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A saleswoman dares to ask Samantha, "Is that maybe a little too young?" when she eyes a dress that is absolutely too young for most 52-year-olds.
Charlotte, a stay-at-home mother and wife, is overwhelmed taking care of her two young daughters and that's with a full-time nanny.
Carrie worries the sparkle is disappearing from her marriage to Mr. Big, a one-time playboy who is happy to order take-out food, recline on the couch (with his shoes on, no less) and watch "Deadliest Catch" or almost anything else on TV.
Miranda has no complaint with her husband or school-age son but thinks the new senior partner at her law firm hates her and she may be right.
Welcome to "Sex and the City 2," a big-screen comedy that dramatizes a gay wedding in Connecticut and a luxurious getaway to Abu Dhabi and yet hits women where they live and laugh.
If ever a movie were made for a girls' night out, this is it. No previous knowledge of comic book villains, hot tub time machines or video game platforms required, although some women can hold those facts and Smith Jerrod's real name and details of Post-it breakups in their brains at the same time.
- Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis.
- Rating: R for some strong sexual content.
Written and directed by Michael Patrick King, "SATC 2" knows its audience. It's not afraid to have Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) warble a 1972 feminist anthem in a karaoke bar or to address ways in which women are silenced or find their voices around the world.
The story picks up two years after the 2008 movie in which Carrie and John Preston (Chris Noth) wed, just not in the splashy way and Vivienne Westwood gown the writer initially planned.
They're still trying to reconcile the couple they've become with the couple they were, while Samantha is charging through menopause with an arsenal of natural pills and potions. Charlotte starts to worry about the buxom Irish nanny (Alice Eve from "She's Out of My League") caring for her girls, and Miranda is rethinking the job she once adored.
When Samantha swings a public relations gig in Abu Dhabi the foursome heads to the "new Middle East." They're seduced by luxurious accommodations and exotic adventures but discover attitudes about women and sexual attraction can carry a high price, literally.
"SATC 2" gives Ms. Cattrall the best zingers but robs publicist Samantha of her long-established business sense. It turns "I Love Lucy" zany or simply ridiculous near the end, which takes 147 minutes to arrive, but it's generally grand fun.
Some of its best moments come when Carrie suffers sobering setbacks and Miranda and Charlotte, the only parents among the group, have an alcohol-infused heart-to-heart talk about child rearing. On the flip side of the coin, the idea of being childless by choice is seen as alien or cold by outsiders.
By transporting the women to the United Arab Emirates, played here by Morocco, writer-director King eliminates the disconnect between America's struggling economy and the women's healthy bank accounts and closets. Charlotte, for instance, makes cupcakes while wearing a vintage Valentino skirt and Carrie still treats Manolo Blahniks or Christian Louboutins as everyday footwear.
"SATC" falters, badly, in its last 20 to 30 minutes but it holds true to its core of friendship, feminism and fashion. As Samantha reminds the girls, "We made a deal a while ago. Men, babies, doesn't matter. We're soulmates."
Fans will see that's one area where the movie doesn't stumble, no matter how high the heels or the camels.
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