Movie Review: Sex and the City 2 (2010)
It's awful and damn proud of it...
Photo: New Line Cinema
As someone that only saw one episode of the hit HBO television series, the first Sex and the City movie was, for the most part, a nightmare. However, it did offer solid preparation for the two-years-later sequel that takes the excessive behavior of Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) into territories I bet even the fans of the show may not expect.
Sex and the City 2 is about as offensive a film of its nature can get, although I believe that's the point. I got the feeling writer-director Michael Patrick King listened to all the negative chatter surrounding the first film and thought to himself, "Oh yeah? Well I'll show them!" and went far beyond every stereotype he could come up with. What's most surprising about all of this is that I didn't actually hate it, mildly enjoyed myself is actually more like it.
The cast includes Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Chris Noth, Max Ryan, John Corbett, Penélope Cruz and Miley Cyrus. For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis choose from the following menu.
Review
"Sex and the City 2" is a New Line Cinema release, directed by Michael Patrick King and is rated R for some strong sexual content and language. The running time is 2 hours 23 minutes.
I laughed at the fact the audience of women I saw it with were enjoying every minute of it. I laughed as Samantha humps the air yelling "Yes, I have sex!" while surrounded by an angry group of Emirati Arabs. I laughed at the awful outfits the ladies wear making them look like 65-year-old clowns pretending to be 25-year-old drag queens. There is a certain absurdity to this film that if you manage to peel away your hatred for its existence you can actually laugh at everything in and about it. After all, I can only assume everyone involved is doing the same thing. At least I hope they are.
What it boils down to is a story of four spoiled Manhattanites embracing their sense of entitlement while befouling the whole of the United Arab Emirates on an all expenses paid trip to Abu Dhabi. Sprinkled in for flavor, Liza Minnelli performs "Single Ladies" at a "gay wedding," Penelope Cruz shows up for two minutes as someone other than Penelope Cruz and Miley Cyrus is included. The appearances by Minnelli, Cruz and Cyrus are surface level, just like the entire production… so you roll with it.
Sex and the City 2 is trash, but it has embraced that fact and is daring you to hate it. And should you hate it what do you achieve? A certain level of satisfaction that you weren't taken in by Kim Cattrall's foul mouth, menopause jokes and excessive leg-spreading? Does it mean you somehow rise above the film's materialism? Sex and the City 2 is no different than a summer blockbuster with CGI aliens or parachuting tanks. It's just a different genre. This is The A-Team for the fashion and sex-obsessed females that realize the absurdity of it all. It's their fantasy world.
Does it matter it's one of the most offensive films I have ever seen? It's actively anti-Muslim, a leading black character is nowhere to be found (I guess Jennifer Hudson fulfilled that requirement with the first film), gays are treated as a sideshow, men are treated as caricatures (seriously, does Chris Noth even identify with his character?) and the women look like creatures. It gets even better when the Muslim women remove their traditional burqas to reveal their western outfits proclaiming the ladies from NYC are their true inspirations. You see, Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte are actually fashion superheroes and they now have a loyal following of closeted Superman-like friends in Southwest Asia! This is The Dark Knight for the lady folk… at least a certain population of the lady folk that will undoubtedly turn this into a box-office success.
This is not a movie critic's film. I doubt you will find a regular critic that will give this anything higher than an above average rating, but it's not a film to be scrutinized on those terms. It's a playful fantasy where women can trample on all walks of life and insult anyone they please while sipping on Cosmopolitans and wearing hideous looking headwear. If you leave your disgust for everything this film stands for behind and laugh at the entire spectacle, you can actually have more fun than you really deserve to have with a film that never should have been made.
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I don't get you, your review tells us how awful it is, yet you give it a B-???
Have you never enjoyed watching a terrible movie?
like transformers 2??
Certainly, though I think there are differences in absurdity and intention with the two franchises.
And also if you think about it Transformers 2 was the PERFECT summer movie for its target audience, ie megan fox and giant explosions
Haha. Great review. I have to say this is probably one of the funniest reviews I have ever read!!
This is slightly unbiased and fair. There are other films that shouldn't have been taken seriously, and Brad also forgave them (like Clash of the Titans). I was just surprised that only 11% of critics actually forgave it
Actually, now I REALLY want to see this movie, but I'm still not sure I want to pay money for it. I never watched the TV show, but I was highly entertained by the first movie. But if this one is as ridiculous and offensive as you say, it sounds like just the type of bad movie I'd enjoy (especially once you add all the sex).
sorry i can't!! here be misogynous is be feminist!
I think it's great how you criticized people who liked transformers 2 like for three months and now you give this "terrible movie" a B- and you ask "have you ever enjoyed watching a terrible movie?" I really don't get you… and then you even say "I think there are differences in absurdity and intention with the two franchises" It's the same thing! the only difference is that you took transformers 2 as a personal offense….
If there were any criticisms on my part surrounding Transformers 2 outside of my review it was criticizing some of the rhetoric used in defense of the film, but never someone liking it. I'd like to see an example of where I "criticized people who liked Transformers 2" especially over a "three month" time span. Emphasis on criticized people and not ideas.
