The queen of all chick flicks has to be Sex and the City (SATC), a hit New York-centric TV series now adapted into film. It continues to allure viewers with themes revolving around tight, ever-lasting sorority relationships, trendsetting style, sex (of course), and how we relate- and get hilariously entertained- by the quirky characters themselves especially main protagonist, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) with her analytical perceptions of men. It all fueled a phenomenon where loyal SATC fans rally their girly (or gay) friends together for a night out, making the viewing an event. So I did just that when the second sequel arrived in Hong Kong this month. I gathered my troop of ladies and we went out to watch the much-hyped film.
Having already read scorching negative reviews widespread amongst the press worldwide, I had dimmed my expectations. But after watching the film, I wasn’t too disappointed. There were moments when I genuinely liked the film and think it’s better than its predecessor. If anything, it reaffirmed why I loved the series: the focus is always on solid friendships and the many lessons in love.
But once the fluff and romanticism simmered down, I let my inner critique flag fly. First, the style of the ladies: What was stylist Patricia Fields thinking? The characters’ chic attire become integral to SATC’s success but this time the fashion failed outrageously, often ghastly and clashing with the film’s backdrop that is now Abu Dhabi (really Morocco). From the over-blinged Atlanta casino swimsuit Samantha (Kim Catrall) wore; Miranda’s (Cynthia Nixon) unflattering Hermes dress, to a ridiculous Dior t-shirt combo with a puffy purple silk dress and Chanel shades Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) adorned, never would you think such attire would be appropriate to wear at a souk. The parade of incredibly age inappropriate clothes worn by the quartet made me cringe.
The nagging question also became: why is this film set in Abu Dhabi all of a sudden? The Sex in the “City” was always based in Manhattan, centred around four New York ladies, which makes the Big Apple the very backbone of this vehicle. Acting in the latest sequel was also poor, especially the inability of so-called local characters with accents clumsily darting from Algerian to American and even Indian but nothing close to Arabic. This is just a mild example of countless cultural insensitivities in the film that will distract you. The essence of SATC has greatly shifted from the original show back in the 1990s, which was focused on relationship lessons the main characters learned from diving into the dynamic Manhattan dating scene, often portrayed in comedic style.
Today, the film has become an over-bloated production, and has visibly aged (the actresses too have new found wrinkles) now dealing with more martial and menopause issues. Sadly, I found the latest direction harder for me to relate to.
Despite these distractions, moments of girl power still radiated through the film as well as the endearing ethos of solid friendships and typically girly dramas. I much prefer these qualities, themes at the heart of the original series, moments that left me a happy trooper as I walked out of the cinema.
