Sex and the City 2: Is the buzz as dead as the Cosmopolitan?

[Jubak]

Saw the first movie because I liked most of the HBO series. Really disliked the movie....writers, cast totally sold out for quick bucks, IMO, and they made them. This looks worse. Going, for many, is probably a "ritual" for some friends to get together and try to relive old times.

Boy, I am with you all the way. I love the series, hated the movie, will probably rent this one but only out of habit. The ladies are getting waaaay too old for this nonsense. With Catrall in her 50's, albeit looking great, she is truly the same age as Blanche in Golden Girls. It's the ritual that keep people like us coming back for more.......

[jenny12]

Really?

Transformers 2 last year was pretty much maligned. One could say the reviews were just as harsh.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tran...of_the_fallen/

A more recent movie, Legion, also got pretty crummy reviews/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1216680-legion/

I also don't see any evidence that there was a true disparity between male tv critics and female ones regarding the television show.

Anyway, many of the critics being severe with this film are female, and I don't see anything that can refute that.

Yeah, I don't think it's true that male critics don't like Sex and the City because they don't like female-oriented films. Now, I've always had problems with the blatant sexism of the Apatow movies that get a lot of praise (always the same schlubby guy with a woman way out of his league), but those movies usually have an OK script. I think they are treating Sex and the City the same way they treat crappy summer Blockbusters. Transformers 2 got 20% on RottenTomatoes.com while the third Mummy movie got 13%. That's about the same as the Sex and the City score.

[michiruwater]

Clash of the Titans got around 20% too, didn't it? Something really low. Prince of Persia got like 30%. SATC2 was just promoted the most heavily, which is saying something because all of those were promoted pretty extensively.

[Cyn]

(BTW I sat behind Cynthia Nixon at a play in NYC and she is very low-key and normal. So I don't hate all of the actresses anyway )

Back in 1997 and early 1998, when the Hollywood Hype Machine did its thing to generate interest for the show, Cynthia Nixon was the only actress of the four I was interested in seeing. She first caught my interest a couple of movies in the '80's, both of which were small roles, but there was something about her I found intriguing.

The first was the 1980 movie Litle Darlings (I'm not sure if anyone remembers it, but it was a total POS "teen" movie starring Tatum O'Neal, Kristy MacNichol, Armand Assante, and Matt Dillon, set at a girls' sleep-away camp, with the plot centered around a bet between two campers about who would be the first to lose her virginity). Nixon's character was a girl named Sunshine, a naive, sweet, peace-loving girl born during the Summer of Love to parents who never grew out of their Hippie/Commune lifestyle. Out of all the supporting cast, she stood out, primarily due to the fact that she was the only one who could actually act

The other movie Cynthia Nixon was in that further piqued my interest in her was her very small (but excellently acted) role in Amadeus as Laurel, the maidservant "anonymously" hired by Salieri not to clean his residence, but to spy on Mozart.

Needless to say, when I watched suffered through the first several episodes of SATC's first season on HBO, I was horribly disappointed, not so much by Nixon's acting, but the crappy character she portrayed. I tried, goddess above knows I tried, to like the series, but it just couldn't happen. My Cynthia Nixon fandom was sadly trumped by the craptastic characters and acting of SJP, Kim Cattral, and Kristin Davis, and I gave up on trying to find something to like about it and started watching L&O: Original Recipe and SVU on A&E (and then TNT), since I'd never watched it on NBC. The benefit there was that I was able to watch Chris Noth without having to endure SJP's simpering and whining (apparently Carrie Bradshaw thought of as flirtatious and coy).

[OT]Revisitng the Little Darlings subject for a moment, my Grandmama had a small role in it, so our family couldn't wait to see it. My mother about damn near had a stroke when she took my 13 year-old self to see it, only to discover it was loaded with stuff of nightmares for parents of young teenage girls back then. When it came to Little Darlings, you name it, this movie had it - teen sex, slutty behavior, drugs, lying and sneakiness, horny teenage boys, a horny teenage girl - the ringleader of the bet, total potty mouths, glorifying and trivializing cherry-popping, to say nothing of shitty portrayal of the tired "rich, 'good' girl vs. the 'trashy' girl from the 'wrong side of the tracks'" cliché as well as the other tired cliché of the opposite being the case (both of which John Hughes did an outstanding job of portraying in Pretty In Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful).