To make such an egregious claim is rather alarming. Especially to say I took a film I gave a "C" in my review as a "personal offense". Have you even been reading and comprehending what I've been writing? In one article I even wrote, "I guarantee if I wasn't reviewing this movie I would have been in theaters this weekend to see it even though I thought the first one was terrible."
Please stop making attacks based on made up information.
And to say Sex and the City 2 and Transformers 2 are bad in the same way just tells me you either haven't seen both movies or just don't understand.
Oh, here we go. If you don't like the movies cause they're terrible, you obviously don't understand it. I don't care if you like a movie or not, but what Eleonora is saying is that you are COMPLETELY inconsistent.
But I can understand why. You see, people who watch as many movies as you do, have failing memories and comatose intellects. The brainwaves for people watching a movie for 2 hours is close to those who are in a coma. This type of abuse to your brain will catch up to you and you eventually will show symptoms.
All I can say in Brad's defense, Eleonora, is that he runs his own site and offers his own opinions. If we don't like it, we can move on. But seeing him blatantly contradict himself from just a year earlier does raise some questions about his trustworthiness.
Anonymous' Friend: Why talk this morbidly? It's just a film website.
Brad is just saying that neither were good movies, but he was a lot more entertained with Sex in the City 2 obviously. Why is that hard to comprehend? It's apparent a lot of you are slow so I'll give you an example. I don't think the Matrix is a very good movie, and Keanu Reeves is terrible, but also love it. I've watched many times because I am so entertained by it even though I know that its not a very good movie. I also know that Tranformers isn't a good movie and never plan to watch it a second time because its not enjoyable for me. I could go on and on about the faults in both movies, but that doesn't change the fact that I love watching The Matrix and would much rather gouge my own eyes out than watch Transformers. If that's actually difficult for you people to understand than you probably should stop going to movie sites.
Also, Avatar sucks.
It didnt have a leading black character and thats offensive? Huh? Why?
My thoughts exactly!! So the men are treated like objects and there are no black characters–something women have been putting up with for decades! It's about time a movie focuses on what WOMEN want to see rather than MEN. I'm tired of seeing naked women–bring on the MEN!
Somehow, this review makes me want to see The A-Team.
i hate miley cyrus, but i love you
Dude … your awesome.Probably one of the funniest thing i have read on your website. Ill obviously never see this movie. You said its terrible and made it clear yet its still enjoyable if you just dont go in the theater expecting anything , at all , from the movie. something i can tell my friends who are girls to keep in mind.
When I think that other countries and American men think these four women are normal, I shudder at the thought. Thank God I did not raise my daughters to think these hussies are to be emulated.
The director's decision to put the 4 girls in Abu Dhabi seems to be directly linked to our wars abroad and the military's desire to humiliate Arabs. There is no other excuse for denigrating not one but two cultures at the same time. And yes, I consider this a denigration of the USA too.
I had already decided not to watch this but after your review I must admit that I'm a little intrigued. Maybe if I gather all my gorgeous girlfriends together and we dress up and have a few cosmos upfront..?
Or not.
I love all those critics who take themselves way too seriously and give this movie really low grades. Nice review, and I can definitely see where you're coming from.
I watched the first one a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. There, I said it.
There's great fun to be had while watching an awful movie, just laugh your ass off at how shockingly bad it is
Personally, I agree with Brad, some films sometimes so absurd it becomes interesting, even the first film was fun to watch. Can't wait to see this movie this June.
I just saw Prince of Persia yesterday, as bad as some review say it was, I personally think POP was good and entertaining. It gets dragging in the middle of the story but overall it was the best game adaptation since Silent Hill… Go watch it as your guilty pleasure movies, it will surely entertain you…
Regards from Indonesia
I had that kind of experience on Clash of the Titans and I perfectly understand where you're coming from. Yet, I guess, the only difference between us would be that, I'd never give that kind of movie a B-. To me, no matter how entertaining the film is in its awfulness, it is still awful and will be forever. CoTT deserves an A+ as an unintentional comedy. But as a movie it was horrendous, and the fact that it made me laugh only highlighted it.
Still, great review. Made me laugh damn hard, and I might actually watch the movie once I'm able to get a DVD rip, 'cause no way I'm paying for this one.
"a leading black character is nowhere to be found (I guess Jennifer Hudson fulfilled that requirement with the first film)"
Hmm, I didn't know that was a requirement. Wouldn't having a token black character be more offensive than just not having one at all?
There aren't quota's in real life and there should be in movies either.
I saw Sex and the City 2 last night and part of this review is correct. I am a die-hard fan or the series and first movie and this phenomenon called sex and the city is everything he said. It is completely absurd! And that is what I love about it. It is true and real. Sure these are wealthy women complaining about kids even though they have a nanny.. But I do not focus on that – I focus on other things I get from the series like complete absurdity!! All 4 characters are fabulous and their men equally so.
Did I even make sense??? lol
Although I like the 1st movie better – I will always be a sex and the city freak because it makes me feel normal and I can relate to a little bit about each character.
