A Spoiler-Laden Review of Sex and the City 2

That wouldn't be all that appealing.

So the sequel sends them to Abu Dhabi!

In a feverish stretch of the imagination, Samantha manages to get a job there and arranges to have all her friends go too!

There, they can prance and shop and drink and be waited on by hot men. (Yes, each gal is lavishly assigned a free slave. One of them is named Abdul, "as in Paula." I'm not making this up.)

And once there, they need some romantic complications too--so Carrie manages to run into her old flame Aidan (John Corbett).

He just happens to be smack dab in Abu Dhabi!

And they kiss!

This normally wouldn't mean all that much, but Carrie makes sure to call Mr. Big back home and tell him about it! Oy.

Meanwhile, as they work out their various marital problems in between trips to karaoke bars, the four gals are suddenly feminist icons who inspire the local woman--which basically means that a bunch of the local gals hide garish designer clothes under their burkahs!

Most of this is very dull, though Liza is spunky in the gay wedding scene and Kim Cattrall gets to roll around the desert and shriek, "Lawrence of my labia!"

The result is not Ishtar, but it's not exactly Outrageous Fortune either.

There are so many other ways one could imagine this sequel having gone, with livelier results.

For example, Carrie and Big could have renewed their vows as Liza sang "Abu Dhabi Honeymoon."