My mother and my Grandmama got into a fabulous argument after we saw it - Mom was horrified that her mother participated in such a "vulgar 'white trash' movie sure to corrupt young girls across America" and my Grandmama basically told Mom she could take her "uptight 50's sexual morality hang-ups" and stick it where the sun doesn't shine . My Grandmama was by no means slutty (or "loose," as her generation called it), but after my GrandDaddy died, my Grandmama refused to retire to knitting and baking cookies and instead chose to live the rest of her life to the fullest, which included not only taking up acting, but learning how to ballroom dance, creating her own version of Fashion Design, dating (and meeting a wonderful man she was with for over 15 years before she died from cancer), and my favorite thing she did - learning to ride Motorcycles in her 60s....[/OT]

*********

To both of the following comments, all I can say is THANK YOU!

(to me it represented and perpetuated the worst kind of American materialistic, shallow culture that tried to make itself deeper or more thoughtful than it truly was)

In addition to your comment, I would have to add that the show didn't just perpetuate it, SATC (along with the TV series Friends), glamorized both groups' behavior, character traits, and their activities - or inactivities . Activities such as those IMO are perfectly fine in moderation, but when they become (or are displayed on TV and movies as) the primary or dominant way of spending free time, please explain to me how that is a positive stereotype? As you so aptly pointed out, it *is* shallow and matierialistc (and I would tack on vain as well)0

There is more I want to add to this, but unfortunately I don't have time right now.

I hate that somehow the SATC women have become emblematic of how women "really are" (gag me), and that somehow women's lives are now incomplete if they don't go out with their girlfriends and drink cosmopolitans, eat cupcakes, and wear ridiculous shoes. And this may be a revelation to the "creative" people who put the show together, and who think they are SO courageous and groundbreaking, but women talked honestly with their friends about sex LONG before Sarah Jessica Parker let out her first bug-eyed squeak.

Seeing as how I accepted your proposal and we're now engaged , it's my turn to ask you if I can bear your children?

As stated above, I don't have time right now to reply to our post in detail, but there's plenty I would like to say about the points you brought up, so I'll have to do that later on tonight.

FTR, I'm heading out to down a few Cosmos before heading off to the hoity-toity section of town to binge on a few pairs of Manolo Blahniks, then meeting up my girlfriends at the hottest new spot in town for an overpriced dinner the size of a tofu cube while we bitch about why we can't get dates with any decent people.

Or not - Cosmopolitans IMO are disgusting , and at the risk of becoming a member of PL's Banana of Doom List, Manolo Blahniks are insanely overpriced, and I'd rather have dinner at Waffle House for 8 bucks than dine at most of the new, chic restaurants downtown.

More later.

[genevieve]

...
The first was the 1980 movie Litle Darlings (I'm not sure if anyone remembers it, but it was a total POS "teen" movie starring Tatum O'Neal, Kristy MacNichol, Armand Assante, and Matt Dillon, set at a girls' sleep-away camp, with the plot centered around a bet between two campers about who would be the first to lose her virginity).

Sacrilege! Little Darlings is an '80s classic!

[soxxy]

Cynthia Nixon is also an accomplished theater actress. A few years ago she son a Tony Award for Rabbit Hole (I think Nicole Kidman has been offered the part for the movie). In the mid 80's, she appeared in Hurlyburly and The Real Thing, both hits on Broadway, at the same time, running from theatre to theatre. She's also appeared on Broadway in Angels in America and The Heidi Chronicles.

[manleywoman]

Loved her in Amadeus.

[skatesindreams]

Cynthia Nixon's "tour de force" performance on "Law and Order: SVU" (from 2007) was repeated last week.
She is a wonderful actress!

[kylet3]

For someone such as myself who is a HUGE SATC fan... I must say I have mixed feelings regarding this movie. The first movie actually had some storylines and plot, there was an actual purpose, it was a continuation on from the series which obviously I have all the episdoes on DVD. The first movie was fantastic. The second movie to me just really didn't serve any purpose whatsoever. There was no story, no connection, it was all like so what? While there were some great zingers and one liners and it was also great to see Samantha return to herself in this movie but again, it was four women who took a trip together because they were having what they thought were their own problems which women face every single day and it to me is like so what? That being said I will think there will be a third and FINAL installment made providing this is a box office hit and seeing as how it's taken in $75 million worldwide if Michael Patrick King can actually get a half-decent script together might make me want to go see it again.