<3
Alright, I know Brad is on the cool aid now. Last week he had MacGruber as an advertisement for the main page. And now he's advocating people go see trash because, well, you shouldn't have standards and want to see movies that are "good". Can't trust this fool no more. I'll stick to RT.
All about the money and being part of the industry huh Brad? Enjoy selling out.
@ Anonymous' Friend
I believe you liked Lord Of The Rings. I think part of what Brad is saying is that women acting this way in SATC2 in these silly situations is on the same level of sillyness as wizards and hobbits battling goblins with magic. If you can ignore how stupid the setup of Lord Of The Rings is, you can have a good time. Ditto for women watching SATC2.
Dontcha ever call Lord of the Rings stupid.
Lol @ Nick. I can't believe I'm replying to a fan who's a fan of a tween sensation, but here goes.
The Lord of the Rings movies were based on a masterpiece of a fiction novel, way before people started throwing out crappy movies about wizards and monsters, i.e. harry potter. It was written over a half a century ago and it is considered one of the best fiction ever written. I think most people would never mention Lotr and Satc in the same breath, unless they have no clue what Lotr is.
The trilogy of movies were one of the best that were made, especially with respect to the books. It won oscars, made a ton of money, began a resurgence of epic fantasy films, and drew audiences from all backgrounds. Having, said that, I'm not a huge fan of Lotr, but I am of Star Wars (the original trilogy). And if you take the tone of ripping anything out of context, anyone can make anything sound stupid. Like gunfights with laserguns and lightsabers…
"And if you take the tone of ripping anything out of context, anyone can make anything sound stupid. Like gunfights with laserguns and lightsabers…"
Ah, we agree! I call this phenomenon "Buy in". One has to be able to see past any outright unbelievability and/or silliness of a movie to enjoy it. The trouble with films like SATC2 getting good reviews is that the people who publish film reviews are almost all men, and so have a harder time accepting the unbelievability and sillyness of films like SATC2 than they do The A-Team, for example.
The Lord Of The Rings was an awesome series of books, made better by excellent writing! I find it very difficult to like movies made from books I enjoy because the depiction clashes with how I imagined it. I'm not slamming LOTR. It was just supposed to be an example of unbelievability and silliness. That's just the setting, though. What's impoertant in stories are their themes. The setting is just the scaffolding.
Now here's where people will yell at me. I find "Buy In" is just as important in music as it is in movies. If you like something, for whatever reason, you will overlook it's flaws. And if you don't like some music, for whatever reason, it will not sound good. You will see this especially when you talk to our older citizens and ask them why they stopped listening to certain music. It occurs across all genres, even classical music.
P.S. Miley Cyrus' title as the "Queen of Tween" was replaced some time ago with the title "Teen Queen", as reflected in the media and in what awards she wins. She got some flack during that transition, and now she is getting flack for the transition to adulthood. It's just where she is as an artist.
@Nick, I agree "stupid" was the wrong word. After I posted my comment I thought of the perfect word, but I forget what is was.
Hi Anonymous!
I think you bring up some wonderful points, and I'd like to address them individually, starting from your first comment.
1) What Eleonora is saying is that you are COMPLETELY inconsistent.
People are allowed to like what they like. It's also conjectured, in certain quarters, that the mark of true intelligence is the ability to hold divergent thoughts at the same time. For example, right now you're working on about .45 of a thought. Question: is that too many?
2) People who watch as many movies as you do, have failing memories and comatose intellects. The brainwaves for people watching a movie for 2 hours is close to those who are in a coma. This type of abuse to your brain will catch up to you and you eventually will show symptoms.
Yes, people who watch too many movies are brain dead. Well played, you. People who work up vitriolic comments are the very height of our culture, though, of that I'm certain. And, oh, in an anonymous fashion too? Why, the veritas and bravery is dripping from your every pore. Kudos!
3) He runs his own site and offers his own opinions. If we don't like it, we can move on. But seeing him blatantly contradict himself from just a year earlier does raise some questions about his trustworthiness.
No, it raises questions about your judgment, just in general, that you're not able to read an opinion without lashing out. It indicates you've got a few misplaced anger issues going on. That's fine, transference is the spice of life and all, but it does call into question your credibility as an anonymous internet commenter.
What's that? You didn't start with any, and this is a risk free proposition for you? Fair play.
4) Last week he had MacGruber as an advertisement for the main page. And now he's advocating people go see trash because, well, you shouldn't have standards and want to see movies that are "good". Can't trust this fool no more. I'll stick to RT. All about the money and being part of the industry huh Brad? Enjoy selling out.
Sites run on ads. Macgruber ran ads. Commerce, capitalism, these are fairly recent concepts, so I get the confusion. But you've paid nothing for this site, enjoyed bashing the creator and critic involved, and are now going along your merry way.
Basically, I salute you. You call people fools from on high, while adding nothing to the conversation. That's impressive work.
Laremy, first of all, I'm a huge fan of your Box Office Oracle and love your predictions. They're well thought out and I enjoy reading them. But I understand you coming to the aid of your boss. You might have reservations about the movie, but b/c Brad's your friend…I get it. No need to go overboard and tell me I have anger issues, especially when I've gone through 3 years of Anger Management to get rid of them.
