Sex and the City - The Movie (Special Edition) Reviews

• Kvetch and the City

  
  By A3ML2HRDE3PY5I on 2008-08-12
  At the risk of being stoned to death with Manolo Blahnik stilettos by a mob of incensed fans, I've gotta say that I was seriously disappointed in this movie. I'm not an S&TC hater--far from it. I never saw the series on HBO; I don't get cable and discovered it on DVD just as it was about to go off the air. Being a Carrie-Come-Lately to the party actually was a huge benefit: I got to revisit my favorite episodes on disc as often as I liked. Like its heroine herself, "Sex & the City" was the most fun when it didn't take itself too seriously, and yet its best-crafted episodes are surprisingly memorable and poignant for a 30-minute 'comedy'. At its best, S&TC transcended mere comedy or crude sex gimmicks and mined some very deep pockets of the human soul. Also didn't hurt that the clothes were fabulous, the cocktails were plentiful and the production design absolutely outstanding. The series was an unabashed valentine to its fifth lady, New York City, while taking us on a journey with the four flawed women at its center. That journey had all the laughter, tears, breakups, makeups, pettiness, generosity, love, self-delusion and insight of which we are all capable. That's why we went along for that ride for 6 years. I felt that by that last shot of the girls leaving the coffee shop in the finale of Season 6, the writers had achieved the impossible: an unresolved ending that still left us hopeful and satisfied that as we said goodbye, the future for each held good things, including, most of all, their continued friendship. That was a good ending. There was no wedding for Carrie, but Mr. Big did say "Carrie, you're the one" in Paris. Did anyone doubt what came next?
  
  I wasn't thrilled about the idea of a big-screen treatment, seeing it as redundant at best and rife with potential for disaster at worst. I ardently hoped that writer-director Michael Patrick King and his team of screenwriters would treat the movie as four interrelated episodes of the series and craft them accordingly. A movie event on HBO would have been more in keeping with a show that got its start there, but of course, the siren call of all those theatrical millions was too powerful to resist for everyone involved. The movie hit some glitches on its way to production as we know, and four years went by before it made its way into theatres. Sadly, no one has aged for the better (including Samantha). It's not that everyone doesn't look essentially the same--they do--but the plot has not moved forward and everyone is in a holding pattern. This makes everyone look so 2004, and not in a good way. I'm not giving away any plot points that haven't already blanketed the known universe by saying that Carrie is planning her wedding to Big; Miranda is still doing the domesticity routine in Brooklyn with Steve and their son (didn't anyone else wonder if the poor kid is now known as 'Brady Brady'?) and Charlotte and Harry adopted their adorable little moppet from China and are now joyfully expecting their own visit from the stork. What comes as a little bit of a surprise is that Samantha is now living in L.A. with Smith, who is now a working actor. She jets in frequently for lunches with the girls, but one can't help but wonder whether Sam was banished to La-La Land as punishment for Kim Cattrall's foot-dragging over salary negotiations.
  
  To find Carrie and Big still dickering over his level of commitment to her after their 'le grand moment' in Paris is demoralizing; what HAVE they been doing for the last 4 years? Did he not really mean it or what? Given the time that elapsed, it would've been more satisfying (not to mention, merciful) if the movie opened with Carrie and Big already married, though that scenario would have deprived us of the movie's best setpiece: an extended, dreamy montage of Carrie as a bridal vision in a parade of different designer wedding gowns. Surprises are in store for a couple of the other relationships that Season 6 had successfully locked down, we thought.
  
  Ultimately, this big-screen treatment has not really done justice to what was a small-screen story. Big ain't necessarily better (unless, of course, we are speaking about Chris Noth--notwithstanding the fact that Aidan Shaw was my personal favorite of Carrie's fiances), and in moving to the big screen, they choked. Having achieved the perfect goodbye at the end of the series, they weren't content to leave it alone, but for Carrie & Co. and all their fans' sakes, they really should have. All in all, watching this long-awaited movie of a great show is kind of like eating too much cotton candy; we think we need an outsized helping of such a pretty confection, only to realize that its complete lack of nutrative value has left us feeling overindulged and sick. Frankly, the Fab Four deserved better than this, and so did we. Do you want to buy this anyway, if you are a fan? Probably, but it will make you want to revisit, or buy for the first time, the TV series as an antidote.
  
  

• Nothing lost in transition

  
  By A37PV5GMP2ILJC on 2008-06-22
  This is one of the few shows that I've watched since the beginning and considered good or ground-breaking enough to actually buy the episodes on DVD. (CSI and The L-Word being others) I didn't buy Season Six in protest of the way they split it into two DVD sets, thereby doubling the price for the Season, but I digress. The movie picks up the threads four years after the series left off.
  
  Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) has reconciled with Big (Chris Noth) and the two are apartment hunting in Manhattan.
  
  Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is still married to Steve (David Eigenberg) but having problems balancing the responsibilities of home, family, work and social life.
  
  Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is happily married to Harry (Evan Handler) and the couple have adopted a daughter named Lily.
  
  Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is living with Smith (Jason Lewis) in LA, commuting to New York for important social events.
  
  So now you're up to date, here we go with the Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):
  
  1. Carrie and Big make an important decision based on legal rights over property
  2. Miranda makes an important decision based on Steve's actions
  3. Charlotte has big news, but is afraid that something may happen to ruin everything
  4. Samantha is restless, and not getting any younger
  5. In vogue wedding ends up in Vogue magazine, but the honeymoon isn't exactly what the bride had in mind.
  6. Carrie hires an assistant, Louise from St. Louis (Jennifer Hudson), an efficient young woman with great taste in brand names and shoes, who still believes in love.
  7. The tides of life wax and wane and wax again in thoroughly entertaining fashion
  8. All join in wishing Samantha another 50 years!!
  
