| Sex and the City 2 | |
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| File:Satc2OP.jpg
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Michael Patrick King |
| Screenplay by | Michael Patrick King |
| Story by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | John Thomas |
| Edited by | Michael Berenbaum |
| Music by | Aaron Zigman |
Production | |
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Release date |
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Running time | 146 minutes |
| Country | Template:Film US |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100 million[1] |
| Box office | $288,347,692[2] DVD Sales $16,805,557 |
Sex and the City 2 is a 2010 American romantic comedy film, the sequel to the 2008 film Sex and the City, which is based on the HBO TV series of the same name.
The film was released in cinemas on May 27, 2010 in the United States and May 28, 2010 in the United Kingdom. The DVD will be available for purchase in the United Kingdom on 29 November, 2010. The film stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, and Chris Noth, who reprised their roles from the previous film and TV series. It also features cameos from Liza Minnelli, Miley Cyrus and Penélope Cruz.
Set two years after the first film, the film begins with Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) meeting up with each other which turns into a flashback to how Carrie first meets Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda in 1986 in New York City.
The film then jumps to the present, two years after the events of the first film. At the Connecticut same-sex weddingofStanford Blatch (Willie Garson) and Anthony Marentino (Mario Cantone), Liza Minnelli appears to officiate the wedding vows and sings Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)".
The four friends now have lives that are more stressful than before: All are married except Samantha, who is now 52 and trying to keep her libido alive with hormones while dealing with menopause. Miranda quits her job after the new managing partner disrespects her once too often. Charlotte's two children are a handful and she's worried that Harry is attracted to their buxom Irish nanny, Erin (Alice Eve).
Carrie's marriage to Mr. Big (Chris Noth) has settled down, though they differ on how to spend their spare time: she loves to go out, he would prefer to stay home every night, eating take-out meals and watching television. For their anniversary, Carrie gives Mr. Big a vintage Rolex watch engraved with a romantic message, while he, much to her dismay, shows her a new television in their bedroom as his gift, which Big says they can use to watch old movies together as they did on vacation. Carrie is disappointed, as she had hoped for jewelry as a gift. She asks to spend some personal time alone in her old apartment, but Big enjoys the time to himself even more than she does, and to Carrie's dismay, asks to make it a weekly occurrence.
Meanwhile, Samantha has been approached by an Arab sheikh to devise a PR campaign for his business. He offers to fly her and her friends on an all-expenses-paid luxury vacation to Abu Dhabi. The girls happily accept, although Carrie is worried about the separation from Big and Charlotte is worried about leaving her husband alone with the nanny. Only Miranda, unfettered by a job for the first time in her life, plunges enthusiastically into studying Arabic and planning sightseeing.
Upon entering Abu Dhabi, Samantha's hormone-enhancing drugs are confiscated under UAE law, rendering her devoid of estrogen; to her great dismay, her famous libido goes dead, unaroused even by Australian men in Speedo swimwear. Charlotte tries to call Harry every few minutes. Miranda revels in the luxury surrounding her, while Carrie befriends her manservant, Gaurau (Raza Jaffrey), and learns of his long distance marriage - he can only afford to see his wife back in India once every few months.
While out shopping at the local souk with Miranda, Carrie runs into her former lover, Aidan (John Corbett). He proposes a dinner a deux at his hotel, but she is noncommittal. The next day, however, she is crushed at reading a negative critique of her new book in The New Yorker, and decides to meet Aidan for dinner, although Charlotte cautions her not to play with fire. The dinner is very enjoyable, with the two discussing old times. Aidan remarks on the ways Carrie is "not like other women", pointing out that when they were engaged, she would only wear her engagement ring on a chain around her neck; now that she's married, she still isn't wearing a diamond on her ring finger, only her wedding ring. In a moment of remembered passion, they kiss. Carrie runs away in a panic and returns to the hotel.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Miranda and Charlotte have drinks together and discuss the difficulties of motherhood. Miranda admits painfully that being a mother is not enough for her and that she misses her job. Charlotte confesses her guilt at enjoying her time away from her daughters and her frustration with trying to be the perfect mother at all times. She drinks so many cocktails to bolster her courage to be honest with Miranda that she becomes very tipsy.
At this point, Carrie bursts into the room, crying, "I played with fire!". After summoning Samantha, she tells her friends about the kiss, and asks them whether or not she should tell Big, as she says they have no secrets between them. Miranda reflects on the events of the previous film, when her husband, Steve (David Eigenberg), told her about his affair and how in retrospect, while it helped clear his conscience, she is not sure that knowing was worth the pain she went through. Charlotte is too drunk to be any help, but Carrie already knows where she stands. Samantha counsels Carrie to wait and sleep on it before deciding anything.