I offered that last paragraph of Brad (of owning and operating his own site to offer his own genuine opinions) as a disclaimer to my own argument. I mean, how can you rate a truly crappy movie such as this so high. I guess in the future we'll see B's and B- for Madea goes to Paris, or Garfield does the Slowjam 2. I think overall, Brad felt good about this movie, liked the absurdity, and because he was in the vicinity of the demographic for the movie, he liked it. And rated it thus.
But to most here, we'll adhere to the RT rating and pretend this movie never hit theaters. But without terrible movies like this, how can we truly enjoy the Dark Knights?
And one more thing: No need to get passive aggressive about running a site with ad revenue. Yeah, we all have to do compromise our pristine beliefs sometimes especially for work and money, but them Brad can't argue for his own integrity. I mean, if he's a sellout, to fund his site, then there's really no reason to trust him is there. Just read what he says, enjoy the entertainment, and decide for ourselves right?
You are making a lot of unsubstantiated assumptions. Do you know what selling out means? Sex and the City 2 didn't pay a dime for advertising on this site and I never even had a chance to review MacGruber since I was in France. Does this mean every ad I have running on the site (something that's most often out of my control mind you) means I have sold out? Or does it mean I am just scraping by to make a living? Where is the selling out? Plus, if I have sold out my bank account sure doesn't reflect that. You most likely grossly overestimate just how much money I make.
I called Sex and the City 2 "awful," "offensive" and "trash" and just because I had fun with it and you have grasped on to the grade and not the 700+ words in the review you now start attacking my integrity from an anonymous pedestal. Nice work.
I totally agree with you… Brad is definitely selling out. Maybe we should go to another website…
Again, I read your review and felt you sold out, not to money, but your integrity and consistency. If you did not, then why are you defensive? If you did not, then why did I feel such indignation at the rating? I like that you stand behind your rating (and I remember you wanting to get rid of that entirely for fear that people would do what I am doing), but you have to concede when you are wrong.
I am a pure free-market capitalist. I do not care about how much money you have or make, but the service you provide. By both you and Laremy pointing out that I am anonymous, well, do you want me to list my telephone number, name, and address? I can't disagree with your crappy rating? Isn't that the beauty of the Internet, you can speak your mind, without the immediate fear of intimidation or negative repercussions?
Please, you both need to take yourselves less seriously. Take your own advice about the movie and apply it to yourself. And it's alright, just because you don't have much integrity, does not mean I won't read your site. We need commentators who are not afraid to say "I like SATC 2, and I'm not afraid!" But that doesn't mean, I can't question the rest of your ratings and speech. Nothing anyone says is beyond reproach. One more thing, if you added the +/- or thumbs up/thumbs down button next to comments, you would see that most people would be with me, not because I've antagonized you, but because I make sense.
Anonymous', you can't possibly think that there's a wrong review right? If you can't accept the fact that some people actually like a movie, then you sir, are a biased person.
Give me a movie you like, I'd probably agree with some, but not all.
I didn't like The Hurt Locker, I never liked The Godfather II, does that mean I'm wrong? No. I just didn't like it. Just like the 8% of the population in RT.
You need to make an explanation over here… i really don't get you
First off Brad, that was an ok review. Not one of your best, but I understand why:
I find it very difficult for someone who isn't a fan of a TV series to really comment on the movie it is based on. With all honesty, all that critic can do is comment on the 2 hours they have seen, coupled along with the small general knowledge they picked up throughout the years of that show's existence. The core audience have followed the show from the beginning. They know the characters, what they have been through and all the stories in between.
That's why I find this review from Brad isn't one of his best. But what more can he offer? What can he really say? Besides the comment of a missing lead black character (something which not only seems a bit weak to even criticize and really doesn't have anything to do with any movie), his review pretty much says that this movie is dumb fun. And what more can he say? He doesn't know the show's history. He knows one episode and the first movie. That's as far as his knowledge of Sex and the City can go.
Let's ease up. The show is what it is. The movies are more of the same. The intended audience are fans from the show. The casual moviegoer will either watch it cuz they somewhat enjoyed the first, or pass altogether.
And come on, who freakin cares that the women got older? Seriously? That's such a lame point to bring out in a review for this movie. Harrison Ford got older, but everyone flocked to a new Indiana Jones movie. And you know why? Indiana Jones fans didn't care, they were happy to get a new installment. Same with the Sex and the City fans.
Am I wrong in this?
A film based on any existing property should also be perfectly able to stand on its own feet. If said movie is truly good, it could be enjoyed fully without knowing its "history", whatever it is.
No actually, it can't. Because the point of the movie is not to explain origins and relationships and past histories so that a new viewer can understand, it merely shows a new story with existing characters that people already know everything about. These characters grew over the span of 6 seasons, at one point it's the viewer's responsibility to go out and watch that show if you want to fully enjoy what the movie has to offer. We can't expect a movie based on an established TV series to be a brand new start so that every new viewer knows what's going on, that's unreasonable and completely unfair to the longtime viewers expecting something fresh. We're all grown ups, we can do our own research instead of expecting to be told all the relationships and stories from 6 TV seasons in a span of a 2-hour movie.
