Sex and the City 2

by Cindy

I had a chance to see Sex and the City 2 on the plane on the way back home. For those of you who might have missed it, the movie is set in Abu Dhabi, which is about 90 miles down the road. For those of you who have seen it, I thought I would share some perspective on how well they did. For those of you who might be waiting to rent the movie, I promise no spoilers!

• The movie was not filmed in Abu Dhabi but in Morocco.
• They were supposedly staying at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi - Emirates Palace is a LOT nicer than the hotel in the movie.
• There is a scene where taxis pull up in front of the hotel - our taxis are much nicer. They are all very clean, new and never smell.
  
• The hotel room cost $22,000/night. That is probably about right (if you're staying at the real Emirates Palace Hotel)!
• The hotel room came with a butler for each guest - again, that sounds about right.
• Upon arrival everywhere the ladies are offered Arabic tea or juices - that always happens. This is a very hospitable place.
• There is a scene where the butler mentions that he flies to see his family every three months, when he can afford the plane ticket. In reality, it would be more like every three years.
• One of the things that happens in the movie is Sara Jessica Parker's character leaves her passport at the souk (market) but doesn't realize it until days later. She returns to the shop to look for her passport and the shop keeper has kept it safe for her. That would totally happen. When we moved here, I left my purse on the bus over a weekend and it was found and returned to me.
• Jail would absolutely be the punishment for having sex on the beach. The fact that Kim Cattrall's character got out of jail means that she had "wasta" [which means "influence"]. The fact that the trip was basically revoked after her stint in jail is a reasonable response here.
• Kim Cattrall's behavior at the sheesha bar and in the scene leading up to the beach would be totally inappropriate here.
• There is another scene where Kim Catrall's character is wearing shorts and a spaghetti strap top. You would never wear anything like that, it is very insensitive. Most of the clothing in the movie would be considered inappropriate here.
  
• There is a scene in the souk where covered ladies pull the American women into a room and reveal that they, too, are wearing the latest fashion. That is so true! Under the abayas and shaylas women over here wear clothes right off the runway!

I would say that as a whole, they did a decent job representing the culture here. The over-the-top wealth was shown as well as some of the things in American culture that clash with the culture here. I didn't think the movie was all that great but it does give you a brief glimpse into culture here in the UAE. It's worth a rental at least.