Review: The 'Sex and the City' women have lost their sheen

Film: Sex and the City 2
Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Chris Noth, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler, Jason Lewis, Mario Cantone, Willie Garson
Director: Michael Patrick King
Rating:  *½

The TV series ran out of steam soon enough but at least it had a decent run. The film that followed two years earlier was a disappointment for sure and just maybe bearable for some because of the high curiosity level it generated. This sequel doesn’t have that advantage. It’s long in the tooth and a crushing bore to boot. And it doesn’t even have beautiful clothes and interesting situations to lift it up from the mundane and the preposterous.

The film begins with a gay wedding, sets up problems for it’s lead players and then works towards resolving them in unconvincing fashion. The continuing story of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha as they struggle to manage their love lives, friendships and careers in New York City and the middle east where they go on an all expenses paid trip  lapping in luxury courtesy the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi, is quite frankly a crushing bore.

The women have lost their sheen, their antics are exasperating and they no longer have what it takes to entertain. After all they are all pushing fifty and behaving like 30 year olds. The stolen kiss, the lost passport, Samantha’s brush with the moral police and the appearance of Aidan(John Corbett), Carrie’s former lover do little to liven things up. The decadence and frivolousness of the lead characters are extremely grating. There is very little script to speak of , dialogues are crude and sorely lacking in wit and the performances are pretty much unsatisfactory. This one is truly grueling for the viewer!