For example, the scene where Carrie meets Aiden meant nothing to me because I didn't see the show and did not know their history from the series. But the ones who watched the show knew exactly what was going on and to them, that scene meant more and felt more intense.
Good Stuff people – Socrates would be proud. In a perfect world – people could have the type of conversations you all just did – but without the implicit "you & idiot" understoods. Realistically though – the "you and idiot" components of the conversation is a "tribal" part of what makes these convos so interesting – I guarantee you those parts of their conversations were edited out of the Allegory of the Cave (was that with Socrates? I think it was.. you get my point).
You all obviously have some respect for each others' opinions — and your intentions are intellectually sound (good) — you all see that — and that's why you even bother to respond back and forth. Imagine if the other persons comments we COMPLETELY idiotic; it wouldn't be worth your time – it would speak for itself.
Smile at this one — if you're married or inclined to take this more seriously than you should .. don't.
You'd probably be friends if you met each other in person .. you all know it :) – And if there was enough of a physical attraction and you were "single enough" (whatever that means to each of you) – considering the cute tensions that arose from these conversations – you all might end up in one of those sex and the city scenes (slick wink and smile). — and maybe part soon afterwards .. (next episode) ..or not :)
Larger point tho: That's why so many women will relate to this movie — even though its "absurd" — it takes a little bit of their insecurities, their indulgences, that little girl sense fairy tales (that I now realize that never entirely goes away — even in the most broken women — almost like its a part of their DNA .. something that makes that them so inherently and beautifully feminine); their realities, .. with a hint of suspension of disbelief (I did digress for a bit) – but the movie takes all these ingredients blends it and puts it into a nice little filmstrip they can watch thru their "viewmasters" (remember those?
Whether the actual plot or "theatrics" are good or not ..the anticipation of the movie, the trip to the movie, the discussion of the movie with their girls (or guys) — everything that is the event that is the movie .. imo – is what these ladies truly enjoy .. albeit more subliminally for some than others.
Could've written this a little better — but it communicates what I mean — fill in the technical writing blanks. I'm not a writer ..just doing my best to get these thoughts out of the brain.. work with me.
Today though, .. this black man — will invite his son's mother (Baby Momma) to go see the movie — I'll watch her enjoy it (like I enjoy playing NBA 2K10 .. or Assasin's Creed 2 – inspite of their technical inconsistencies) –
We'll put aside all of our personal issues and enjoy the same type of communications you guys had — but on and at our personal level.
I'll indulge her in her analysis .. good and/or bad — even play Devil's advocate where necessary to spice up the conversation .. and make sure that she thoroughly enjoys the celebration of womanhood the movie intends.
I haven't seen it yet. But, like I said before, its technical proficiency as a work of art is almost irrelevant — even if we end up leaving half way through (which I highly doubt knowing her :)
But I'm sure, inspite of its value as an actual work of art – a consideration of its inherent feminity — is built into the reviewers rating. And reading the anonymous friend's comments .. – you gotta love the rose growing thru concrete persona that is femininty – for all its good and bad parts. I'd bet the house that is not a man. Entertain me if you will Anonymous FR .. Am I right or wrong? (At least in the sense of what men and women are today :)
Personally, maybe that's why I can't seem to shake these chics and just pick one (my personal issues ..lol) ..their essence is beautiful — take 10 different women to see this movie and somewhere in there you'll enjoy some of the most intriguing conversations you've had.
Today tho – I'll do my best to make sure my lil boy's Mom feels loved — make sure she forgets the drama of her realities. Make sure her brain receives all the dopamine possible via the Sex and the City experience .. drop her home in that innocent way girls like and go back to the business of living our respective lives and raising our son. Thanks Sex and the City for helping me with that !!
Love that human discourse though — forgive my scatter brain — just enjoyed your posts enough to make a comment.
PS – the black character bit in this particular movie ..? ..eh.
why did you delete my post? Is this like this? You erase the posts that dare you to explain something that's contradictory? Excuse me but this isn't a real website is you follow that code. You have to accept other people's point of view… you definitely are a prepotent person. I dare you to not erase this comment and to face it…
COWARD…. SCREW YOU AND YOUR WEBSITE… YOU'RE TOO COQUY
Apologies for some comments being temporarily removed, an update to the spam filter went a bit haywire, but I believe everything is back up.
what a day to be brad! bet you didn't think that sex and the city 2 would bring this level of chaos into your life.
anonymous friend: brad is grading the film, and all films, on his level of enjoyment. that is fairly evident. if he enjoys an, admittedly, terrible film…he'll grade it higher than, say, a horrible film he fought to get through. you making comments like, "clearly he has no integrity", or whatever, just shows that maybe you are dealing with your own issues. no one persons integrity, or lack thereof, can be boiled down to a grade they gave sex in the city 2. here's an example for you to chew on: citizen kane is clearly an amazing film. it is adored by almost everyone, and widely considered the best film ever made. it is painful for me to watch, and if i ran a website, i'd give it a middling mark, even though i am fully aware of how it is a masterpiece. do i lack integrity? or am i just stating how I feel about a film? isn't that why you are here? to see what brad's opinion is on certain films? if not, and i'm sure he'll agree, enjoy rotten tomatoes. don't bark because you you think that he should have enjoyed it less.
