was fine, but nothing special. I liked the first one so much better. I felt they went to over the top with the fashion and Abu Dabi-ness of it all, and left the plot line and drama (which could have been so much better!) behind.
I liked it, not a lot, but enough. I thought it was light, cute and fun. Nothing crazy. But I was happy with the ending!
I saw this yesterday afternoon and was severely disappointed. I actually found myself bored and wondering when it would end. It seemed really commercial-y and something flashy or Charlotte shreiking to keep us paying attention. Agreed- I don’t love how they transferred to the big screen. I think I’ll still buy the dvd, but only because I have the big pink book and the first movie.
I agree, I was very torn because of course I wanted to adore it, but it just seemed like a fragment of what the show used to be. Too loud and flamboyent, and forced. I just wish that they would have stayed in NY!
We went to see it on opening night at that Roosevelt Icon theater in South Loop. It was a bit more expensive, but I got to have dirty martinis while watching the movie. Score. I may or may not have been delivered back to my condo by a good friend, who texted Hubs and said “I’m bringing your wife home, and she is DRUNK.” hahaha… at least I had a good time regardless!
I would agree with you – I was a huge fan of the HBO show and the movies just don’t seem to do the series justice.
Good review! I would actually go as far as to say I hated it. It has lost everything that made the TV show so wonderful. They used to be relatable, and now they are just one-dimensional, overprivileged and whiny. Plus I thought their portrayal of the UAE was pretty damn offensive.
Honestly I wish I had never seen it. It had some moments, definitely, but overall it felt like a caricature of what the show was, and the characters were just awful.
Also, can we talk about how painted everyone’s faces looked? It was just terrible.
Overall it felt like an empty shell of what SATC is, while the tried to cram as much excess in as possible.q
The movie wasn’t that bad. I just think when and if they film a SATC 3 it needs to be set in NYC. The Middle East holds no appeal to me. Setting the locale of this movie in a country known for its over the top affluence made it garish. In fact, I thought it very odd Michael Patrick King took our NY born and bred ladies to an area of the world we blame for the 9/11 attacks.
FYI, the movie wasn’t even filmed in Abu Dhabi. The producers were unable to convince the Arabs to grant permission to film a movie with sexual overtones. Production actually took place in Morocco.
It was so good to see Big and Carrie stay together for once. All that breaking up, getting back together, breaking up again, got very old. Kim Catrall was fabulous in this outing and in my opinion, stole the show. I would like to see her and that hot hunk Max Ryan in any future sequel.
Last but not least, if you like Chris Noth in a suit, catch him on TNT’s Law & Order re-runs. Oh man does he look good in those Brooks Brothers suits. In fact, when Noth left Law & Order in the mid-90′s, I stopped watching L&O altogether.
Ahhh, I completely disagree :( I loved it…I did a review on my blog as well