After not writing for such a long period, I admit that the topic of my over-due entry is a little weak (i.e overly trendy & not a good "welcome back to the land of blogging" piece). Alas, it is on my mind & will serve as rever-upper for entries to come.In a moment of girlishness, my friend & I decided to see the midnight showing of Sex & the City. A not altogether bad decision as we both needed a night out, some distraction, & mindless but stimulating entertainment. However, I, more so than her, underestimated the exhaustion I would face the next morning (today) after sitting through a 2.5 hour long movie which left me only 4.5 hours to sleep. This was not as much of an issue for her as she can go to work pretty much whenever she pleases, including never.
I think today it was never.
Somewhat indifferent but mostly settled in the opinion "we pretty much have to see this movie," she & I got to the theatre 20 mins early & were able to find well positioned seats. Roll film......
Before the credits ceased scrolling, she and I began announcing our likes, dislikes, met & unmet expectations. Actually, we had started commenting before we even reached our seats because we, dressed in near sleep-wear, began worrying that people would take this "event" a little too seriously & dress up at 12am on a Wednesday night to pay homage to the fashionistas in the film. Luckily, this was not the case & of the people filling the crowded theatre, we were definitely not the ones who looked out a place (ex. picture woman with harem style jumper, oddly patterned to resemble safari wear, with a turban-like-scarf wrapped around her head of a clashing but equally loud pattern. Her accessory: a gentleman at least a foot & a half shorter than her clad in a button down and jeans).
The consensus. The first was better. Why? Well, the first movie was much more natural. The TV series, which I actually quite enjoy, had built such a rapport that it only made sense to make a movie expanding on the stories of four friends that almost every woman has likened themselves to at one point. It was successful. Fashion forward. Witty. Believable & even a somewhat accurate representative of the major categories of women found in NYC.
However, unlike the first film, this one left something to be desired in the way of sincerity. The first 10 minutes of the movie felt more like forced one-liner after one-liner in failed attempt to give equal dialogue to all actors on screen. It was weird, off-putting, and seemed staged. While things improved from there on, the much anticipated fashion-forward message of Carrie Bradshaw was laughable. Literally. We laughed. Some of the outfits were 3 steps beyond statement making. They made no sense. As least in S&TC1 I was awed by the wardrobe and secretly wished I not only posed the body but also the ability to pull-off some of those looks. In #2, I was thankful I didn't see anything worth translating on to the real streets of NYC or my person.
And what was with the Susan Summers' plug? So odd. Incidentally, I did find Liza Minnelli's appearance & dance to All the Single Ladies humorous. Perhaps more so than intended. I have to wonder when that scene was filmed because I feel like after the time it took to film, edit & release the movie - that cameo wasn't as impacting as it could have been. It all seemed a bit late in the "what's hot, what's not" category.
Did I mention there was the overly over-whelming presence of SJP's clothing-line....
Which brings me to my last negative note - but I can't take credit for it. My partner in this movie going experience mentioned that she left feeling as if the movie was trying to appeal to an overwhelming audience. By over-doing the gay presence, touching on the over-tired, under appreciated "mother" syndrome, the menopausal woman, the "past-honey-moon stage" married couple....the list goes on. Not that any movie can exist without cliches or predictable character development/flaws but why is S&TC2 rampant with them?
Other than that, there were laugh out loud moments (Samantha referring to her new sexual conquest as Lawrence of Labia / the idea that deep down, Charlotte was more concerned about losing her Nanny than being cheated on). And I did enjoy the entourage of butlers waiting for the fab-4 in the Middle East. To put it frankly, I'm not mad about the $13 I spent or the lack of sleep.... it was worth following up based on my love for all things S&TC pre-existing the sequel.
But, even the best of stories know that a well-timed ending does more justice than belaboring the point. Leave them laughing, leave them crying, make a quick exit - that's how you make a lasting POSITIVE impression. A unfortunate mistake S&TC2 seems to have made...