eleonora: get a hold of yourself, no one needs to read your personal attacks, especially on a film criticism and review website.
anyways, there's my 2 cents. most likely riddled with spelling mistakes!
oh…and why come down on the guy for having movie advertisments on his website? isn't that the goal of running a website? to be able to allow your opinions and views be read by whomever chooses, and to possibly, hopefully make a life doing it? if not…i'm sure he'd just keep a diary!
i've never seen him cater to his advertisers. so if you are going to accuse him of something, at least make it a viable accusation.
Uh huh. Yeah that's what it was. The spam filter, right. Noticed Eleonora's comment about you being a sellout was deleted.
I'm rather surprised that you're seriously offended by others questioning your integrity. Especially after this review. Love the news you put out, Brad, but frankly I question your judgment on some reviews. Take it easy, no hard feelings.
Nah, it's still up there. Posted at 10:21 AM. Only one I removed was one referring negatively of Sarah Jessica Parker since it wasn't needed.
Wow guys.. seriously.. chill out.. especially that anonymous kid.. its a personal review.. opinions vary from time to time on a specific genre to seriously just calm down.. smoke some weed dude.. coffee or green tea, anything that soothes and gets u high.. watch meet the spartans.. great movie while ur high.. so yeah do that dude really need to just calm down and let the man do what he loves..
this is my favorite film website and that won't change just because he gave this movie a good rating for the fact that he enjoyed it for the wrong intentional reasons.. if u enjoy it then so be it.. doesn't change his integrity and consistency one bit.. just means he's 100% honest and can have different views for more than one film in the genre.. i mean if he was gonna go for the serious critical review im sure he's not gonna say this movie is oscar worthy.. but the makers of the movie clearly don't have that goal either.. if u can't enjoy it either way so whatever.. its ur opinion.. if u watch another of these type of movies even without taking it seriously like transformers.. u could still hate it.. and not a lot of critics do that which i applaud Brad for.. i mean i knw i won't like this movie in a serious way but if im in a good mood and wanna just have a silly little time with the movies i'll enjoy this one.. again especially when im high.. that is just gold!
ehm….. wow….. I'm not sure what to say.
I'm just going to skip some of the conversation above and please, PLEASE keep that atlantic ocean between us ok? Some of you scare me.
I have been exposed to the series as my wife loves it.
I surely don't, if not simply detest it.
She'll go and watch it and my guess is she'll enjoy it exactly for the reasons Brad pointed out.
I do agree that you can enjoy crappy movies but it doesn't mean you have to enjoy all crappy movies.
It doesn't make you inconsistend but it does mean you grade every movie on it's own merrits.
Past experience with the subject matter has tought me I have to disagree with Brad on this occasion as I will not enjoy SATC2.
I'll even go as far as to avoid at all cost.
So there you have it.
Different opinions from different people.
I respect Brads and my wifes opinions while having a very different one myself.
That's alowed these days you know. Isn't it wonderfull?
Got news for you rattler, I'm already here. So Boo!
@Brad: Well thanks for not deleting my posts. I worked hard to waste my time during work and emailing my buddies the messages.
i love how the first thing you wrote back there in that comment was something like
first of leremy im a huuuuuuge fan
bro leave the sucking up out of this, and maybe flip out over a movie thats more important to the universe then sex and the city 2………
Brad asks: "Does it matter it's one of the most offensive films I have ever seen? It's actively anti-Muslim, a leading black character is nowhere to be found… gays are treated as a sideshow, men are treated as caricatures… and the women look like creatures."
nah, none of that matters, Brad. Hope you enjoy SATC3. Anyone who gives this tripe a pass deserves more of the same.
this is the worst f****** review i have ever read for the worst f****** movie ever concived. the reviewer call it a terrible movie and then precedes to rate it a B-. In my book the movie gets a big fat F-. This movie should have never been green lit and is a discrace to our society. If the movie is terrible it deserves a terrible grade it doesnt matter who the movie is made for thats like saying sh** tastes good. It is an even bigger discrace to compare this movie to TDK. TDK is light years above the piece of sh** that is sex in the city 2. This movie doesnt have any story, terrible characters and an absolutely pointless plot. It should never be compared to this sh** just because it will make money any good reviewer would know that in a review if you are gonna compare a movie you compare it base on content not box office. You should be fired for even considering this movie is B quality and Brad grow a f****** pair and rate the movie based on the content not the demographic.
Having A different opinion isn't bad. It doesn't make the review nor the reviewer bad.
He doesn't compare SATC2 with TDK but the enjoyment their respective audiences can get with their movie.
He also agrees with you that it's bad and it shouldn't have been made.
So you don't like it, then disagree, give solid arguments to support your opinion but respect others opinions.
Brad speaks for himself not you, I'm sure your able to do that yourself.
