Truth be told, if it wasn’t for Samantha’s outrageously racy and funny attitude, Sex and the City 2 would be just a condescending and bigoted plot. I have enjoyed the fashion and the shoes…Oh the shoes…But that’s it!
Here’s my full review on Common Ground New Service.
I am a fan of the series, as shallow as it may be at times, but I have enjoyed watching it over and over again, especially before moving to New York City. The stories in the series are very realistic and relatable for anyone who has experienced ‘relationships roller-coasters’ in the Green Apple.
The sequel however, ventured in making other cultures the subject for derision. Abu Dhabi’s ascension is not trouble-free, especially with the reports of Human Rights Watch about abuse of migrant workers, rape and violence towards women, and sentencing foreigners to prison and deportation for public display of affection, among other social issues. Yet the film does not address such social problems in a meaningful way, and instead unleashes stereotypes, and disregards cultural differences and social customs. Besides why are Hollywood moviemakers even going there? What is the point of showing no acceptance of other societies’ traditions? And how about not lumping all countries in the Middle East together and generalizing at every possible occasion?
As far as I am concerned, watching the sequel was a frail attempt to brush off the disappointment I had from the first movie, which I found racist against different ethnic groups, especially Mexicans. The sequel had an imperialistic perspective on Arabs, and Emiratis in particular that disregarded cultural characteristics and relied on bigoted representations of others. While many of the occurrences that the movie portrayed are very realistic, such as women wearing the niqab having to lift their veil slightly to eat. The reaction of the supposedly liberal American women to that is rather close-minded and intolerant. Abu Dhabi is NOT New York, and women there have different social dresses and customs.
My other problem with the sequel , which really took it further away from the relatable episodes of the series , is the fairy-tale ending. I wonder in which reality does a women who cheated on her husband by kissing another man, gets a black diamond. I am not expecting Big to divorce Carrie for a minor mishap, but the sequences in that movie are so utopian and frustrating at times.
Bottom line, Sex and the City should just stick to Sex IN the City…and the shoes.
And then there’s the fact that the movie was never shot in Abu Dhabi. They tried to shoot here but were denied a permit as the authorities didn’t like the script. The Abu Dhabi scenes were shot in Morocco.
Yes Jad…you are right, forgot to mention that…But oh well, they got the sands and the camels, that was enough to give it a Middle Eastern feel to it…
I was annoyed with the movie with the get go; but my Irish neighbor Mary thought it was swell~ Oh well. Too long to explain biases and stereotypes and all of that …it is a Hollywood creation right?