Carrie opts to call Big from Abu Dhabi to tell him. Previously, in the television series, Carrie had had an affair with Big, who was then married to Natasha, while dating Aidan, which subsequently caused both couples to break up. Big is silent upon hearing the news, and after saying a few words, hangs up.
The four women find their style and Western attitudes contrast with Muslim customs, with Samantha facing the most conflict. While on a date with Rikard (Max Ryan), a handsome Dane, Samantha is arrested for public indecency after fondling him at a restaurant and making out with him on the beach (she claims they were just kissing). With the Sheik's intervention, Samantha is released, but is left with a permanent police record. Worse, due to her display of disrespect for local custom, the Sheik cancels the PR meeting and ceases paying for the women's luxurious perks.
They quickly pack their bags and leave, but must return to the souk to find Carrie's passport, where Charlotte is nearly detained by some overenthusiastic traders in illegal watches. When Samantha's flamboyance nearly incites a riot, the girls are rescued by a group of Muslim women who share their sense of style under their black robes.
When Carrie returns home, she finds the bedroom television removed and Big gone. She passes an anxious day, at the end of which he returns. Big tells her that although he was "pretty torn up", he realizes that she is "a rookie at this marriage thing", and that what she needs is something to remind her at all times that she is married. He hands her a jewelry box which reveals an engagement-style ring set with a black diamond. When Carrie asks him why a black diamond, he says, "Because you're not like anyone else", echoing Aidan's earlier comment.
The movie ends with a few scenes showing the problems the women faced at the beginning of the film being resolved. Big and Carrie combine their interests. Charlotte's nanny, Erin, turns out to be a lesbian and is no threat to her marriage. Miranda finds a new job where she is appreciated, and Samantha stays the same. In the final scene, Big and Carrie are watching an old black and white movie (The Talk of the Town) where 'The End' appears on the TV screen.
After months of speculation, the cast confirmed in February 2009 that a sequel was in the works. Filming began in August 2009 for a May 27, 2010 release.
The sequel is noticeably different from its predecessor, and includes more exotic locales than the original. King credits this to the experience he had promoting the original film in such locales. He was also inspired by the recession to write something bigger more akin to the extravagant adventures and escapist comedies of the 1930s.[3] The exact location of Abu Dhabi was chosen because of its high fashion culture and also that it was a location free from the recession.[3]
All four stars, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, and Kim Cattrall returned in the sequel; Chris Noth also signed on to reprise the role of Mr. Big.[4] Evan Handler returned as Harry Goldenblatt, John Corbett as Aiden Shaw, David Eigenberg played Steve Brady once more, Willie Garson returned as Stanford Blatch, and Mario Cantone again played Anthony Marentino, making the original cast almost complete.[5][dead link] In addition, Michael Patrick King wrote and directed again, and Patricia Field once again took charge of the costumes and wardrobe.[6][dead link] Hats were once again created by Prudence Millinery for Vivienne Westwood.
Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that the budget for the film was USD$95 million,[7] exactly $30 million greater than the budget for the first film. Sarah Jessica Parker was paid $15 million for her dual role as a producer and starring as Carrie Bradshaw.[8]
Filming in New York was postponed to the end of July as Emirati authorities refused clearance for filming in the emirate. As a result, the Abu Dhabi segment of the film was filmed in Morocco.[9][10] All four leading ladies and other cast and crew were photographed[11] filming scenes in Morocco in November 2009, where they had originally planned to shoot for 13 days, which had to be extended to almost six weeks.
The sequel officially began filming on September 1, 2009 and continued until the end of the year. Photos of all four leading women filming scenes around New York together and separately have emerged, featuring present-day scenes as well as a range of looks believed to be flashbacks from the earlier years of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte's long-standing friendships. Images of Samantha in a wedding dress have also been released.[12] Additionally, scenes featuring prominent characters such as Mr. Big, Magda, Smith, Steve, and the children of Miranda and Charlotte have been filmed and photographed.
