Sex and the City 2

The fabulous foursome—Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon)—become ugly Americans after screenwriter-director Michael Patrick King drops them into the Middle East, where they blithely break Muslim laws and abuse Arabic hospitality. Two years after marrying Mr. Big (Chris Noth), Carrie has become a whining shrew; stressed-out Miranda chafes at her boss's chauvinism; distraught Charlotte is dismayed when her Irish nanny (Alice Eve) bra-lessly flaunts her lucky charms; and public relations guru Samantha is battling menopause. So when a sheik seeking advice on publicity for his hotel offers Samantha and her friends a luxurious vacation in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (filming actually took place in Morocco), the gals board his jet with hedonistic alacrity, toting sexy designer outfits and glitzy bling galore. Going way beyond escapist fantasy, the self-indulgent fashionistas so blatantly mock and trivialize local customs that at one point they must don burqas to escape from outraged citizens. While the film points out faults in the UAE—including anti-Semitism (Charlotte uses her maiden name of York, rather than Goldenblatt) and repression of women (the quartet warbles “I Am Woman” at a karaoke club)—its flippant disrespect for foreign culture is both tasteless and insensitive. Featuring cameos by Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus, and Liza Minnelli (the latter officiating at a campy gay wedding), this ostensible celebration of female friendship comes across as far too superficial. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Revisiting the ‘80s” segment on the flashback prologue (4 min.), “In the Recording Studio with Alicia Keys” on the soundtrack (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are audio commentary by director Michael Patrick King, “The Men of Sex and the City” featurette with a pop quiz (29 min.), a conversation with star Sarah Jessica Parker and King (26 min.), “Styling Sex and the City 2” on costume design (15 min.), a “Marry Me, Liza!” featurette on Liza Minnelli's cameo (8 min.), and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing sequel.] (S. Granger)