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Sex
and the City FADE
IN.
Close
up of monitor, we see each key as it appears on the screen,
synchronized with Carrie’s voice-over.
When
so few TV shows have had the ability or opportunity to finish
their run on an episode that can honestly be said to “complete”
the storyline, you have to ask yourself...
...why
revisit a TV show that had a perfectly perfect ending? The
answer is, of course, the audience wanted more. And more
they’re going to get.
When
Sex and the City ended its six season run on HBO
four years ago, we believed the quartet would continue their
fabulous, if now slightly distanced, lives. And four years
hasn’t changed all that much. Miranda is over the
Brooklyn Bridge with Steve, Samantha off in Hollywood with
Smith, Charlotte and Harry continuing to build a perfect
family and Carrie still playing house with Big. But in the
world of cocktail lunches and rhinestone cell phones they
still get together regularly to discuss love, life and labels.
OK,
cutting to the chase. If you loved the series you’ll
love the movie. You can stop reading now.
But
I knew you wouldn’t… ok, let’s dish.
Opening
credits begin with a few bars of the original series theme,
which set the predominantly double-X chromosome bearing
audience to screaming. This is followed by a minute or so
of patented “Carrie Bradshaw voice-over catch-up”
where everyone’s relationships are recapped, adorned
with footage from the last season of the TV series.
The
whole cast is back: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall,
Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon looking not so much different
for four years later. Most of the supporting cast returns,
all the essentials plus a few new faces including Jennifer
Hudson as Carrie's new assistant “St. Louise from
St. Louis.” And the cameos are a nice set of call-backs,
including Candice Bergen as Vogue editor Enid, Willie Garson
as Stanford, and Mario Cantone as Anthony.
We won’t
spoil anything – much. You’ve already seen pictures
of wedding dresses and yes there is a wedding. And yes, things
go wrong. There are misunderstandings, hurt feelings, painful
breakups, an unexpected pregnancy, shaky make-ups, and one
permanently broken relationship at the end of it all.
There
is quite a lot of joy, too. The gang’s dialogue still
hums along, almost as if scripted, and the cinematography
is another love letter to NYC. But the most noteworthy dalliance
is the continued, if not escalated, label obsession so much
a part of the original series. The two hours and fifteen
minutes is filled with more self-conscious consumerism than
you would see spending the same time on the Shopping Channel.
But, of course, it’s a higher quality product.
The
movie well-earns its R rating, with plenty adult language
and of nudity. Admittedly most of the latter is provided
by Samantha peeping into her next door neighbor’s
apartment, where his repeated soft-core antics tempt the
temptress.
HBO
had set some standards for the main cast; we aren’t
cheated in the movie. Miranda shows that she’s no
worse for wear. Although still fabulous, Samantha doesn’t
get to challenge her notoriously sexy scenes from the show
– not because she’s fifty (birthday in the movie,
a smidge older in real life), but because her scene is composed
of the least flattering nude pose she’s ever had to
stay still for. Of course we’ll still have none of
that for Charlotte or Carrie.
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Forty
minutes into the movie we hit the main theme hard -- the
fragility of real relationships, and the roles of trust
and, most important, forgiveness. That trusting is hard,
and unhappiness is far too easy to embrace. This is where
the weakest parts of the movie come into play. Whether you
can believe the hard stances taken on either denying forgiveness
for so long, or the motivations for melting the walls of
ice you’ve erected and accepting your partner as human,
with flaws just like yours. Epiphanies come without much
inspiration, mostly because it’s time to move the
story along. A little heavy-handed at times, but if you
want to believe, you will.
All
this is sprinkled with more than a few really warm sisterhood
segments, and some out-loud laughs. Plenty of SATC
fans will be simultaneously saying “Bottle!”
at restaurants for a while. We’ll still smile recalling
Charlotte’s brush with Montezuma’s revenge and
Miranda’s sex-crazy dog. The bitch! And our favorite
scene where Carrie returns a proffered iPhone with the statement
“I don’t know how to work this.” OK, slightly
fewer repeat viewers in Cupertino CA.
Blockbuster?
Sure, there’s enough here for multiple viewings, girls
dragging their friends out for a must-see. Social phenomenon?
Likely. When was the last time you attended a movie where
the audience was predominantly composed of groups of four
to nine women dressed for a night out? On a Tuesday?
And
for all those who believe, it’s a real Cinderella
story.
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