  This movie captures the spirit of the series, the only thing missing being not enough Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson) and Anthony Marantino (Mario Cantone)
  
  The soundtrack is also excellent, with songs by Fergie, Jennifer Hudson, Jem, Nina Simone, India-Arie and others.
  
  Highly recommended for all fans of the show, and the fashion forward.
  
  
  
  
  Amanda Richards, June 22, 2008
  
  
  

• Friends

  
  By A1TJPMB7N776WS on 2008-06-01
  Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte: they're all back, now in their 40's and approaching 50 but still fighting the good fight (at least all but Charlotte is)...looking for Love into which they fall in and out of on a regular basis.
  Many of the things we loved about the HBO series are back: Mr. Big (who knew his name was John?), the 2 Gay sidekicks Anthony and Stanford, the ridiculously outlandish clothes and shoes and more importantly the enduring and refreshing love that exists between these 4 women. What is not here, as it was not there in the TV series is snarky, condescending comments about or between our Sex and the City women. These women are truly friends: caring, sympathetic and empathetic about each other. If nothing else this is what sets this film apart from any film featuring a cast of women...think "8 Women" or "The Women" and you'll understand. Men may come and go but our quartet is present both physically and emotionally for each other. They love each other in the way the best platonic friends love each other: selfishly and selflessly.
  The story revolves around our heroine's boyfriends, husbands, babies and of course, Mr. Big. At the beginning of the film, Carrie and John (it's weird to call him that) are set to marry in a lavish wedding set in New York's Public Library Rotunda: Carrie is wearing her Vivienne Westwood gown and John is sporting a resplendent John Varvatos tux. Then all hell breaks loose.
  "Sex and the City" is a lot of fun and it is great to see our heroines together once again inter-reacting. But there is a deep sadness at the core here. We've watched these women for years yet emotionally they are still striving to find their true place in the universe. We crave for them to find happiness because we love them and hold them close to our hearts. And by-the-way, of what other characters in films can we say this? But director and writer,
  Michael Patrick King resists making the easy fix. He doesn't try to tie up their stories with a big red satin bow: he knows these women and owes them and us a plausible, respectful and humane continuation of their lives. King respects their past and uses it to mold their futures. And for this we thank him and for creating these terrific 4 women.
  
  
  
  

• Why this is better than the "Regular" Edition

  
  By A2ILZQLHJAUUQQ on 2008-09-24
  I'm not going to review the movie, I'll leave that for everyone else. All I can say is that I am SO happy that Warner Brothers changed the digital format that comes free with their DVDs. I had bought last Harry Potter DVD for the digital version, only to discover it was not compatible with i-pods. This version is! If you are going to spend the money and want the option of it for your i-pod, get the Special Edition.
  
  

• Sex and the City, 2-Disc Special Edition on DVD!

  
  By A8S11VP9Z36D6 on 2008-08-17
  I was initially against a continuation of the runaway hit HBO series, Sex and the City - The Complete Series (Collector's Giftset) I felt that the season finale was perfection and any other stories to be told would only spoil it. Once the movie started though, I was drawn in and it felt great to see these "familiar" friends again: Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis). Carrie and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) decide to tie the knot, and the movie revolves around how their relationship takes the next step. Meanwhile, Miranda and Steve are dealing with Miranda neglecting their relationship. Samantha has become an L.A. housewife and is none too happy about continually playing second-fiddle to Smith. Charlotte...well, she is just living a perfect life with adopted daughter and husband Harry. The movie continues the vision of the series: insightful, witty, and extremely well written. Jennifer Hudson has a nice supporting role as Carrie's personal assistant; she brings sass to her role and definitely leaves the door open for a possibility of a "next generation" of young hopeful women to hit New York City. My gripes? I felt that fashion played too much of a role; in the TV series, it was a nice semi-silent costar. In the movie, it was a little "in your face" and over the top. I also felt that Samantha's storyline seemed a little out of character and contrived; her supposed weight gain was minimal and for her to ever stay in the background for Smith just seemed out of step. Many original cast members returned for the movie, although some were absolutely wasted as they were relegated to non-speaking cameos. For some reason, Stanford & Anthony are now close friends (possibly even more), which is totally against how they were in the series. Obviously, much has happened in the years since we last saw them; it left a feeling that an explanation scene or two must be on the cutting room floor. Removal of some of the fashion stuff and putting back in more of the witty dialogue would have benefitted the movie greatly.Speaking of putting back in...yes, this version is an extended cut. Many scenes have been lengthened, and it definitely helps give the movie a more finished feel and explains much that I thought was missing in the theater. Extra fun is Carrie's fashion show in her apartment, where she tries on many of her 1980's bad outfits for the girls, who rate whether the outfits should be kept or tossed. In the extended cut, ALL the girls (including Charlotte's daughter Lily) join in the fun and try on the outfits. This is especially wonderful as SJP does not necessarily deserve the lion's share of credit for this successful series; it is definitely an ensemble cast. The restored Halloween scene of Harry as The Addams Family's Uncle Fester is not to be missed, either!
  
  I saw it twice on the big screen - thoroughly entertained both times, and hoping for a follow-up!
  
  Bonus features for 2-Disc Special Edition DVD:
  
  DISC 1:
  * Audio Commentary by director Michael Patrick King
  DISC 2:
  * Additional Scenes restored to the actual movie as well as a separate section with deleted scenes that feature commentary by Michael Patrick King as to why they were cut.
  * A Conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael Patrick King: a nice look at the movie with SJP and MPK, giving further insight into many of the choices made for the movie.
  * The Fabulous Fashion of Sex And The City: Excellent featurette with Patricia Fields discussing how she finds all the different fashions for the character. Not one to get caught up in labels, her talent is for mixing up totally different looks and creating magic.
  * Fergie in the Studio: watch a hit in the making as the singer records Labels or Love for the movie soundtrack, interspersed with Fergie fawning over the original TV series. A short featurette but cool to watch nonetheless.
  
