Sex and the City 2
Sex and the City 2 is a 2010 American romantic comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Michael Patrick King.[5] It is the sequel to the 2008 film Sex and the City,[6] based on the 1998–2004 television series. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon reprised their roles as friends Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda, while Chris Noth co-stars as Carrie's husband Mr. Big. It features cameos from Liza Minnelli, Miley Cyrus, Tim Gunn, Ron White, Omid Djalili, Penélope Cruz, Norm Lewis, and Kelli O'Hara.
Sex and the City 2
Michael Patrick King
- Michael Patrick King
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- Darren Star
- John Melfi
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- Kim Cattrall
- Kristin Davis
- Cynthia Nixon
- John Corbett
- Chris Noth
John Thomas
Michael Berenbaum
- May 27, 2010 (United States)
146 minutes[2]
United States
English
$294.7 million[4]
Sex and the City 2 was released theatrically on May 27, 2010, in the United States and the following day in the United Kingdom. The film was panned by critics, but was a commercial success, grossing $294 million on a $95 million production budget.
A sequel television series, titled And Just Like That..., premiered on HBO Max in 2021.
Plot[edit]
Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda attend Stanford and Anthony's wedding. Three of the four women are now married themselves but Samantha, 52, is desperately trying to maintain her libido as she enters menopause.
Back in New York, Miranda quits her job after her firm's misogynistic new managing partner disrespects her once too often. Charlotte's two children, Lily and Rose, are a handful, and she fears her husband Harry is more attracted to their buxom Irish nanny, Erin, than her. Carrie's marriage to Mr. Big has settled down, although they differ on how to spend their spare time. Carrie wants to go out often to dinner, parties and events, whereas he prefers to stay in.
For their anniversary, Carrie gives Big an engraved, vintage Rolex while he, to her dismay, puts a new TV in their bedroom as his gift. He says they can use it to watch old films together, something they did at the hotel after Anthony and Stanford's wedding which they seemed to enjoy. She is disappointed, as she had hoped for something more personal to maintain the spark in their marriage. Big starts to watch TV more often, making Carrie feel unappreciated.
So, Carrie spends two days at her old apartment to write, after which Big acts like he did when they were first dating and they have a romantic night out. Thrilled, he suggests they do this every week so he can relax those two days, watching TV and lying on the couch, so the rest of the time he will have more energy to do what she wants to do. Carrie does not dismiss this, but fears they may drift apart.
Meanwhile, as Samantha is to devise a PR campaign for an Arab sheikh's business, he flies her and her friends on an all-expenses-paid luxury vacation to Abu Dhabi. Carrie is happy to have time to ponder Big's suggestion. Charlotte is worried about leaving Harry alone with Erin. But Miranda, unfettered by a job for the first time in her life, is especially excited.
Upon entering Abu Dhabi, Samantha's hormones are confiscated under United Arab Emirates law, rendering her devoid of estrogen and hindering her libido. Charlotte tries to call Harry every few minutes; Miranda revels in the culture; and Carrie befriends her manservant Gaurau, who is an underpaid temporary worker from India. He warns Carrie of men with watches trying to take advantage.
On a visit to a local souq (market), Carrie runs into her former lover, Aidan. He invites her to dinner à deux at his hotel. They enjoy themselves, reminiscing about old times. Aidan remarks how Carrie is "not like other women".
They decide to have dinner back at Carrie’s hotel, leading to them sharing a kiss. Carrie runs away in panic, returning to her hotel room, where Miranda and Charlotte are having drinks and discussing the difficulties of motherhood. She asks if she should tell Big about it, as they have no secrets, Miranda reflects on when Steve revealed his affair in the previous film. Samantha suggests Carrie wait before deciding anything, however she calls Big anyway. He is silent upon hearing the news, but only responds saying he's busy at work and hangs up.
The four women find their Western style and attitudes clash with Muslim customs. The worst is when Samantha, while on a date with a Danish architect, gets arrested for public display of affection. She fondles him at a restaurant, giving him a visible erection, then makes out with him on the beach. With the Sheikh's intervention, Samantha is released but gets a permanent police record.
When Carrie returns home, she finds the bedroom TV removed and Big gone. After an anxious day, he returns at night. Realizing she needs a constant reminder of their commitment, Big gives her a black diamond engagement ring. When Carrie asks him why a black diamond, he says she is not like anyone else, echoing Aidan's earlier comment, showing he does appreciate her and they have not lost their spark.
Big and Carrie combine their interests; Charlotte discovers Erin is a lesbian, so no threat to her marriage; Miranda finds a new job at a more laid-back and diverse law firm where she is appreciated; and Samantha remains unchanged, even meeting for sex on the beach with the Danish architect, this time in the Hamptons.
