Weekly Review -- Cocktails turn sour

Sex and the City 2 (2010) -- After having enjoyed the summer melange of girl talk and fashion that was the first Sex and the City, I was looking forward to seeing what the sequel might hold in store. I decided to ignore the negative reviews, since I was going for the outrageous, sugary fun of it all, and nothing more. I was not wishing for, nor was I anticipating, a labyrinthine brain teaser. I was expecting and hoping for a light-hearted tale that harked back to the show and the first film, populated by some witty repartees and poignant moments between the four protagonists.

Let us put it this way: they were right.

The story examines our four protagonists' misadventures two years after the first film's events. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) have settled into their version of domestic bliss, one that leaves much to be desired. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is dealing with, rather than enjoying, her family with husband Harry (Evan Handler), while Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) decides to quit her job, after her boss' misogyny becomes too much to handle. Finally, Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is trying to battle age and ageism by juggling an assortment of medications and lovers. When the friends decide to accept an offer from Samantha's new client for an all-expense paid trip to Abu Dhabi, old flames appear and new friendships are made, every connection a side note to the friendship that started it all.

Where to begin with this unfortunate sequel? The best scene is the opening ceremony, simply because it is the only scene that offers genuine emotion without pretense. As the film progresses, though, the jokes get more and more revolting and the situations become more and more obnoxious, making the audience feel bad for the usually good actors, who try, try and try even harder as each minute passes. The screenplay makes caricatures out of all the characters, placing them in the midst of quasi-farce sex jokes that are better suited for juvenile fare. Even Nixon and Cattrall, undoubtedly the best actresses of the bunch, are unable to do much with the lame writing. Yes, it is fun and refreshing seeing Miranda cut loose for once, but why does the portrayal have to veer into over-the-top Zen territory? Why turn self-confident, sassy Samantha into a pathetic shadow of her former self, having her use her sexual power as a mere way to get men instead of dominating them, as was always the case? To be perfectly blunt, the filmmakers should have invested effort into crafting an honest continuation of the characters' lives, rather than attempt to figure out how to cash in on the second movie as soon as possible. The script makes for a very distasteful and hackneyed experience, and the acting never has a chance to reach a higher level, being that it is the writing that can make or break this franchise.

Sex and the City 2 presents a sad state of affairs in comparison to the effervescence of the first film, but especially in comparison to the groundbreaking feminism of the series. Its entire purpose is seemingly to drag its characters into a very particular sort of mud, that nethermost region of cinema where great stories go to die after they have been milked out of the last cent that they can bring to greedy studios. I shudder to think what awaits me with the second sequel. Ladies, tempting though it may be, giving those Manolos another go might not be such a good idea.

3/10