  UPDATE: You might want to hold off on buying this version, as an Sex and the City: The Movie (Ultimate Collector's Edition) with approximately 4 more hours of extras is due to be released on December; so far, no Blu-ray version of this set has been announced.
  
  
• Hags and the City
  By A3C8V3BHKG422B on 2008-08-21
  A ghastly horseface, a desiccated streetwalker, a pretty-young-thing and a butch wax philosophic on the most excruciatingly fatuous subjects imaginable. But don't you dare say the empress wears no clothes, because if you do you will be accused of "punishing female sexuality" by pseudo culture-critics and tenured women "professors." Don't expect the slightest shred of wit or originality: for all its pretensions to cutting-edge status, there is not a single idea or joke that you haven't heard in dozens of other shows and movies over the years. Stale and hackneyed, "Sex and the City" is the TV equivalent of "Thelma and Louise": an adolescent romp for women. Which is fine by me, I suppose.
  
  
• Great Sexpectations
  By A3KEZLJ59C1JVH on 2008-05-31
  The series finale of the TV show "Sex and the City" was absolute perfection. Although I was very excited to see "Sex and the City: The Movie," I didn't think it would be possible to top the way the series ended. The movie did not top the series, but it was still a lot of fun to watch.
  
  I'm not going to give a play-by-play of the film because I don't want to spoil the plot for everyone. Obviously, the movie picks up several years after the TV series left off. I understand why some critics are having a field day with this film. Yes, there are a few hokey moments in the movie, and there are some issues with the plot. Personally, even I got a bit irritated with Carrie during the movie. Exactly how much crap from Mr. Big is she willing to put up with in her lifetime?! However, all that aside, I am not writing this review from the point of view of a critic. I'm writing it as a die-hard "Sex and the City" fan. And the bottom line is, it was so great to see Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte together again that I'm willing to forgive all the little things that were wrong with the film. This movie made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me remember why "Sex and the City" is one of my favorite television shows of all time. Plus, it had a happy ending for everyone, which is exactly what we want for all of the girls.
  
  Fans of the HBO series will adore this movie, which is a wonderful tribute to friendships, fashion, and love. Based on those attributes, "Sex and the City: The Movie" is a five-star film all the way.
  
  
• I curse the day you were born!
  By A2YIMB2LF7HH1C on 2008-05-31
  The movie, I mean.
  
  This is a bad, bad, bad, really bad movie.
  
  I've got all the TV seasons of SATC at home on DVD, and I love them. I'd heard bad things about the movie, but the wife wanted to see it, so I went along.
  
  It was overwrought, predictable, mostly unhappy, snobby, and badly-written - to the point of toilet jokes. Everything about this movie is heavy-handed.
  
  Really, really awful. And the awfulness goes on, and on, and on, and on, for *two*-*and*-*a*-*half* hours. Two-and-a-half hours I'll never have again. My God! I thought I was going to have to chew my head off.
  
  
  
• Behold a Pale Horse...
  By A2YM3KILJ1G0YJ on 2008-06-03
  "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."
  
  I'm not sure whether the above passage is ironic considering Sarah Jessica Parker's resemblance to a horse, but there is no doubt in my mind that it is indeed prophetic and the movie version of Sex in the City is a sure sign of the approaching Apocalypse.
  
  Although I'm quite sure that this movie will be a hit with disillusioned women who wish it were based in reality, where they could buy a neverending supply of ugly dresses, ridiculously priced shoes, and everything else that one would buy to make themselves look like a Prada-sponsored hobo; it's just not realistic in any way. It's pure fantasy.
  
  It's basically a story of four women who fool themselves in every conceivable fashion (pun intended). When they are not embarassing themselves wearing clown outfits in public, they are attending get-togethers and parties where everyone is secretly pointing at them and calling them "cougars". If all four looked like Heather Locklear, I could understand the invites these four nobodies get to high profile, in-crowd events, but the fact that three of the four (excluding Charlotte) have aged in dog years since turning thirty makes the barrage of respective social calendar invites about as realistic as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. As if it could get any more ridiculous, viewers are supposed to believe the Four Horsemen are desirable enough get a perpetual string of non-mongloid, uber-successful men, who conveniently don't have ties to former families, ex-wives, baby mommas, or children.
  
  There are so many more despicable aspects of this wretched piece of garbage that I can hardly write the review without getting into Moby Dick proportions. Suffice to say that I was irritated by the perpetual product placement; I thought the writing was amatuer at best; the filming was more of a hindrance than an aide (TV to film translation on par with A Night at the Roxbury); and the obvious misandry that permeated throughout surely shouldn't have garnered any support for the whoresome foursome during their city-wide search for STDs.
  
  In the end, the movie paints a view of women in New York that probably belongs to the Expressionism genre. Perhaps if they looked in the mirror and fixed the angst by engaging in a life that doesn't involve pure hedonism - while actively eliciting contempt from the audience - their lives would be a little more fulfilling. Instead, it's the materialism of MTV's Cribs mixed with deviance of HBO's Hookers at the Point. A longer and more painful experience than a trip to the dentist's office, SATC exudes the neurosis of not only the characters, but also the five loosely crammed together episodes being passed off as a movie.
  