Release[edit]
Promotion began in December 2009, when the official teaser poster was released online, featuring Carrie in a white dress and gold sunglasses which reflect a Moroccan backdrop, and the tagline "Carrie On", a similar pun of the lead character's name as "Get Carried Away" from the first film.[17] The same image and tagline was used for the launch of the official Sex and the City 2 website, also launched in December 2009.
The teaser trailer premiered online on December 22, 2009.[18] In March 2010, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon attended ShoWest 2010 in Las Vegas to premiere the full length trailer and discuss the film (Kim Cattrall was in London performing on stage in the West End, and joined the rest of the cast for promotion when her stage run ended on May 3).
The full theatrical trailer premiered on Entertainment Tonight and online on April 8, 2010,[19] featuring the New York City-themed single "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, as well as Australian singer Ricki-Lee Coulter's song "Can't Touch It".
A full-scale promotional tour with all key cast members—including television, press conference and print—commenced in early May 2010, and continued throughout the film's release, encompassing many different countries and cities. The New York City premiere of the film was held on May 24, 2010.
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 15% of 220 critics have given Sex and the City 2 a positive review; the average rating is 3.90/10.[20] By comparison, the first film received a score of 49% based on 183 reviews and has an average score of 5.70/10.[21] The critical consensus is: "Straining under a thin plot stretched to its limit by a bloated running time, Sex and the City 2 adds an unfortunate coda to the long-running HBO series."[20] Metacritic gave the film a score of 27/100 based on a normalized average of 39 reviews indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[22]
The film was criticized for its portrayal of the Middle East. Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter called it "blatantly anti-Muslim"[23] and Hadley Freeman of the UK broadsheet The Guardian described the trailers as "borderline racist".[24] Andrew O'Hagan of the London Evening Standard wrote that the film "could be the most stupid, the most racist, the most polluting and women-hating film of the year".[25] Roger Ebert gave the film one star out of four; he wrote that the characters are "flyweight bubbleheads" and the visual style "arthritic", and criticized the voiceover narration as redundant.[26]
Lindy West wrote a noted[27][28] review of the film, saying that "SATC2 takes everything that I hold dear as a woman and as a human—working hard, contributing to society, not being an entitled cunt like it's my job—and rapes it to death with a stiletto that costs more than my car. It is 146 minutes long, which means that I entered the theater in the bloom of youth and emerged with a family of field mice living in my long, white mustache. This is an entirely inappropriate length for what is essentially a home video of gay men playing with giant Barbie dolls."[29]
British critic Mark Kermode declared it the worst film of 2010,[30] saying he could think of nothing "more poisonous, more repugnant, more repulsive, more retrograde, more depressing than Sex and the City 2".[31] Time named it one of the 10 worst movies based on TV shows.[32]
Sex and the City 2 received seven nominations at the 31st Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture.[33] It went on to win three awards, including a joint Worst Actress award for the four “gal pals” (Parker, Cattrall, Nixon, and Davis).[34] David Eigenberg expressed interest in receiving the Worst Couple/Screen Ensemble Razzie, which was awarded to the entire cast. According to Razzies founder John J. B. Wilson, "[Eigenberg] said that he had never won an award of any kind and if this was what he won, he would accept it." Eigenberg then collaborated with Wilson to make a humorous acceptance video which was posted on the official YouTube channel of the Golden Raspberry Awards.[35]
In 2015, comedians Tim Batt and Guy Montgomery watched the film every week for a full year for the second season of their podcast, The Worst Idea of All Time.[36]
Box office[edit]
Sex and the City 2 opened in 3,445 theaters on May 27, 2010, setting a record for one of the widest release for a R-rated romantic comedy film. Playing in 2,000 theaters, the film grossed $3 million from its midnight premiere.[37] On its opening day, the film topped the box office grossing $14.2 million,[38] for a projected $60 million for a four-day opening weekend, plus $75 million for a five-day Memorial Day weekend.[39] But it debuted in second place behind Shrek Forever After with $31 million, and its total to $45.2 million, for its four-day opening weekend, plus $51 million on its five-day opening weekend (Memorial Day).
Internationally, the sequel topped the charts in Germany for five weeks, the United Kingdom for three weeks, Australia for two weeks and exceeding the original in Japan and Greece. Sex and the City 2 sold more tickets than the first part in many other markets. As of August 19, 2010, the film's total US gross stands at $95.3 million. As of August 1, 2010, internationally it has grossed $199.3 million—giving it a worldwide total of $294.7 million. Although 27% lower than the first film, it was 2010's highest-grossing romantic comedy.[40]
Home media[edit]
Sex and the City 2 was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and iTunes on October 26, 2010, in the US[41] where it entered the chart at number one selling almost one million copies in its first week.[42] It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on November 29, 2010, also entering the sales chart at number one.[43]