Posted: 06/10/2008

Sex and the City

(2008)

by Lauren Sepanski

My whole life, I’ve never had HBO, so one can understand my disinterest in everything and anything that came out of that rather pricey channel (call me bitter). So, having to rent every season of Sex and the City, in order, before seeing the film was not easy, but it helped a great deal in viewing the movie. Yes, you have to know the characters beforehand, even though there is a helpful montage at the beginning of the film, reminding fans what has happened so far; however, I think it’s better to have actually sat through all of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte’s dating and mating experiences.

Mr. Big has been in Carrie’s life since episode one, and since then has teased her, taunted her, broken her heart, and just plain fucked with her for six and a half seasons until, 10 minutes into the big movie (after the marathon of eight costume changes in two minutes), he proposes and she, of course, says, “Yes.” The first act is fun—you see all your favorite characters exactly where you left them, even though it’s about three to five years later. Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) moved to Brooklyn with her husband and her boy is a little older, Samantha (Kim Catrall) is still managing the hunk actor in L.A., and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is happily married with her adopted Mandarin daughter.

Carrie hasn’t changed, as she can still be thrown into a PMS rage at the drop of a hat over almost nothing. So, when Big gets cold feet on the day of the wedding, Carrie bails and soon finds herself on her honeymoon with her three friends. From this point on, Carrie goes into Ashlee Simpson emo mode, dyeing her hair black and wearing tight pants, loose shirts and old-man sweaters. When Carrie returns to New York, she realizes she needs help putting her life back together, so she hires an assistant (wonderfully portrayed by Jennifer Hudson). Each of the girls have their own issues to overcome, as usual, but pull through and live happily ever after.

Movie technology has come a long way but apparently didn’t have enough time to develop a way to make these women pushing 50 look 10 years younger. They have their scenes where the hair, make-up, and costumes blend well and they look gorgeous, but then again they are about 50, and Sarah Jessica Parker is a smoker (as far as we know). And the girls are still taking joy in annual New York fashion shows, flaunting the latest couture by the hottest designers on the planet, any of which, if seen on an actual human being walking down the street, would induce vomit to shoot up through even the strongest of stomachs. Many critics stated, before the film came out, that it seemed “phoned in.” I couldn’t agree more. Then again, looking back, the last three seasons were “phoned in,” so it wasn’t really that big of a deal. If you’re a fan of the show or a dude looking to score on a date, this is a good pick. Entertaining, but not memorable.

Lauren Sepanski is a film critic living in that magical place called Hollywood.

Got a problem? E-mail us at filmmonthly@gmail.com