Did I just describe Shrek 4 or the plot of Sex and the City 2?
For our purposes, let's claim the later. SATC2 opened last night at midnight to 20% more fanfare than the original. The heels were in full force to see the latest exploits of Carrie and company, now entering their late 40s/early 50s. After a few cocktails myself, I was ready to be transported to the middle east (the new Manhattan) where the famous four are on vacay from the realities of their lives, livelihoods (and bank accounts...oh wait...what are those?).
A few offensive scenes later, I realized I too was wandering the desert. Scorching hot outfits aside, this series was suffering a serious drought. The television show which schooled me in cosmopolitan etiquette (From how to hail a cab to how not to break up with someone: via post-it) is now a showcase for what NOT to do (how to act in a foreign country, how to act with an ex). Several major GLAMOUR don'ts. Not to mention a plot which meanders and just demands an audible "REALLY?!"
That being said, I did not have the indignant reactions of the cinema criti-ratti...mostly males of a certain age who are more apt to give a positive review of the latest Michael Bay/Jerry Bruckheimer explosion than something that trades green screens for emerald dresses. That seems unfair. Excess and stupidity comes in more than one gender. Let us too have our carb-less bread and circuses. These women are our friends. To hear them being denigrated by these men infuriates me. They don't have permission to diss my sisters.
As goofy as their circumstances in this fanciful world might be, the ladies have some charming moments as well. Miranda and Charlotte discussing the realities of modern motherhood was one of the most poignant and honest scenes on the subject I've seen in film or television. You feel the chemistry between these cast members (all of them). They would do anything for one another. This self-less quality is not found in Gossip Girl, Mean Girls, any of the catty depictions of women we are inundated with. There is something about this series that rouses gangs of gal pals to celebrate being independent women.
If you can't bring yourself to see this film, whether it be your cardinal rule (nothing lower than 40% on Rotten Tomatoes) or your value of your time (2.5 hours!)...check out Caramel, a 2009 Lebanese export I caught at the Lebanese Film Festival at the Walter Reade. Features a gaggle of women in and around a beauty shop, exposing cultural mores, and experiencing love and fashion, both as transient as the other.
Polish off your gal pal outing with a treat from Green Symphony in Times Square -- where everyone knows your name and your gluten-intolerance. The Anytime bars are delicious.
A few offensive scenes later, I realized I too was wandering the desert. Scorching hot outfits aside, this series was suffering a serious drought. The television show which schooled me in cosmopolitan etiquette (From how to hail a cab to how not to break up with someone: via post-it) is now a showcase for what NOT to do (how to act in a foreign country, how to act with an ex). Several major GLAMOUR don'ts. Not to mention a plot which meanders and just demands an audible "REALLY?!"
That being said, I did not have the indignant reactions of the cinema criti-ratti...mostly males of a certain age who are more apt to give a positive review of the latest Michael Bay/Jerry Bruckheimer explosion than something that trades green screens for emerald dresses. That seems unfair. Excess and stupidity comes in more than one gender. Let us too have our carb-less bread and circuses. These women are our friends. To hear them being denigrated by these men infuriates me. They don't have permission to diss my sisters.
As goofy as their circumstances in this fanciful world might be, the ladies have some charming moments as well. Miranda and Charlotte discussing the realities of modern motherhood was one of the most poignant and honest scenes on the subject I've seen in film or television. You feel the chemistry between these cast members (all of them). They would do anything for one another. This self-less quality is not found in Gossip Girl, Mean Girls, any of the catty depictions of women we are inundated with. There is something about this series that rouses gangs of gal pals to celebrate being independent women.
If you can't bring yourself to see this film, whether it be your cardinal rule (nothing lower than 40% on Rotten Tomatoes) or your value of your time (2.5 hours!)...check out Caramel, a 2009 Lebanese export I caught at the Lebanese Film Festival at the Walter Reade. Features a gaggle of women in and around a beauty shop, exposing cultural mores, and experiencing love and fashion, both as transient as the other.
Polish off your gal pal outing with a treat from Green Symphony in Times Square -- where everyone knows your name and your gluten-intolerance. The Anytime bars are delicious.
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