Based on the content? But there's more to movies than just content. Avatar was (in MY own personal opinion and not speaking for anyone else) storywise unoriginal and highly predictable. Thats the content.
But does that make it bad? Not to me, I still liked it because of the way the story was told.
So grow a pair, act like a grown-up and look up freedom of thought and freedom of speech.
I hear it's all the rage.
Brad, I still don't agree with you. I'm extremely confident I will not enjoy SATC2 and therefore will not go and see it. Argument is stated in my previous post.
See how easy that was? And I didn't have to get angry or anything.
Guys, please, it was just a review, it's all subjective, it always is, please don't take it personally, if you are disagree with Brad it doesn't mean we all could question his integrity. Just simply ask his reasons and that's it. No need to make it like it was a crime. People share different opinion, that's all.
Regards from Indonesia
I don't see why Brad is getting attacked just because he enjoyed "Sex and the City 2" purely as a bad movie. Heck, I get similar enjoyment from watching "Sound of Thunder" and "Batman & Robin."
For me, I can sort of see why women dig SATC like "Twilight." They want a fantasy to escape into for a while, but it's something that excludes everyone else. And it's amazingly superficial and lame, like Samantha having an orgasm on a Hummer just as fireworks go off.
Haters, if you hate Brad just go away. We enjoy this website out of respect and fun. This is a nice place to share your opinions about movies intellectually. So what if the Dark Knight was better than SatC? I personally didn't like SatC but I sure as well didn't love TDK too much for it to be like a God. Everyone has their own opinion.
Have you watched Clash of the Titans? That is a perfect example of a bad movie that you can enjoy (not in 3D). Maybe Brad just simply liked SatC because it was bad enough to make him enjoy it. I didn't like the movie, so what? It's Brad's opinion and there's nothing you can do to change it just because your opinion contradicted with him.
He has a website that earns him a living, he has earned the right for his reviews to be respected, get over it.
I don't really get all the negative critisism up there – I mean Brad said that the movie was terrible and awful in the main line. He wrote 700 words in the reviews but people are going crazy about the grade.
Brad, I hope this doesn't make you risk averse to making such gradings in the future, let the haters hate I say.
There was someone who posted how the women who like this series see it as an event. They go with their girlfriends, maybe go for supper before and make a night out of it. I saw the movie last night with my wife, and I saw exactly that. Women enjoying a movie based on a series they loved. Yes, Sex and the City is absurd, yes it can be corny but you know what? That's what makes it fun. My wife had a blast. The theater was packed, and all those women were all smiles after the movie and that was nice to see. The fans got another installment from their beloved series and that was enough for them. I never watched the series but enjoyed the first movie, and kinda enjoyed the second. But that movie wasn't made for me, it was made for my wife and the 150 people in that theater who love that show.
Someone posted about not reviewing based on the demographic, but you know what? Sometimes you have to. The plot wasn't strong, dialogue was cheesy, some scenes were a little weird and the characters are the same but that is EXACTLY what the people who love this show expect. The show is about middle-aged women acting like 18-year olds in NYC. So yeah, when you see SATC2, you keep in mind who this is directed to and what that audience is expecting, not what that persion who knows nothing about the series wants from it.
Oh, and what makes me laugh are the ones who hate on this movie but never liked the series in the first place. What, are we supposed to be surprised that someone who doesn't enjoy this show won't be seeing the sequel? Really? Um, move on then lol Why are you even commenting on how you won't be watching it?
And complaining about things like plot and character development in a movie like SATC2 is like complaining that there is too much gore in any Saw movie. Honestly, what were you expecting from this movie? All those characters are already fully developped from all those seasons on TV. The plot was maybe not so strong, but it was there.
Geez, I have never seen this much backlash to a review or any article on this site since I started visiting it. And you would think it would be about something more serious than, of all things, SATC2.
After getting a huge laugh out of reading all these comments, I figure I'll put my two cents in.
Brad's letter grade is a reflection of his viewing in respect to his expectations. I don't know if I said that correctly, but in essence if he got what he expected, it's a "C", if it was better, he had more fun, whatever, it gets a higher grade, and vice versa. Now, this isn't saying that he thought it was better than movies he's given a worse grade to, it's just he enjoyed this better than he expected. I mean, look at his end of the year lists, if the rating system was a be all, end all, it would be the same order as his grades, but, last year Inglourious Basterds was second with an "A-" and Fantastic Mr. Fox was third with an "A". And both of these were ahead of Paranormal Activity, a film he gave an "A+". So, the grades aren't as mighty as you all are making them out to be. Read the review, you'll understand exactly what this movie is about and that you can have fun watching a terrible movie like this.
This is precisely what I hate about reviewers giving "ratings" in their reviews. it completely takes away from what is really important in the review… the words.
Although I'm not a professional, I run into a similar problem with my blog. I would rate a movie like "The Losers" a 6/10, which isn't a very strong rating. It's not a great film narratively, artistically or technically. Yet, it's a hell of a fun time and I would NEVER discourage anyone from seeing it.
There was a time when Brad was debating to take the grades off his reviews, and he decided against it because popular vote told him to keep them. If he wrote the exact same review, but left the grade off, no one would be complaining about what he said.
