This weekend I walked into Bergdorf Goodman in New York City for an interview session with the cast and director of Sex and the City 2 (Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Catrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Chris Noth and Michael Patrick King). I walked through the same revolving door as the four women do in one of the opening scenes of the movie (that hits theaters on May 27), when they go to peruse a wedding registry. That’s right, there’s a wedding! I won’t say who, but it’s a fabulous, over-the-top affair that includes Liza Minelli, who I can safely affirm is the new Betty White.

Up I went to the second floor shoe salon (drool), that’s brimming with the very brands that these girls adore, namely Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo, to await the cast. Two years ago, when the first movie came out, I interviewed these six stars, plus Jennifer Hudson and phenomenal costume designer Patricia Field. Today, petite SJP is in a silvery-gray skirt and jacket and a neon pink top beneath (all Elie Saab) and sparkly eye shadow (which is very apropos, as “sparkle” is one theme of the movie and how to keep the sparkle in marriage); Cynthia looks beautiful in a floral dress; Kim’s stunning in an asymmetrical blue dress; and Kristin is classic in a printed strapless dress. The four of them look as if they could head out to the latest hotspot for dinner and cosmos when this press conference is over.

SJP is in a funny mood, cracking jokes; Kim’s soft-spoken and elegant; Cynthia’s thin and prettier than you expect; Kristin has a high-pitched giggle that she delivers after Sarah Jessica makes a quip. They seem to get along very well and genuinely enjoyed the bonding experience of shooting on location abroad for the first time and sharing Thanksgiving dinner together.

So what’s changed in two years for Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, Samantha and their supporting men? They’ve evolved from the flighty singletons in New York, trying to figure men out. Now there’s marriage and kids and what being an independent woman means in 2010. This script wasn’t written to indulge the 20-something singleton who loves fashion and the latest NYC hotspot. This was written for the audience who has evolved with these women into wives and mothers. With that as the backdrop, the four ladies venture to Abu Dhabi. Writer/Director Michael Patrick King said that as a movie-maker, he felt a responsibility to the fans to make a movie where the women could escape, along with the audience, from the recession and depression of New York and the U.S. So he chose Abu Dhabi, the “new” Middle East for an all-expenses-paid opulent vacation destination. The four agree to go away for a week, leaving their jobs, husbands and kids, and fly first class to the United Arab Emirates. But along with their Prada luggage, they bring their baggage as well. For Miranda, that’s her career and motherhood; for Carrie, it’s her marriage; for Charlotte, it’s motherhood; and for Samantha, it’s menopause. Being in the Middle East also expands the girls’ views of women’s roles beyond their own Manhattan existences.

Overall, the movie isn’t as great as the first one, but it’s still fun and gives us SATC junkies our fix. The fashion is pretty great; Aidan’s back and hotter than ever; the cosmos are there; the decadence is there; but the dating and rooting for the girls’ love lives is gone, but I guess that’s the reality of life. King did a great job of tackling motherhood, marriage and the independent woman in 2010 both in America and at the other extreme in the Middle East. Just as the girls have evolved, so has the audience and I think wives and mothers will relate to and appreciate this film.

For a full review of the movie, check out our newsletter that comes out May 27^th.

Tags: Celebrity, Gossip, Sex and the City

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