Sex and the ..?
They are back: Four girl friends from downtown Manhattan, New York, the “Concrete Jungle” that Alicia Keys sings about in her soundtrack “Empire State of Mind” accompanying the movie. It comes back when the soundtrack starts: the comforting “Sex and the City”-feeling that made grey tueday nights bright blue. It comes back but it does not remain for long.
Just in time bevor the second part hit the cinemas across the world, a well-known German TV station that one has shown the series, repeated the first episode of “Sex and the City, the movie”.
Just three days prior to my visit at the box officde, Spiegel Online came up with the film critics: “Pop-Propaganda in the desert sand (German language only“. Oh ha, that headline made me read attentively. I really took the ladies coming from the city “where dreams are made” to my heart but inappropriate exposure of Arab cultural values could not be tolerated.
And then cam the day, the day of truth. One question remaind unanswered right from the start: “where are the lights, that are going to inspire me?” The longsome sequences of a gay marriage at the beginning of the film who’s protagonists were irrelevant for the movie’s plot were just irritating. But then came Abu Dhabi – even though it was filmed in Morocco – but at least the Emirates Palace was shown from the outside where the four ladies resided thanks to Samantha’s brilliant PR-contacts. And then it got started! One stereotye about the Arabs followed the other: A first class luxury trip, Maybachs for all, personal butlers from India, prudish Arabs unable to cope with Samanthas everlasting sex drive. Finally the coxed four fall from favour and have to break off their holiday ahead of schedule. But not without taking up the cudgels on behalf of the “pitiable, suppressed and vailed” Arabic women, wearing Haute Couture under their Hidschab, longing desperately for a trip to the city, “that inspires you”.
Too bad that a reunion yearned for turned out to be a big disappointment. What remains is a very nice soundtrack from a terrific R’n’B-star: enjoy it!