  
• As shallow as a saucer....
  By A3R4OB6Z20275J on 2008-10-14
  Make no mistake about it, this is a horrible movie. Odd, since I was a fan of the series. So here we are 4 years later in their lives, and the four girls have been reduced to caricatures of themselves that make it impossible to care about them. Charlottes's wide-eyed innocence has grown into an immature stupidity, Miranda has gone from being driven to being old, tired, and bitchy. Meanwhile, Samantha has become an over the hill tramp that will grate on you like fingernails on a blackboard. But worst of all is Carrie, whose witty and insightful observations from the series have been replaced by a totally self absorbed whiner who deserves the heartbreak she must endure from her faux fashion accessory Big.
  Do your self a favor and avoid this movie, particularly if you are a fan of the series...leave well enough alone.
  
  
• Very disappointing!
  By ASF45U0EXJ9PA on 2008-09-22
  I just can't get over how people actually liked this movie? I am a huge fan of the series, I own the entire series, and thought that the finale of the series was fantastic! So why did they feel that they had to make a movie? First of all, they crammed way too much into the movie. It was like they were trying to do a whole season in the span of one movie. I don't want to give too much away, and if you haven't seen it don't read any further...
  The whole wedding bothered me so much! Carrie deserved the big fancy wedding! Also, do you really think that Steve would have ever cheated on Miranda? Give me a break! The whole Mexico/Honeymoon was a complete waste of time, and come on, Carrie's "depression" was way overdone. I wish this movie was never made, I want to remember the fantastic series, not this mess of a movie!
  
  
• Exceptional TV-to-Film Transition
  By A134OXKUUA2N57 on 2008-05-30
  It's not often that I go to a film that makes the audience both laugh and cry, but this one also got a standing ovation when the closing credits rolled. As someone who's seen every episode of the series, there are a few minor things I'd change, but overall this was a worthy successor to the series and stayed true to most all of the characters. It also avoided the overly cutesy and repetitive dialog from the final seasons (thank god). Oh, and New York has never looked more glamorous on screen. Kudos to all involved.
  
  
• A Little Bit Of You On the Screen
  By A2C5VLIJMDPWHI on 2008-06-01
  I'm not big on movie channels, so I was late to the scene in watching "Sex and the City." I'd watch "Girlfriends," and I kept hearing that "Girlfriends" was a Black version of "Sex and the City." When the show started running in syndication, I watched marathon sessions to catch up, and I loved this show as much as "Girlfriends." It's easy to like a show and film like this when you can see yourself in the characters: Charlotte and I both have the same prudish fixation about germs and sex; I love manwatching as much as Samantha does and have similar conversations about men; I have the same career focus as Miranda; and the writing, creative, and independent streak that Carrie has. And I believe there are a lot of women out there who also feel the same way. It's like watching pieces of yourself in these characters.
  
  With this kind of connection, it was almost natural to feel their emotions. I'm not a crier, and I can count on one hand the number of movies I've cried through (Hotel Rwanda being the top one), but I was surprised that I got teary eyed during the last limo scene. I also grinned big through the sex scenes and laughed during all of the punchlines.
  
  Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) is now living with her long-time on and off boyfriend, Mr. Big (played by Chris Noth), and they are planning to get married, but Big admits that he has cold feet after being married twice. His concern is being with Carrie, not with getting married. Will they get married? Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) is still hard at work as a mother and career woman, but she has lost the lust and spontaneity in her marriage, especially after six months of no sex. Will her husband hang around? Charlotte York (played by Kristin Davis) is married with an adopted Chinese daughter, and now she's playing the role of the mother until a surprise comes up. Samantha Jones (played by Kim Cattrall) is still trying to keep the relationship fun and fighting the idea of being in a serious relationship with her former playboy and now ridiculously gorgeous boyfriend Jerry "Smith" Jerrod (played by Jason Lewis). Throw in a wedding, a trip to Mexico, motherhood, break-ups, make-ups, therapy, weight gain, fashion, plenty of shoes, a ménage à trois, Peeping Tom(isinas), and juvenile (but still funny) humor about waxing, diarrhea, sex jokes, a peek at Dante's (played by Gilles Marini) impressive unmentionables, and naughty words from children, and there's your 2 hours and 18 minute movie.
  
  Cons: I thought Louise (played by Jennifer Hudson) character was one-dimensional, country, and all the Lou's was a little corny (name: Louise; loved: Louis Vuitton bags; from: St. Louis). Charlotte's daughter was in a bunch of scenes just taking up space. The auction scene was predictable and reminded me of an episode of "The Cosby Show".
  
  Miscellaneous Issues: I could not wait for the movie to be over so I could buy guacamole and chips. This movie definitely had some serious product placement with name brands, food, and fashion shows. Speaking of fashion shows, minus the first model, all of those clothes were horrible. Most of Carrie's clothes, especially that ridiculous dress with the humongous flower on it, was awful, but somehow Sarah Jessica Parker manages to look excellent in everything she puts on. Parker is one unstoppable woman.
  
  I've seen this movie twice already just to look at Dante.
  
  
• Excellent but one flaw
  By A1YCDZ4K4G0CN3 on 2008-07-12
  I thought this movie had just about everything. It was like watching three episodes of the telivision show in one movie. Nothing was lacking here as from the original show. Wife was with me, and she had cried at least 5 times in the movie. It had some strong themes, love, friendship, forgivness. Excellent production.
  
  The only flaw was that the Jennifer Hudson character seemed to not belong in this storyline. It was completely out of place since they were trying to create something not needed here. Hudson's character contributed nothing to the storyline since Miranda, Charlotte etc were her support system. I would have suggested they could have just found an obscure actress to play this role. It really felt like a corporate exec wanted her in this movie for no reason. The fact that she is also in the soundtrack makes it equally annyoing to me.
  
