By JENNIFER CHAN
Bulatlat.com
I know there are a lot of negative reviews about Sex and the City 2 out there but here’s one that isn’t. Despite what other people say about SATC not having a plot, I think otherwise. When I entered the theater, I was prepared to see nothing but extravagance, extravagance, extravagance! I was prepared for Anthony (Mario Cantone) and Stanford’s (Willie Garson) blindingly white gay wedding, that less than impressive performance from Liza Minnelli and that slightly corny karaoke scene in Abu Dhabi… However, I was also pleasantly surprised at quite a lot of scenes in the movie which I feel a lot of people can really relate to. People who are in relationships, people who feel they’re not good mothers, people who are paranoid about adultery, people whose voices are undermined, people who are going through menopause, etc!
Beyond the fabulous clothes and accessories, the eye candy and the luxurious backdrop are reflections of what each and every one of us is made of.
Lessons from Carrie Two years after the first movie, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and John, a.k.a Mr. Big (Chris Noth), are still married and still in love. Far from being a conventional couple, the two decide not to have kids. However, Carrie feels that their once exciting love life is dwindling and she fears that they’re slowly falling into the boring old couple routine. What’s a girl to do? Complain about shoes on the couch and too many take-out dinners, of course! Whenever a relationship is in trouble, people tend to nitpick at the little things instead. And I’m not just talking about the women here. Men do their fair share of deflecting as well. Abu Dhabi provides Carrie a short respite from her relationship troubles but then she meets Aidan in the middle of a spice market. And everyone knows exes are generally bad news when there’s trouble in paradise. Despite Carrie’s perfect hair and beautiful clothes, her situation is quite common in real life. Lesson learned? Tradition isn’t all that bad especially if you meld it with the new. And while sparkle is good, staying in and watching black and white movies with the one you love on the cool new TV is great, too! Lessons from Samantha.
Menopause is not the most pleasant experience in the world. However, Samantha (Kim Cattrall) rides it out in typical Samantha fashion by feeding her hormones with all sorts of supplements and creams. As the one and only Samantha Jones puts it, “I’ve tricked my body into thinking it’s younger.” However, her regimen goes awry when her pills and beauty products get confiscated at the airport. Fighting the simultaneous onslaught of hot flashes and other effects of menopause, Samantha somehow manages to insult an entire community of conservatives and land in prison. Lesson learned? Being yourself can get you in trouble (serious trouble) but most of the time, it serves as an inspiration to others. However, it might also be a good idea to keep your condoms (especially if you have a lot) in one pouch so as to avoid all of them spilling out into the street in the middle of a very conservative community. Lessons from Charlotte Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is having trouble taking care of little Rose and Lily at the same time. And the addition of a nanny (a very voluptuous one) isn’t exactly helping either. When Samantha comments on it during Anthony and Stanford’s wedding reception, she becomes paranoid. Really paranoid. Sure, the nanny is great with the kids but she doesn’t like wearing bras either. And although reluctant to leave her husband with the nanny for one week, she eventually starts enjoying herself in Abu Dhabi but then feels the guilt creeping in once again. A really funny drinking session with Miranda helps her come to terms with the realities of motherhood– something a lot of mothers experience but don’t really share with even their closest of friends for fear of being judged. Lesson learned? It’s okay to want to get away from your kids once in a while. Children do have the tendency to drive mothers crazy. Admitting that to yourself doesn’t mean you’re a bad mother. It just means you’ve been working too hard and you need to take a breather. Lessons from Miranda
Miranda’s (Cynthia Nixon) life would have been perfect save for her current situation in her law firm. Apparently, one of the senior partners in the company doesn’t like having such an independent person in the office. Having had enough of the attitude, Miranda resigns and now has a lot more free time to be with her family and to read tourism books on the United Arab Emirates. But as much as she enjoys making it to her son’s school activities and learning a new language, she does miss having a full-blown career. A trip to Abu Dhabi brings out a side to the red head that we don’t often see: a fun and very fashionable Miranda (I personally love her all white attire during the trip to the spice market).
Lesson learned? Know your value. If your workplace doesn’t value you or your voice, there is another company out there that will. Your happiness is in your hands.
SATC is more than just about the glitz and the glamour. It’s also about family and friendship. And while everyone makes mistakes, the lessons we learn from said mistakes help us keep those relationships alive. (Bulatlat.com)
You're right. I'm actually far from being near menopausal but I'm not saying that Samantha's reaction to her menopause is something every woman out there should emulate. At that point, I was merely describing Samantha's current situation. My lesson to be learned is more of how being you can be a little troublesome sometimes but it can also be inspirational while not actually talking about menopause at all (since, well, it's not exactly at the forefront of my mind at the moment). And when I said that the movie is something women in menopause (among others) can relate to, I'm simply saying that Samantha has reached that point in her life. Nothing more. Nothing less.
However, you raise a very good point and I guess that IS a lesson to be learned. Thank you for pointing it out.
I think your reference to this being a movie of that women going thru menopause can relate to is misguided and I can only assume you are not yourself peri-menopausal.
Samantha's approach to menopause appears to be to try and delay it if not actually avoid it. The message here is that menopause is a bad thing.
The "confiscated hormones" event as a precursor to her arrest implies that her hormones, or the lack thereof, control her behavior. Such as statement is denigrating to all women since we are all subject to daily hormonal fluctuations from puberty to menopause.
Overall I feel the topic is not really dealt with respectfully. But then what else would you expect when the dominant view of menopause is that menopausal women are no longer sexually viable? Samantha clearly has bought into that message hence her behavior.
The lesson to be learned? That view of menopausal women is wrong.