Please, read the words he has written and don't just criticize the grade he has given the movie. Grades are always arbitrary anyway.
Lol — So we went to see the movie .. she thought it was bad – It was pretty bad ..lol :)– She gave it a 6 out of 10. I've gotten used to listening to Sex in the City episodes like background music …like that Mr. Big cat probably would. My son's Mom and I analyzed the "flic" like an AP teacher on the C- paper of a student with B+ potential ..lots of red ink .. with a hint of dissapointment.
We agreed that – at most, it should have been an episode instead of a 2.5 hour movie — we concluded they likely got the contract for the movie first and then hastily wrote the C- paper (as the deadline approached) to pass the ROI class.
You can always learn a thing or two about the female psyche watching these things tho – took it like a bad poorly controlled for physche experiment.
The Experience?… Maaan, I didn't know they had VIP theaters where you could drink liquor and watch movies .. who drinks and watches movies anyways .. IN A MOVIE THEATRE !!:) She spent about 10 minutes trying to convince me the concept made sense. I had the theatre staff cracking up cause they knew it was something only females would fall for :) ..and drag dudes like me in there … SMH
I laughed at her re the "opulence" of the VIP theatre — Especially when the guy who wouldve been the ticket checker brought in some popcorn (professional chef style)for the elderly above us ..cool to see the old dude and his wife sipping on their wine tho .. I felt bad about putting my feet up in the "pretty" movie theatre .. did it anyway.
Overall .. the movie itself .. C something .. the experience hmm.. B something.
I probably wont be on here much more .. but mark my word .. that Karate kid movie will sell like "Rush Hours" … son's Mom thinks it'll flop. If I remember .. I'll check back to see what you guys have on that one .. take care peoples. Love the tone after that first comment I posted
It enjoyed the review – thanks Brad.
I live in the United Arab Emirates (I'm an expat, I'm not Emirati) and altho I haven't seen the movie – I have seen the trailer – and i can assure you, Abu Dhabi doesn't look like that, there are no such men in the pools (altho my friends and i wished there were!); emirates palace doesnt look like that nor do they dress like that. I realized the movie will just be another american stereotype of the world.
They portray Abu Dhabi like it is Baghdad in a tale from "a thousand and one night"!
I am a fan of the sex & the city episodes, their insights about what women think and feel and go through – when you're single and want to "live it up".
I will see the movie and judge for myself, but it saddens me that what sex & the city started out to be is completely lost.
WELL I GOTTA SAY, IVE NEVER NEVER LAUGHED AT HOW MUCH SOME OF YOU PEOPLE GETS SO UNSETTLED..BUT…I DO SOMEWHAT UNDERSTAND WHERE SOME OF YOU ARE COMING FROM…A GREATER PORTION OF THE POPULATION WORK HARD FOR THERE MONEY AND WANT TO SPEND THERE MONEY ON QUALITY THINGS, CARS, HOMES, EDUACATION, THE FINERTHINGS IN LIFE AND THE SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE, I.E FOOD, MOVIES…SO BACJKWHEN THE INTERNET WASNT SO POPULAR, WE WOULD LOOK IN THE SUNDAY PAPER OR LISTEN TO LITTLE HEADLINES MADE BY CERTAIN CRITICS (EBERT AND ROEPER) AND HOPE THEY WOULD GIVE THERE "2THUMBS UP" BECAUSE WE TRUSTED THERE REVIEWS AND NEW THAT THERE OPINIONS MEANT SOMETHING. SO WHEN BRADS SAYS THIS MOVIES RIDICULOUS,TERRIBLE,(DONT QUOTE ME, BUT BASUICALLY SAYS ITS A BAD MOVIE) AND GOES ON TO GRDE IT HIGH SCORES, THATS WHY CERTAIN PEOPLE GET MAD AND CALLEM A SELLOUT..I PERSONALLY ALWAYS READ THIS SITE AND RT, ALTHOUGH I QUESTION HIS REVIEW I STILL CONTINUE TO READ ON, LIKE MOST SAY"SO WHAT ITS JUST 1 REVIEW" BUT AT THE SAME TIME I DO SEE WHERE SOME PEOPLE COME FROM….
IVE SEEN CERTAIN MOVIES WHERE BRADS RATED CERTAIN THINGS I DISAGREE W/ JUST A BIT, BUT OVERALL WERE ON THE SAME WAVE LENGTH,…ME PERSONALLY I REALLY ENJOYED TRANSFORMERS 2, AND HE DIDNT AS MUCH..BUT LIKE HOT TUB TIME MACHINE, I CRIED MYSELF LAUGHING…
SO ON THAT NOTE, JUST ENJOY THE MOVIES YOU WATCH, OR NOT…
THERE ARE OTHER CRITICS OUT THERE WHO ARE JUST AS RELIABLE,IN SOME SORTS
SORRY ABOUT THE SPELLING
Karate kid … 40 million production budget — 56 million DOMESTIC gross … See my comments above. I guess that MBA i just paid a bunch of money for helps with forecasting … lol. Wooow – and that was a while ago.