In September 2009, American singer/actress Liza Minnelli confirmed to several media outlets that she appeared in a cameo role. Singer/actress Bette Midler had been photographed on set, but does not appear in the film. Penélope Cruz appears briefly as Carmen, a banker.[13] Miley Cyrus appeared in one scene where she appears at the premiere of Smith Jerrod's new film, wearing the same dress as Samantha. On October 17, Oceanup.com posted several pictures of Miley filming the scene.[14]
John Corbett was seen on location in Morocco, confirming his speculated involvement in the film as Aidan.[15] The involvement of newcomers Scott Fisher and Michelle Cauchi as Carrie and Samantha's assistants respectively was confirmed later.[16]
Promotion for the film 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 for the film premiered online on December 22, 2009.[18] In March 2010, new promotional stills were released, predominantly featuring scenes from the Moroccan portion of the film.[19] Also in March, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristen 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 Thursday, April 8, 2010,[20] featuring current New York City-themed hit "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys as well as Australian R&B/Pop singer, Ricki-Lee's platinum selling hit, "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 24 May 2010.
The film has received largely negative reviews. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 16% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 192 reviews, with an average score of 3.7/10.[21] By comparison the first film received a score of 49% based on 172 reviews, with an average score of 5.5/10.[22] 9% of selected top critics gave the film a positive review based on 32 reviews.[23] 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."[21]
Metacritic gave the film a score of 27/100 based on a normalized average of 39 reviews indicating generally unfavorable reviews.[24]
The film was also criticized for its portrayal of the Middle East. Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter called it "blatantly anti-Muslim"[25] and Hadley Freeman of the UK broadsheet The Guardian described the trailers as "borderline racist".[26]
Andrew O'Hagan of the London Evening Standard described the movie as ugly on the inside, and ended by saying: "This could be the most stupid, the most racist, the most polluting and women-hating film of the year".[27]
Roger Ebert gave the film one star out of four. He wrote, "I am obliged to report that this film will no doubt be deliriously enjoyed by its fans, for the reasons described above. Male couch potatoes dragged to the film against their will may find some consolation. Reader, I must confess that while attending the sneak preview with its overwhelmingly female audience, I was gob-smacked by the delightful cleavage on display."[28]
Mitu Sengupta, a Toronto-based academic, criticized the film for exploiting women's and gay rights, and "pitifully" turning them into "badges of national honor" and "smug patriotic pride." She wrote: "what’s really worrying about Sex and the City 2 is not its Orientalism or crass materialism, but how easily this seemingly benign bubble-gum flick ends up fighting a very macho war of global one-upsmanship on the bodies of women and gay men."[29]
The film 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. The previous film, Sex and the City was released only in 3,285 theaters on May 30, 2008.[citation needed] Playing in 2,000 theaters, the film grossed $3 million from its midnight premiere.[30] On its opening day, the film topped the box office grossing $14.2 million,[31] for a projected $60 million for a 4-day opening weekend, plus $75 million for a 5-day Memorial day weekend.[32] But it debuted in second place behind Shrek Forever After with $32.1 million, and its total to $45.3 million, for its 4-day opening weekend, plus $53 million on its 5-day opening weekend (Memorial Day). The film added $27 million overseas giving it a worldwide total to $73 million. The first film debuted in first place at the box office taking in $57 million in 2008 in the US.
However, overseas, the sequel was a bigger success topping the charts in Germany for 5 weeks, Britain for 3 weeks, Australia for 2 weeks and exceeding the original in Japan and Greece. In addition, considering the lower value of foreign currencies, most notably the Euro, compared to two years earlier for the original,[33] Sex and the City 2 sold more tickets in many of the foreign markets. As of August 19, 2010, the film's total domestic gross stands at $95,347,692 and as of August 1, 2010, overseas, it has grossed $194,713,055 - giving it a worldwide total of $288,347,692, which is 30% lower than part 1. However, it was 2010's highest-grossing romantic comedy to date.[2]
The release of the home video, saw the movie gross a further $16,805,557 in its first week, with a total gross of $305,153,249
Sex and the City 2 was released on DVD, iTunes and Blu-ray on October 26, 2010 in the US[34] and is scheduled for release on November 29, 2010 in the UK.
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
Sales Units | DVD Gross |
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| US DVD Sales Chart[35] | 1 | 989,144 | $18,422,358 |
| Untitled | |
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Sex and the City 2 original motion picture soundtrack was released on May 25, 2010.
"Songs Remind Me of You" by Annie appears in the background of the after party scene, but is not included on the soundtrack.
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
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| UK Compilation Chart[36] | 7 |
| Irish Top 30 Compilation Chart[37] | 2 |
| Australian Albums Chart[38] | 7 |
| US Billboard 200[39] | 13 |
| Italian Top 30 Compilation Chart[40] | 15 |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
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| 2010 | National Movie Awards | Anticipated Movie of the Summer | Sex and the City 2 | Nominated |
| 2011 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Comedy Movie | Pending |
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