I hope you are all having a wonderful beginning to your Memorial Day Weekend. As you can probably guess by the title-I just saw the Sex & the City 2 movie tonight. I went with a group of 30 girls and had a blast! I was a bit apprehensive about seeing the movie after reading several mixed reviews. I thought I'd share my review with you of the movie. *I promise this will not be a spoiler in any way*
Some said that the first movie was much better than the second. Others commented that there really was no story line. Let me first start off by saying that I love both movies (for similar and different reasons). I really appreciated the underlying message which is so wonderfully interwoven along side of humor, fabulous clothing, luxury, friendship and the intricacies of life.
For those of you that saw the first movie, I don't know about you but the message of friendship really spoke to me. There were many things going on in that movie, but it all came back around to the love, support and friendship of those closest to you. While all of my closest friends live in Toronto, I know they are always there for me-no matter what. I enjoyed how they were each so 'there' for each other as they were in so many of the episodes too. I loved seeing Samantha respond and care for Carrie while she was on her 'honeymoon'. I actually remember crying during that scene (and half a dozen others). I appreciated the writing, acting and overall movie but the friendship that exists there really resonated with me.
But enough with the old, let's talk about the new movie-#2! I went into it not expecting anything in particular, just getting together with some of my friends from my lady's group and watching the fabulous four reunite one more time together on the big screen. I'll be honest, it took me about 10 minutes to warm up to it, the characters didn't seem exactly the way I had remembered them until about that time. After that, it was like meeting up with old friends-they were wonderful together and I loved seeing so many of the older characters re-introduced in their own way into the storyline.
The fashion is fabulous as expected- oh, the colors and the designs-I really loved them all. Would I wear all of it if I had the money? Probably not but that's fashion, right? While we can't all afford the lovely dresses and Louboutins that the girls sport in the movie, and don't all live in gorgeous NYC apartments or have such amazing connections like they do the underlying story here was real life. Each of them had their own unique circumstances they were working through. Yes, they all overcame challenges in the previous movie (and of course in each episode) but this seemed more real to me, more relatable with where I'm personally at in life. Okay maybe not the part where they live it up in Abu Dhabi, but just life in general.
It was nice to see after so many years of their single lives, that even when they had journeyed years ahead that there were still relevant dilemmas, not unlike the ones we all face. Let's face it, some days you can give it all you've got but life can really wear you down. We just need to make the right choices, stay true to ourselves as women, learn from our mistakes and pick ourselves back up. In essence the movie was about owning who you are as a woman, being your own unique self. While one particular character has her own way of responding to life challenges that I cannot particularly relate too, as the character, she stays true to herself.
No matter where we live, what our profession is, our marital status or age, we owe it to ourselves to be the best possible version of who we are, and that my friends is what not only the movie symbolized for me, but what I've always wanted this blog to be about.
If you've followed the show and the movie until now and haven't yet seen part deux, overall I think you'll enjoy it, you'll be entertained and you'll come out feeling as if this is an appropriate ending. I don't know what more they could have added to the storyline without doing the characters justice. The ending just made sense to me and I don't forsee #3 in the future.
One let down for me was seeing how overly-consumeristic the women appeared to be. I think there was a certain level of disrespect shown to the Arabic culture and I think it played to the ignorant and often arrogant attitude that many Americans still tend to have, especially those that haven't traveled enough outside of their own country, to appreciate what so many other cultures have to offer, whether or not their beliefs, attire, culinary tastes or attitudes line up. This is why it's so important to read up on international etiquette before visiting a new country. That was my only real disappointment in this movie. I'm not a fan of crass behavior either and there were a few scenes, that while true to the character, were definitely a bit in-your-face, not unlike the first movie.
I'd love to hear which character you most relate to and why. I happen to relate mostly to Charlotte. I share many of her traditional values, am a bit more conservative in nature but know how to have fun too. Like she did, I do dream of having children and a wonderful family. I just adore how she almost always is so polished and perfectly put together. I just wished I looked as adorable as her when I was frustrated, diappointed or put off by someone. LOL. I do have a bit of Miranda in me (the type-A, organized woman with a strong work ethic and a side of sarcasm-just not her cynicism) and a bit of Carrie too (with a love for fashion, design, her dream of finding her true love, possibilities and of course being a 'writer'). While I don't relate to Samantha in any way, she is funny and quite entertaining. Throughout the movie, it was mostly her that had me laughing out loud.
If you've watched it already, I'd love to hear what YOUR thoughts were, but for those who haven't seen it yet, try not to add any spoilers. ;) Also, which character do you relate to most and why? I look forward to reading your comments!
xo
P.S. The first photo above is of one of my favorite scenes in the movie, something unexpected happens. Oh, and I would love to have a picnic like that! HERE is the official 2.5 minute trailer for those who haven't seen it.
