Thursday, May 27, 2010

SATC2 Anyone?

Last night I was invited to the premiere of Sex and the City 2 and I totally went in prepared to launch a tirade on its frivolous nonsense. I was coerced into going by my friends Rob and Alex and I fought food poisoning just to go! I told myself that it would fill in an evening alone while Jet was away. But the reality was quite different; I loved every minute of the damn movie.

Carrie Bradshaw has always grated on me. I find her unquestionably selfish, her fixation with image is something I don't understand and her life has never been enviable to me. I watched the series on television from time to time and even recently saw the first SATC movie. None of which really did much to sell me on the franchise.

But this movie is entirely different; all 3 hours of it. The characters have finally got their acts together and they had fun collectively, individually and in their relationships (or lack thereof for Samantha). They had funny pithy lines, made fun of themselves (especially Samantha), and at long last, demonstrated some real-life emotion. I laughed, I cried, I clapped and I gasped and yelled "Boo" at Carrie during a very appropriate moment (I'm practicing my non-spoiler skills here). Every storyline tied together and made a full circle to completion. It had the potential to become a man-hater feminist movie, but instead these strong female characters acknowledged that relationships do take work, compromise and sacrifice, and if we choose well, some men really can get it right and make the effort worth the wait. And I should know - when it comes to choosing a man who gets it right, I have one.

The best part of this movie though, for me at least, was the location. It took me back to a place that makes my soul sing. Although they refer to it as Abu Dhabi in the film, it is actually Marrakesh. The last time I was in Morocco, she gave me food poisoning, but the will to experience this amazing country overcame the symptoms (temporarily) and I did manage to sneak in some fun and some very lovely photos and of course, some fabulous purchases. I was there for only a few days, but it was the most amazing sensation, a feast for my eyes, my ears, my nose. The heat enveloped me like a protective blanket while I strolled through the narrow paths in the souk and bargained down the vendors for a few new pairs of shoes. My green eyes and white skin almost got me into trouble a few times but my firm command of the word "no" finally came in handy. Watching SATC2 took me back to one of the most magical times in my life and made me smile from the inside out. So I am going to watch it again - but this time with tissues for the bits that I know will make me cry. Going to the premiere was a pretty awesome perk. Maybe living in Vegas isn't so bad after all...

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