The recent conclusion of And Just Like That… (the latest installment of the Sex and the City franchise) got me thinking about beloved characters in not-so-beloved situations. Like most people, I hate-watched this series week after week, hoping for glimpses of what I loved about the original TV show. Friendship. Fashion. Romance. Humor. Sadly, the show was so terrible, and such a betrayal of characters I’d come to know inside and out, that I couldn’t help but wonder… was it as terrible as Sex and the City 2 (Disc/Download)?
Before this week, my memories of the second SATC movie were scattered and vague. It had been fifteen years since I watched it in the theater, and sometimes I wondered if I dreamed the whole thing. I recalled camels, Samantha sweating a lot, and men leering at Charlotte’s bra-less nanny. Surely, there must have been more to it. So, Cosmo in hand, I gave it another shot. And reader, I’m here to tell you: it’s not that bad!!! On a sliding scale from, “She’s fashion roadkill!” to Seema’s two-episode deodorant arc, it falls somewhere around Charlotte’s marriage to Trey. Well intentioned, but ultimately not a slam dunk. For every lovely scene of four women laughing together and talking about their jobs and relationships, there’s also a weird cameo or plot point that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Liza Minnelli singing “All the Single Ladies” at a Gay Wedding (seriously, they go to painstaking efforts to call this wedding “gay” no less than twenty times) is somehow not even as bad as Carrie throwing a hissy fit because Big wants to watch classic films in bed. On second thought, maybe this woman deserved to be punched in the head by Aiden’s psychotic son.
I’ve featured Cosmopolitans on the blog before, but there are so many variations, it’s almost like there’s one for every iteration of this show! I spent all summer immersing myself in the gospel of Ina Garten, beginning with her famous Cosmo recipe from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, and it’s become a new favorite. Therefore, while you’re watching Sex and the City 2, make it a whole lot more enjoyable with a Duke’s Cosmopolitan!
Duke’s Cosmopolitan
2 oz Fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 oz Cointreau
3 ½ oz Cranberry juice
3 ½ oz Vodka
Dash of egg white
Combine ingredients in a shaker half-filled with ice. Shake for 30 seconds, then strain into a martini glass (serves 2).
I have a crazy conspiracy theory that the only reason And Just Like That… exists is because Michael Patrick King wanted to take a bit of the heat off Sex and the City 2. People (myself included!) trashed this movie so much when it came out. But now, by comparison, it seems almost good. Granted, a lot of elements had to come together for me to feel this way. Romantic comedies had to be wiped off the Hollywood release slate completely. Movies had to pretty much stop featuring designer clothing. Samantha had to flee to London, taking all the laughs with her. Carrie had to spend three years not smiling, writing a terrible novel about “the woman”. Miranda had to become an alcoholic, and Charlotte had to become a cartoon. I guess, looking back to the days before all this happened, it makes you realize we had it all. But now, at long last, she is done.
She is done.
She is done.
Cinema Sips 