Appreciating a Sex and the City movie can sometimes feel like mining. But if you dig, certain jewels – and not the material kind – are there. Sharp and knowing, this is a moving, surprisingly traditional “women’s picture” in ridiculous, overpriced clothing. As with the first film, the genuine moments here are buried beneath breathless fashion worship and calculated raunchiness. Yet for all the jewelry and sequined outfits, the conversations are what really sparkle. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big (Chris Noth) engage in some smartly comic marriage negotiations, while Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) share some parenting confessions over cocktails. Each of these talks – skillfully acted, wittily written – carry a germ of truth. And when they’re added up at the end of the movie, they’re enough to make you grateful for the time spent with women who initially appear vapid and materialistic.
