Sex and the City

  • 2008-06-11
  • By Monika Hanley

BIDDING FAREWELL: The movie is the final installation ina series that captures the imagination of women worldwide.

Director: Michael Patrick King

Well the promoters must be doing something right. People of all ages and sexes have been queuing up to see this movie even people who weren't fans of the television. Quite and achievement for a romantic comedy.
Take myself, I have never seen "Sex and the City" on Television. I had maybe seen an episode or two on a plane once, but had heard so much hype about the movie that I felt it best to go and see what all the fuss was about. Luckily for the uninitiated, the opening credits were a montage of the whole series.

The film is about the loves and life of four professional New York girls, Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) Miranda Hobbes(Cynthia Nixon) Kristin Davis (Charlotte York) and narrator and columnist Carrie Bradshaw(Sarah Jessica Parker)

 The movie begins five years after the TV show ends. The women's lives haven't changed much. After an unromantic wedding planning session Carrie has some doubts about marrying the illustrious Mr. Big, (Chris Noth.) They do some apartment hunting, find  a perfect one on Fifth Avenue which a divorced couple has left. Carrie, after seeing the tiny closet, isn't surprised the marriage ended. But as a man after Carrie's heart, Mr. Big builds her the closet of her dreams and all is well, for the moment.

After about 45 minutes of fairly fast-paced story development and cute touching moments, things start to get confusing. Someone gets pregnant, someone is cheated on and someone's wedding (in a library) sort of falls apart. It's really quite a long story.  It's interesting in the way one storyline suddenly switches to the other keep the viewer's attention.

The four girls go to Mexico for a bit of cheering up (and because one of them had already booked a place for the honeymoon that never happens).
The best character in the movie was New York City .It has more style and character than any of the foursome.
The film does have it's moments there is a fair amount of 'girl talk' and specifically female situations, such as bikini waxing, there is enough plain humor and physical comedy to make the movie enjoyable to all sexes, such as one of the characters having an accident in her pants. The movie does have an interesting happy ending, although not what you'd expect per say, one that makes you go "huh."

There were a few  unnecessary age references in the movie, involving reading glasses and so forth, but most of the humor was fresh and not "oh we're older and getting married isn't that funny", because really, forty isn't that old at all these days.
There are questionable fashion choices and bridesmaids dresses. But what do I know about high fashion?  The movie was a lot longer than I had expected, but as it the goodbye to the world, I guess it made sense for it to be two hours and 25 minutes.

The movie is full of what I've subsequently discovered are typical situations for the show, such as closet proposals, female bonding, and a romantic encounter on the Brooklyn Bridge. It won't disappoint big fans.
Ultimately despite its faults the movie really does hold its own. Did it make me want to watch the show? No. Would I see the movie again? Yes, if it was on a plane or on television, but I wouldn't buy it. But if you've been with the show since the beginning, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Except perhaps by the disturbing bridesmaids' dresses.

Now showing in all three Baltic states
 

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