Sparkling in the City

There are movies, and there are MOVIES.

After 2 years, the much awaited sequel, Sex and the City 2 is actually a respite from all the melodramatic or fantasy-themed movies that has come out for the summer. In spite of the very thin plot where the 4 girls - Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda - gather on screen of another reunion on the celebration of friendship and life, the 2 hr and 25 minutes movie does not in any way disappoint.

Alright, so the plot was thin. Two years after Big and Carrie marry, it was time to review the lives of the 4 girls. Behind all the glitz and glamor of fashion and extravagance, is the shallow plot of happiness and the road couples take in search of it. It may not have been as heady as the first installment of the movie, but it got the message through.

Where is the sparkle now? While the central character of Carrie has been the prime mover of every Sex and the City story, this second installment of the franchise movie has graduated to integrate the lives of the four women in the most hilarious and believe it or not, fun way. Way too cool, way too funny and way too sexy.

It's an adult comedy film that literally was a feel good movie. The first few minutes of the film rewinded to the exact paths where and how Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte became the best of friends in New York City. It then fast forwarded to their lives today, where their lives have literally changed from searching for opportunities and breaks to finding themselves in their own comfort zones.

But Samantha's role as a 52 year old menopausal "bitch" in heat was the central humor and tacky delight to the movie when the girls get invited by Samantha, who got invited by a rich sheik, on an all paid first class vacation to Abu Dhabi. From the first class service on the airline, to individual private limousines and butlers, to a $22,800 a night suite in a resort oasis in the middle of the desert, the jaw-dropping, eye-popping, grand and glamor life of the rich and famous was a sight to behold and envy.

Wishful thinking is all I could dream of while watching the movie!

But the ironic twists because of hormones gone wild or of love once lost and found again or of two friends confessing to each other their problems over alcohol drinks that served as an awakening of guilt lost and guilt found became a most entertaining feature of the film. It would have been fun though if the girls had all missed the flight and eventually been downgraded to coach class on their 12 hour flight back home from Abu Dhabi to New York City. That would have been a blast, but I'm sure it would have eaten up another 20 minutes of the raucus in-flight and douse water on the glamorous lives of these 4 women.

The downside of the film is that I thought that Sarah Jessica Parker looked awfully thin and cachectic for a woman in her 50s and that her acting was very much "trying hard". She was playing the role too cute and trying too hard to look and feel like she's 15 when she actually is "over the hill". I probably expected more from this multi-awarded actress and it looked a bit odd that she was all giggly throughout the film. Aside from that, the acting was generally good to great, especially with Kim Cattrall (Samantha) who was delightfully hilarious, bitchy, and horny!

The gay wedding integrated into the first part of the film with Liza Minelli doing the honors of not only guesting in the movie but providing a song during the wedding was an indication that partnerships are actually not limited to men and women. In the end, you'll find the same story intertwined in the nanny! I thought that was a good way to find a fitting end to such a gay beginning.

So what did I think of the movie?

I thought it was an adult comedy and it was full of fun. Bring out the popcorn, leave behind the kids (and I mean those brats who scream and run around in the movie house the whole movie), bring your spouse or partner or friends or gang of friends, forget all your inhibitions and prude attitude, put off that mobile phone in the moviehouse - and have a great time with the girls. You just might find what sparkles you - again!

Sex and the City - The Movie... I was guest to this reunion

I was told that Sex and the City, the Movie had mixed reviews. "If you're a fan of the series, then watching this 2 1/2 hr film is like going to a reunion. But if you've got no idea who and why these characters exist, it would have been better that you stayed at home and watch the grass in your lawn grow."


Alright, enough with the American critics.

I am not a fan of the series for the very reason that I had no time to start off with the series and like all series go, when you fail to catch it at the onset, you tend to let it go. A few snipets of the series were all my leisure time afforded to me.

I wasn't expecting much with the movie, considering the fact that I was really under the weather (not a good time to go to a movie and review it).

The movie revolves around the lives of four women who have been friends for over two decades set in the heart of Manhattan, New York. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Samantha (Kim Catrall) whose lives return to the big screen after the HBO series bowed out of television four years ago.

Mr. Big (Christ Noth) returns as Carrie's story begins with still being in love with the same man since the series ended. The lives of the other women are also entwined with the life of Carrie as they struggle to find life and love, struggle with relationships and family. Louise (Jennifer Hudson) plays a short but inspiring role as the personal assistant of Carrie. In her, Carrie finds that "love" comes in the most unexpected. The discrepancy in social status proves that love and relationships traverse these boundaries and have implications in despair and happiness.

Aside from the placid plot, however, is the extravagant costume design. Ms. Parker definitely had put Manolo Blahnik, Louis Vuitton, and Vivienne Westwood on the map with the designer shoes, bag and wedding gown that sent the audience including me, into the oohhh and aaahh mode. And it wasn't only the designer clothes, shoes, bags and jewelry that wowed the audience but the much commercialized high-tech gadgets of the Mac - MacBook Pro of Carrie Bradshaw to the iPhone of Samantha or the humdinger Mercedes Benz S800 limousine series of Mr. Big, to the elegant penthouse in the heart of Manhattan to the fantastic villa in Mexico City, which even the sorrow Carrie was experiencing could not hide the beauteous escapade. (I appreciated the fact that no one was on an iPod - that would have been an overkill.)

The fantastic costume design by Patricia Fields (same costume designer as "The Devil Wears Prada") made the movie a feat for the eyes to drool for. It was like watching a 2 1/2 hour of fashion show on front row!

I felt that I was a most welcome guest in this wonderful reunion where friends shared their stories. For some, it may be finding a superficial part of you where you may get to appreciate and envy the luxuries in life. To me, however, it was finding something beyond the luxuries (of course, those designer items really twinkled beyond reasonable doubt). I wasn't expecting much when I went to this party, but I got more than I bargained for.

And I came out with a smile and promised to get the DVD when it comes out. Watch the movie. You may find your story in the movie.