  Apart from that, the movie is flawless.
  
  
• Sex and the City Movie Review
  By A2MYUI8IT6UBUU on 2008-05-30
  Sex and the City is quite possibly the longest film ever made. Or at least it feels that way, because the creators realize that its astounding popularity amongst its fans transcends the necessity to please all audiences. It is an uber-chick-flick with only a few threads of interest for male viewers unfamiliar with the long-running HBO TV show that spawned this highly anticipated feature adaptation. But it doesn't waste its time trying to appeal in areas it wasn't designed for - it faithfully reunites the personas of the four New York women who constantly struggle with meaningful relationships, surrounded by designer clothes, fluorescent cocktails, colorful characters and occasional nudity.
  
  The plot picks up several years after the series ends, detailing how the happy endings each of the stars received managed to last for awhile before all becoming embittered. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) whimsically narrates as she tries writing yet another book on love - this time not about obtaining it, but what to do with it once found. Her dream man Mr. Big (Chris Noth) buys the two of them a luxuriously paradisaical apartment (and builds her an unimaginably massive closet) and so the two decide it's finally time to tie the knot. But as Carrie gets overly preoccupied with fashioning an extravagant Hollywood wedding, Big begins to feel saturnine about yet another marriage.
  
  Meanwhile, the nymphomaniacal Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) realizes she needs more sex and more attention from her Hollywood beau Jerry (Jason Lewis) than he could possibly offer, and so unearths various deleterious vices to satiate her needs. Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) struggles in her relationship with Steve after he admits to cheating on her due to her gradual disinclination with sex. Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) is the only one who doesn't seem affected by the other girls' relationship mishaps, and remains rather uneventfully unscathed within love's good graces.
  
  Frequently the film becomes an excuse to show off fashion, which is not far removed from many of the series' episodes. The difference is that the original show more nonchalantly showcased fashion while telling the characters' stories - the repetitious montages in the feature insinuate that we might miss the designer clothes if not for the lengthy Vogue wedding shoot or Carrie's apartment moving session in which she models nearly all of the outfits in her closet. Despite the main foursome's noticeable aging, most of the fashion merely reinforces the idea that if you have a nice body, everything looks good.
  
  The plentiful drinks, upscale nightclubs, exotic parties, and beautiful people are still present, but much of the film tries too hard to tack events onto a story that was already satisfactorily resolute. Unlike the show which had a beginning and end to every half-hour episode, the film only has one beginning and one end to a monstrous 148 minute marathon (approximately 5 episodes), which results in the feeling that this isn't several episodes tied together, but one excruciatingly long show.
  
  While there is plenty of comedy and risqué humor spread throughout, the romance is realistically gritty - this is not the fantasy of Pretty Woman. Love apparently is never easy in New York (although wealth allows for expensive ways to cope with rejection), but friends go a long way to heal the pains of heartache. Perhaps that too is part of the fiction, as this inseparable group goes to dubitable lengths to aid in each other's sorrows.
  
  Sex and the City, like so many of the sequels and adaptations to hit the big screen in recent years, proves that certain ideas are destined to make money - and whether or not the continuation of these ideas are beneficial or entertaining for the fans who made them famous in the first place, the thought of making money always triumphs.
  
  - Mike Massie
  
  
  
• A Guilty Pleasure
  By A280GY5UVUS2QH on 2008-05-31
  In the HBO drama, Carrie Bradshaw wrote a weekly column, and each show was the culmination of approximately one week's worth of revelations on the pros and cons of wanting it all. The show was not about the struggle to achieve financial independence for Carrie & her friends each already had their dream jobs, rather the show was about the love lives of successful, albeit single, thirty-something women. But the show was also more than that and it gained its massive following not just because it was entertaining and witty and clever about the way the spritely-but-wise Carrie juggled her career & romance goals, but because Carrie asked the kinds of questions that were on the minds of many other women. Plus, because it was often so frank and said out loud what had not been said out loud on tv before, the show was just plain fun. Even guys, on occasion, liked it. Carrie was not Godard, or Woody Allen, but she got women and couples talking and kept them talking (Godard and Woody Allen fans probably counted the show as a guilty pleasure). It was pop culture with just the right amount of substance to keep you entertained and interested in equal measures.
  
  Also, the series was cleverly constructed so that Carrie, the writer, could view the life of the single woman and the issues that concerned her from four distinct angles/perspectives. Each character may have been asking the same or similar questions about striking the right balance between maintaining an independent identity and finding (and maintaining) a lasting romantic connection, but each character answered those questions in their own way, and no single answer was ever offered as the best or definitive one. The show was always about pursuing ideals & dreams but it was also always about acknowledging that not every girl & woman has an identical set of ideals & dreams, and so personal and professional "success" was something that each was compelled to work out for themselves. The sex itself may have been the allure that brought both sexes to the tv every Sunday night, but the series allowed women that gathered to watch the show together to laugh at things that real women laugh at and it allowed men an invaluable glimpse into the dynamics of the feminine mind/mystique, and all in a provocative way. The show examined existing social norms & standards & expectations, and, more importantly, it provided women with new norms & standards & expectations. It gave women new ways to read their lives and never settled on any one prescriptive method or model for how a girl or woman ought to think, act, look, or feel: its inclusiveness & openness were two of the shows greatest appeals & virtues. It validated a new kind of women, it made the career woman feel good about being a career women, and it made women feel powerful and smart and sexy and fun all at the same time. I must admit I did not watch every episode but the ones I did, sometimes reluctantly, watch, I enjoyed. The show was a guilty pleasure. "Guilty" because guys aren't supposed to like the show and I liked it. I like smart women and at least two of these women (Carrie and Miranda) were smart. And the other two (Samantha and Charlotte) sexy.
  