[Stefanie]

I actually felt a little sympathetic towards Big in this movie because maybe he just felt like staying home. I know Carrie's reasoning was that because they don't have children they are still free to go out, but maybe Big had grown tired of that high-paced NY lifestyle and she has to go make a big deal out of it because she didn't get her way at first. I'm not saying the fun has to end in your 40s, but still.

[manhn]

Big is the biggest ass that ever assed. Just like with the Tom Brady scandal, I am all about Team Bridget. So, I will side with Carrie just because.

But I haven't liked Carrie since she made a stink about removing her shoes at a friend's condo. My favourite is probably Charlotte.

[IceKween]

The first was the 1980 movie Litle Darlings (I'm not sure if anyone remembers it, but it was a total POS "teen" movie starring Tatum O'Neal, Kristy MacNichol, Armand Assante, and Matt Dillon, set at a girls' sleep-away camp, with the plot centered around a bet between two campers about who would be the first to lose her virginity). Nixon's character was a girl named Sunshine, a naive, sweet, peace-loving girl born during the Summer of Love to parents who never grew out of their Hippie/Commune lifestyle. Out of all the supporting cast, she stood out, primarily due to the fact that she was the only one who could actually act .

Little Darlings was one of if not the first R rated movie I saw as a kid. My parents had NO clue, just thought it was a camp movie (that's how I described it to them when they dropped me off). I respectfully disagree that Nixon was the only one who could act. Kristy McNichol was wonderful, and I even liked Tatum's acting, even though she was falling out of vogue by that point. Sunshine did nothing but offer niacin and other vitamins, not really impressed by her. But it was nice to see her maintain a career in acting. Nixon in Amadeus was okay. She was such a mouse, it was hard to know if she was acting or just being herself.
What role did your grandmom play? Or was she crew?

I know people love to rag on Tatum O'Neal, but she is a real talent. My personal experience with her was somewhat sad, it was back in the late 90s when she was in her heroin addiction. Even totally messed up, she still had a spark, a charisma, and you just rooted for her to pull herself together. Glad to see she's pretty much done that. And I always pull out Paper Moon when I want a laugh, whether Tatum or Madeline Kahn.

As for SATC2, I saw it this wkd. I hate Carrie, really always have, but I wanted to walk out of the theatre. I loved the years of SATC dinners with my friends every Sunday night but this is a joke. If you havent seen it, DON'T. Wait til it comes on TBS. It is an abortion.

[jenny12]

I actually felt a little sympathetic towards Big in this movie because maybe he just felt like staying home. I know Carrie's reasoning was that because they don't have children they are still free to go out, but maybe Big had grown tired of that high-paced NY lifestyle and she has to go make a big deal out of it because she didn't get her way at first. I'm not saying the fun has to end in your 40s, but still.

I've read reviews that say the same thing, that the writers made Carrie even more self-absorbed than usual in this movie. A friend of mine who saw it said she hated that the movie made her feel bad for a Wall Street executive. Oh no, he doesn't want to take you out seven days a week, what an a-hole!

[essence_of_soy]

I always thought Carrie was a princess with a daddy fixation. But in the series, she had the ability to self - reflect and laugh at her self. Even when she made mistakes, she was still an interesting character.

There's a great movie from the late 90's with Dana Delaney, Cynthia Stephenson and yes, Kim Catrall, which is almost like a precursor to SATC. Don't be put off by the tongue in cheek title. It is a lot of fun.

It's called Live Nude Girls.

[Jackie Sparrow]

I loved it The stories are crazy and unrealistic but the girls are still the same, facing the problems of modern women
Maybe I'm shallow but I don't care

ETA: I, for one, loved how she handled the situation at the beginning with Big.

[Jackie Sparrow]

F who were forced to wear chadors in public, but who wore fine, designer clothes underneath then,

It's true.

