Sex and the City 2

Yes ladies, they’re back. The popular HBO show has responded to its fans’ incessant cries for more of the fabulous four. Two years after the first cinematic instalment, Carrie (Parker) finds herself struggling with married life, Miranda (Nixon) is juggling the demands of her career and her family, and Charlotte (Davis) is worrying about her childrens’ new alluring nanny. Meanwhile, Samantha (Cattrall) manages to whisk the girls away for an impromptu holiday to Abu Dhabi as she negotiates a new job. The Middle East holds many surprises for the four ladies, who bump into old friends and make new acquaintances, but above all reinforce the bonds of their friendship.

Though the film’s length is questionable and the character development more dubious than its predecessor, it nevertheless manages to sustain hearty jokes that both sexes will be able to appreciate with gusto. Among these is a particularly memorable cameo performance by Liza Minnelli as the minister for Anthony (Mario Cantone) and Stanford's (Willie Garson) wedding.

The extravagant costumes are breathtaking as ever, made all the more impressive by the sweltering desert and majestic hotel sets. Even so, the film’s exotic venture into Middle Eastern culture is at times less than culturally sensitive, and should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Overall, the film is able to sustain its infectious combination of gossip, fashion, and sex-savvy humour in an international setting, proving that Sex and the City is truly global. If nothing else, it offers a convenient way to tour Abu Dhabi from the comfort of a cosy cinema seat, and to do it in style, as only the Sex and the City girls know how.

Ana Paula Pereira de Souza