  Opening Night: Miami. My girlfriend bought tickets for this premiere several days ago so I was there on opening night in line in jeans with my girlfriend and a lot of other very well dressed women (many in groups of four) who'd just consumed a round or two of Cosmopolitans. I'm guessing I was the only straight guy in this very lively, very eager, very excitable line. This generation of women was raised on Madonna in high school and then graduated to Sex and the City in college. I was wondering when the next paradigm shift in the world of feminist/postfeminist pop culture would occur and what that might look like when the line, finally, began to move.
  
  Ok, the film: I will not spoil the film for those who haven't had a chance to see it yet, but I will say that the film does not mess with the formula that made the series a hit. Carrie & Samantha & Miranda & Charlotte are all in their 40's now (and Samantha even hits 50), but they all still look, well, as good as they did in their 30's so age is not an issue. The revelation of the film is that there are no revelations: the same concerns & questions that Carrie was asking in seasons one through six of the series are still on these characters minds and still remain unanswered; what has changed, albeit ever so slightly, is that each of the characters seems to have learned to live more comfortably with those questions and concerns. I will not discuss the plot, but I will say that the main difference between the series and the film is that if the series was about women in the process of defining & empowering themselves in new ways in a more open era; the film is about women who have successfully defined and empowered themselves but are still capable of self-surprise and thus still required to make life-altering decisions. I won't discuss the plot so that you can experience those moments of self-surprise and those choices while watching the film. I will say that because this film does not try to offer any definitive resolutions for any of these character's lives (or the lives of girls & women in general), but instead shows that the continued re-examination of one's life and the continually renewed effort to invent new ways to live it is what keeps life interesting and dynamic, this translation of Sex & the City from the small to the big screen is an unqualified success.
  
  That, added to the fact that these women can find a way to laugh and have fun in the best of times as well as the worst of times (and theres plenty of both in this film), is yet another reason groups of women, couples, and singles will find this film immensely satisfying. Yes, theres a lot of fantasy (fashion, parties, shopping) that seems like a foreign language to some of us, but theres also a lot of raw emotion too and plenty that most of us can relate to. The fantasy element (especially the outlandish fashion) seems to turn some people off, but it functions in much the same way Carrie's wit functions: it is a way of coping, a way of transcending old ways of thinking/being, and it is a way of being inventive & original. All qualities that this series and film celebrate.
  
  The fans love it, but the critics, male and female, apparently aren't liking it (most critical reviews have been awarding the film approximately 2.5 out of 4.0). The critics may be right to pick at a few missteps but overall I think many of them are missing the point. Sex and the City is not pretending to be great cinema/art, the show never took itself that seriously nor does the film. Sex and the City was and is pop culture, but its pop culture that occasionally sneaks in some valuable social critique. The show and film have moments where the conspicuous consumption becomes annoying and these are the moments that seem grossly excessive and unproductive and wasteful, but also moments where the characters take control and creatively produce their lives. Some critics seem only to see the icing, and not the cake.
  
  So, will there be another movie? And, if so, what will these characters be doing in another five years?
  *Charlotte will probably have a whole mess of kids, some adopted and some biological. Prep schools & cute outfits (for the children) will be her main concern for the next two decades. Being so perfect herself, she will probably have issues with the more rebellious of her brood.
  *Samantha's mellow spell will not last. She will have to think of new and creative ways to manage her appetites. Once she loses her ability to attract young men with her own wiles, she may have to resort to renting them.
  *Miranda will tire of any man that is not as dedicated to his career as she is to hers. She's yet to meet her match, but will meet someone who she enjoys being with more than she enjoys being with the girls.
  *Carrie the independent with intimacy/commitment issues will not have an easy go of it with Big who has the exact same set of issues. The two will decide they get along best when apart.
  
  
  
• LOVE LOVE LOVE this movie!
  By A2XT10RPCLLLSS on 2008-06-01
  I loved this movie! It was fabulous! I will be pre-ordering this as soon as it's available. I can't wait. We bought our tickets days ahead and good thing, because they were sold out that day. The theatre was packed with women, lots bringing in their own cosmos. The movie was such an experience! If you're a fan of the show, you're going to soak up this movie like a sponge. The fashion, the storylines, the whole thing was great. You will not be disappointed.
  
  Some people are writing poor reviews, but they are uptight, priggish women who have no sense of fun. Come on! Why can't you enjoy the fantasy? It's like being with your best friends in one of the best cities in the world. Who cares that their wardrobes are too expensive in these times of a gas-crisis and real estate letdowns? It's a MOVIE! Just enjoy it. If you want real life, then just stay out of the theatre. Live your boring, plain-jane lives and leave the fabulousness of SATC to us girls who know how to have fun!
  
  
• Material Girls
  By A18G7GG53G2X8A on 2008-06-01
  I knew I was out of my league the instant I stepped into the theater. It was packed with people, and I could tell from their nonstop chatter that they had been eagerly awaiting the theatrical release of "Sex and the City." Watching it, I didn't know whether to envy or feel sorry for these people, who all laughed and cheered and applauded while I sat there, idly wondering what they were finding so enjoyable. This film adaptation of the HBO TV series was one of the longest two-and-a-half hours I've spent at the movies this year, and that's mostly because it didn't need to be two-and-a-half hours. This movie is as over-inflated as the characters themselves, some of the most annoying, artificial, selfish women ever conceived of. They're not stylistic interpretations of real people, but merely walking, talking delusions of grandeur, ones we could never live no matter how hard we try.
  