[allezfred]

But I haven't liked Carrie since she made a stink about removing her shoes at a friend's condo.

She didn't make a stink about removing them. She took them off and then later they were stolen. And the friend refused to pay for them. That's when she kicked up a stink. I would too if my expensive shoes were stolen from someone's house through no fault of my own. And I'd call the friend a cheap biatch.

[kwanfan1818]

But I haven't liked Carrie since she made a stink about removing her shoes at a friend's condo. .

It took you that long?

What I never understood is that according to one early episode in which he brought Mom (Marian Seldes) to Big Episcopalian Church every Sunday, Big was supposed to have come from a wealthy, snooty family. His character wasn't acted that way, though, although his suit that day was great.

She didn't make a stink about removing them.

Our little eye-roller was not happy about taking them off when she arrived.

[allezfred]

Our little eye-roller was not happy about taking them off when she arrived.

Not that I want to get into defending a fictional character who I don't particularly like , but there are a million more obnoxious things that Carrie did in the course of the Sex and the City series. It just seems an odd one to pick out as she seemed more thrown off by the request than being unhappy.

[Beefcake]

HORRIBLE! Worst movie I've seen in a long while. Worse, my fellow audience members weren't at all fabulous enough to make up the difference.

Loved:
Liza Minelli's appearance and All the Single Ladies performance.

Liked:
The supporting storyline of Carrie's AB butler. Sweet (and handsome) young man with a pretty common situation ... living away from his loved ones while working for a billionnaire business in the ME. But yet Carrie still

Spoiler

kisses Aiden

after hearing the butler's story of dedication to his spouse despite the distance between them. Good grief.

Fun Miranda. Also, Miranda and Charlotte discussing motherhood, and how it's okay to not be 100% in love with the situation at all times. And a shout-out to all the mothers "who don't have help". Kind've nice to recognize that only a tiny % of families have assistance, and that Miranda and Charlotte are in an even tinier % ... those who have live-in help.

Grumble:
Anthony and Stanford together = would never happen. Not an awful affront, but aw geez I wanted it to be Stanford and Marcus getting married.

The 2.5 hours running time was at least a 1/2 too long ... could've cut that easily by reining in the UAE Chamber of Commerce/Tourism scenes.

Shockingly unflattering presentation of the ladies. OMG, each of them (save Kim Cattrall) looked horrible in at least a couple of scenes. Yikes, c'mon make-up and cinema folks, when your actors are of a certain age, you've to try harder than this!

Aiden. First that he was there at that spice market, at that time and space. Second, that Carrie and he would "go there" yet again. Ugh. Just ugh.

Hated:

Setting this in the UAE, and somehow offending both Muslim/Arab customs "and" those who protest the autocracies who make/keep alive some of the stricter customs.

1) To excess, the girls ooh and aah over the opulence and indulgence of the riches paid for/enjoyed by the rulers/richest of the rich of the UAE populace ... e.g. the girls' hotel/servants/one-townecar-per-person and such. But they also 2) serve many cheap jokes about the strict customs and laws set by said rich/powerful persons on the UAE ... i.e those who own all those riches the girls are enjoying so much. The script tries to prop up these dings as rich commentary on social themes, but the sloppiness and cheapness of the jokes brought it down to just plain offensive. Ugly Hollywoodism.

Worse among these failed and offensive jokes were almost anything said or done by Samantha. One cringeworthy quip followed by another. I was not only embarrassed for Kim Cattrall and the cast & crew, but for myself. She's 52, and still making sophomoric jokes about her labia and what-not? Give it a rest, grandma!

Somehow, in the SATC series Sam was almost always an amusing and harmless aside. Guilty pleasure. Of course, that was in NYC (location location location) and we got her in 1/2 doses. Nothing in the series, however, came as close to all-out offensive as the final scene in UAE, where a half-naked Sam is

Spoiler

simulating sex and swearing in the middle of the street, an overload of condoms spilled from her purse (who the hell has ~20 condoms in their purse, for chrissakes!) ... right as prayer time has begun.

Just awful.

All that said, my bf loved every Samantha line and scene. Maybe I take it too seriously? Sigh. Anyway, I'm hoping for a SATC3 to wash away the stench of this misstep away, and hopefully end the franchise!