In "Sex and the City 2," Four Friends Stumble on Their Stilettos

By CBS News' Karina Mitchell

NEW YORK (CBS) Two years after the first "Sex and the City" made a $400 million killing at the global box office, the sequel has been rolled out.

Ladies everywhere are getting ready to step into high gear, pulling out their most fashiona ensemble, and donning those sky-high stilettos to make a night of hanging with their favorite foursome.

Pictures: "Sex and The City 2" Premieres
"Sex and The City:" Complete Coverage

The fact that "Sex and the City" has as its base these salivating fans who just can't get enough of the women and their clothes is probably a good thing. They are the only ones with stamina to get through this weary two-and-a-half- hour production.

The jury is still out on whether writer-director Michael Patrick King should have bothered dusting off the girls' Manolos for another adventure, especially after the euphoric ending every gal was rooting for last time around. I'm referring to Carrie and Big's wedding, of course. After all, some memories are best left alone, neatly packed away in designer shoe boxes in the back a closet.

What King opens with this film is more like Pandora's box than a shoe box. Two years after we left them, the women are a little older and maybe a little wiser, but find themselves unnerved by a plethora of problems that, frankly, neither they nor the script have the time or inclination to deal with.

Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big (Chris Noth) have discovered that marital bliss is wearing thin and perhaps the two are growing apart. He likes to stay in, order take-out and watch old movies on his HDTV. She, most certainly, does not. Adding insult to injury, he suggests they spend a couple of nights a week apart.

Charlotte (Kristin Davis) meanwhile, is a married mother of two, who discovers that her kids instead of being little angels, are a pair of undisciplined devils, who have the nerve to ruin her Valentino skirt while baking in the kitchen.

Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is equally frustrated being a wife and a mother with a job she detests, even though she's worked her tail off to get it. Even the wickedly witty Samantha (Kim Cattrall) isn't able to escape the pressures of the real world - menopause is turning out to be a real killjoy for her libido.

The women's dilemmas provide only the sub-context to the larger story - an exotic adventure to Abu Dhabi. When Samantha is approached by a billionaire Arab sheikh to come up with a publicity campaign for his conglomerate, she decides to take him up on his offer of setting her and her friends up for an all-expenses-paid sojourn to the luxury emirate.

From the second the four land in the desert, they give new meaning to the word "decadence." Glamor and glitz prevail, ahead of any story line.

Carrie finds herself squarely entrenched in another quandry - the appearance of her old flame Aiden (John Corbett), who boldly declares upon encountering her in a crowded bazaar that she's "the best mirage I ever saw." Carrie finds herself with a tough decision; it's good her friends are along for the ride.

The irony of these fiercely feminist interlopers landing squarely in the midst of a male-dominated society is not lost on the writer, who paints, at times, an irreverent portrait of Muslim society.

There are some very funny moments such as when the four sing "I Am Woman" at a karaoke club and when a group of burkha-clad women "come out," revealing designer duds under demure robes. And the film does pay homage to at least one Arabic custom: "A veil is better than any Botox," Samantha says.

Cattrall delivers in her role of a defiant, aging nymphomaniac and has some of the cleverest dialogue in the film.Parker is as crisp as ever with her quips, but overall, the movie's over-the-top style supplants substance.

A cameo by Liza Minnelli, singing at a gay wedding in Connecticut, at the film's start, doesn't bode well. But Penelope Cruz in her cameo is a scene stealer and the addition of Miley Cyrus s sure to draw in an even younger female demographic.

Whether King decides to go for the trifecta remains to be seen, but for now, loyal girlfriends everywhere are pouring themselves a Cosmo to toast their fashion heroines' return to the big screen.

Look for all the film's exotic secrets to be unveiled at theaters nationwide, starting today.

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[mscal83]

I am a HUGE SATC fan, BUT the movie was just awful! It was missing a strong story line. Period. There were too many other things going on (random events and "glitter") this time around. And it was not THAT FUNNY. Parts of it were funny, but most of it was just not that funny. I loved the fashion and the scenary was great, but those things plus crazy adventures really took away from the story. I almost felt insulted as a fan because it was assumed that we don't need a strong story and that it's all about fashion and glam. I wanted/expected more than that. Now I'm looking for a final movie that brings balance back. (I did appreciate the scene about motherhood between Char and Miranda) Overall, however, I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED! Don't hate me for being real here. I'll never stand by something just because I'm a fan no matter what. They made a mistake with this one. Sorry :(

[pdxrose1]

There is a shelf life on vajayjays' and all of theirs are expired and should be retired!

[ShariGNYC]

I was a die hard SATC fan until I saw this movie. It was horrible. There was no complex story line, the Orientalist gaze upon the Middle East was unbearable (especially dangerous in an America that is uneducated about Islam, Arab countries, and cultural practices). These were four, narcissistic, and clueless American gals involved in pat dialogue, unchecked decadence, spoiled brat Americans with "exotic" manservants. The show always had its limitations with respect to issues of race, class, and sexuality (fetishizing of gay life), but this film put it all over the top, hitting rock bottom with irrelevance and shallowness. Had these women been written to stay in New York City (which is the most important 5th character in the series) and had the writers produced some of the nuanced, witty stuff of the by actually engaging the audience in the complexity of these women's lives (Charlotte's struggles with motherhood and fear of the new nanny, Miranda's quitting of her job, Carrie and her relationship challenges with Big, Samantha and her newfound encounter with Smith), it would have been a different movie. As it is, this SATC fan is disgusted. The series, the characters need to be put to rest if this is all the producers and directors can come up with.

[daffy64]

Skanks and the city.

[daffy64]

Four over the hill droopy chested women waste money on more ugly clothes.

Yawn.

[jankebenzone]

Loose morals and behavior are amazing? That way of thinking is indeed amazing! And some wonder why their 12 year olds lose their virginity.
The same "amazing" philosophy is seen by parents who think having their 7 year old daughters dance in erotic costumes is normal. The liberal feminist agenda was/is an utter failure, now women are seen as sex objects more than ever with the women who don,t "measure" up to the new "standards" being labeled as failures and nobody's. Congratulations ladies, you've come a long ways.

[yigpoo]

The movie was absolutely amazing. I think it was just as good if not better than the first one. Simply amazing and I would watch it again and probabliy will

Dave
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