  In case you're wondering about the person writing this review, let me confirm your suspicions by outing myself as someone who hasn't watched the show. Not a single episode. I went to this movie hoping the filmmakers would take people like me into consideration, people who can enter completely cold yet still get something out of it. There's nothing more frustrating than a movie that can't stand on its own, can't distance itself from its roots and give us something fresh and exciting. What we get with "Sex and the City" is a droning compendium of witty dialogue, comedic situations, romantic melodrama, and references to fashion designers, all while showcasing people that don't even have fragments of truth in them--most of the characters are desperately needy caricatures, going through life spending money on shoes and handbags and dresses and catered affairs. Anyone can have a fantasy about living the good life, but it takes more than a montage of designer wedding dresses to actually relate to it.
  
  Much like "Moulin Rouge," the story of "Sex and the City" is, above all things, about love, only it takes place in New York City instead of Paris. What has become of the relationship between writer Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her boyfriend, John James Preston, a.k.a., Mr. Big (Chris Noth)? What's been happening with the oversexed Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), especially since she's been living with her model/actor boyfriend, Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis), in Los Angeles? Are Charlotte York (Kristen Davis) and her husband, Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler), still happy together? Are Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and her husband, Steve Brady (David Eigenberg), on the verge of divorce?
  
  All these questions were answered at one point or another. What wasn't answered was the number of other questions that popped into my head. For one thing, how many frequent flyer miles is Samantha racking up between Los Angeles and New York City? She goes back and forth so frequently it's a wonder she has time to discuss the miracles of Botox with Carrie. And why did Samantha take Carrie on a trip to Mexico knowing it would be a painful reminder of Carrie's current situation (I won't say more than that)? A true friend would never do that, just as a true friend would never make fun of someone for an unwaxed bikini line. On that Mexico trip, Miranda has to endure Samantha's ridicule for not keeping her pubic hair in check; it was a scene that thought it was funnier than it actually was, much like when Charlotte gets dysentery and has ... well, a little accident. Most of the audience saw the humor in that, so I guess contrived toilet humor still has its place.
  
  So do over the top sexual references. Take Samantha's dog: she lovingly adopts it because it constantly masturbates. The agent tells her that it hasn't lost the urge, despite having been spayed. This is what counts for funny nowadays? Bottom-of-the-barrel gags like this belong in teenage spoofs, not in romantic comedies. Indeed, this movie probably would have worked much better as a spoof, seeing as the main characters are too broadly drawn to be anything other than inside jokes. There are, in fact, only two tolerable characters in this film. One is Miranda; despite being shallow and cynical, she's the most realistic of the four women. She seems to have genuine life problems. That being said, her sarcastic tone of voice is tiresome at the very start: when Charlotte says that Brooklyn is the new Manhattan, Miranda responds, "Whoever said that lives in Brooklyn."
  
  The other character is Louise (Jennifer Hudson), who's eventually hired as Carrie's assistant. Louise is from St. Louis, and like many young girls, she's moved to New York to fall in love again. She believes so strongly in love that she actually carries a keychain of the word at all times. Can Carrie learn a thing or two from this clear-eyed young woman? I don't see why anyone would care one way or the other--the entire premise of "Sex and the City" is so phony that any outcome fails to be meaningful. There's a moment late in the film when the four friends attend a fashion show, and as we all know, runway models are nothing more than hangers to advertise the designer outfits. This movie is much like that fashion show, all façades and no depth, displaying outrageous styles that no one in the real world appreciates. There's only one thing I appreciated: the scene that reintroduces the Cosmopolitan. It's a great reminder that alcohol is the only thing that can get you through this movie.
  
  
• This film would've been ten times better!!
  By A1H8MMSBKKVK26 on 2008-06-13
  If
  
  Directed by R.kelly
  
  Screenplay by Jenna Jameson,Lil Kim,Trina & Missy Elloitt
  
  Soundtrack by Prince
  
  Cinematography by Dr.Ruth
  
  Score by Mariah Carey
  
  Editor Ron Jeremy
  
  Costume Designer Pam Anderson
  
  hahahaha
  
  
• TV formula slapped onto a movie script
  By A5CWLQF6QO3CN on 2008-06-28
  Without a doubt Sex and the City is one of the most influential TV show in history. So like any other successful TV show, it is trying to translate its fabulousness onto the big screen. However, does it work?
  
  One of the major differences between a weekly TV show and a movie is that on TV you allow your characters to grow gradually while exploring different things in their lives. However, in a movie, you don't have that kind of privilege. You only have around 3 hrs to tell everything. So to deal with this issue, Sex and the City put the fabulous four into a whole year of adventure in 2.5 hours. Does it work? Well it keeps the funny stuff and sometimes candid stuff on the show but on the whole you feel like watching a montage of events for the characters without actually being able to think that they are unfolding in a meaningful manner. Those are life changing events, but when they are being broken down into numerous pieces that weave a plot together in 2.5 hours, it lacks the tension it allows on the TV show. This, without doubt, taxed the performance of the leads - SJP, Kim Catrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. When you watch them, you feel like they are busily putting things together to make their characters work once again. They are all familiar characters but the development was so fast tracked that you wonder how the thought process became so fast food like as compared to a meaningful growth in the TV show.?
  
  Fashion is the big thing in the TV show, so we have lots of fashion in the movie, including the iconic dress we saw in the opening credits for every show during the 6 years run of the show. However, the attempt of jam packing so many wardrobe changes in the show failed to let the fashion to speak for themselves. It is just a consortium of beautiful fashion popping up in display windows as you stroll down the 5th Avenue. In the TV show, the fashion forms part of the story telling with the characters e.g. the change of wardrobe from high power neutral sex suits for Miranda to motherly and feminine clothes later during the six year run. But in the movie, fashions are just accessories to provide another talking point for the movie.
  
  For the men in the movie, except for Chris Noth's Mr. Big, all other boyfriends and husbands have become just a requirement for continuity - although they never talked about why Marcus (Stanford's boyfriend) disappeared from the screen completely, and what happened to cause the bitterness between Anthony and Stanford disappeared. Is it just because of the loneliness in NY that they shared a quick patch on New Year's Eve? It just became so vague. As for Smith Jarod, he got what he wants but we never know whether he is happy all not. The charm of dreaming to be a working actor and spending time with Samantha supporting her during chemo was completely gone.
  
  In all Sex and the City is a totem pole for the series followers to continue to worship their TV alter egos. It is still funny and outrageous in a lot of areas, but standing alone as a full fletched movie, it suffered from a high speed plot development and completely discounted the believability of the characters it once created successfully. It is still a good night out movie but that's about it. If it wants to reach the classic status as it did on the small screen, it is still a far fetched hope for Michael King, Darren Star and JSP.
  
  
• Carried Away
  By A1JV4QKTEB7QBL on 2008-05-31
  Forgive the unimaginative title to this review--its an unforgivable line straight from the script--but I can't think of anything else to call my comments with regard to Michael Patrick King's "Sex and the City: the Movie." A reluctant fan of the show--I never did see all the episodes making up all six seasons--I regarded the series as an empowered woman's fairytale featuring four willing and able young women that seemed to achieve more orgasms over those fetching five-inch heeled shoes than the revolving door of men that seemed positioned confusingly either as the object of their obsessions or simply an unnecessary high caloric dessert after an extremely filling meal of life, liberty and the pursuit of designer labels. Regardless of my preconceived notions `Sex and the City: the Movie" converts from small screen to big screen successfully with nary a hair out of place. To those of us who have benchmarked time with the dissolution of relationships between friends and family members, the film drives home the very real point that the cohesion between two people is not only complicated and fragile, but also facilitated by its witnesses. As a New Yorker living far away from my birthplace, I wished my lifelong friends were closer so that we, too, could enjoy intense moments of pain and joy like the four women in the film.
  
  Now doesn't that seem serious for something meant to be as light and airy as pink spun sugar purchased at a stand in Central Park? Don't get me wrong: the film dazzles with some of the craziest fashions ever assembled by Patricia Field--my personal favorite? Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) in a big navy blue theme t-shirt and over the knee argyle socks--yuck! The women apparently earn oodles of money - Samantha alone manages some of the plot's stickier financial snafus with just a whisk of her fairy godmother magic wand. Fantasy does abound with the never-ending stream of high-ticket social events and invites that require appearing in a little more than that reserve `little black dress.' Dispersing cold cash for just one of those wildly colorful outfits alone in the current high-priced gas crisis would probably mean choking over fish heads and rice for an entire month for the average off-the-rack wearing bread-winner. However, no matter what these women don or what parties they attend--and I doubt they could be more spectacular or showy--the imperfectness of the human condition comes into cold play. Are we ever really satisfied and do we know what really is important?
  
  In its splashy Carrie-narrated way, this intentionally silly film about New York and its ladies manages to hit a major home run. Unexpectedly, Sarah Jessica Parker, with her elongated face that only Modigliani or Picasso could love, exhibits nuanced emotions that immediately connects her with the audience. She's pencil thin and can wear all those kooky outfits with panache, but somehow she makes liking her and rooting for her effortless. Are we jealous of her? No, we empathize. Even when she has it all, she doesn't have it all. She may be in a different tax-bracket but her problems can be the theme in a country-western song. There's no pretty ribbon, shoe buckle or marathon-long closet that catches all the loose ends for her. The morals faced in this tale are as old as those in Aesop's Fables: happiness may be ephemeral but it does recycle; catch it while you can and enjoy it. On a secondary level, the holistic synergy between the four friends is warmly palpable and more valuable than the $50K-plus diamond ring Samantha covets; they all have their own lives, yet marshal their limited time to constantly and sometimes unrealistically connect. Somehow as horrendously formulaic as all this sounds, the film delivers its message while also working as an entertainment.
  
  Some reviewers have intimated that none of this materialistic focus on the likes of Louis Vuitton handbags and Manolo Blahnik shoes works after the terrorist attacks of September 11th. This certainly is not true. Superficial, it may be, but the film delivers a sense of a strong New York presence--so very important for this New Yorker who hasn't been home since 1999.
  
  The film's only real liability is in the way it conveys its sense of men. As entrepreneur and savvy man-about-town `Big,' Chris Noth seems paralyzed--literally nauseated--unable to speak to a woman that he professes to know after ten years of being in an `adult' relationship. Likewise, the other significant others appear as adjuncts to their uber-women, minding their own business, tongue-tied in the face of so much power. Only Miranda's husband, Steve (David Eigenberg,) vibrates occasionally with a spark of egalitarian concern for a marriage tottering in the wasteland of domesticity. We expect, of course, the beefcakes: these are well appreciated--the inverse of the usual average male finds supermodel cinematic daydream.
  
  A lesser annoyance factor comes in the guise of a gutsy Girl Friday hired by Carrie to get her life back in ABC order. Add to that the superficial weight comments directed at Samantha's visibly larger gut. Oh well.
  
  Bottom line? Designer labels and delightful New York events star in this continuation of the lives of the four sexually uninhibited icons of 21st century life. The stories, infused with emotionally charged angst and frustration are certainly not recommended for anyone who did not like the television series of the same name. The romances here depicted reek with a certain amount of bewildered despair. However, anyone who has `made it' in terms of career and financial security like the women in the film may ask that quintessential question, "Is that all there is?" and hear a resounding open-ended "Yes, but . . ." and roll with the punches. Fun and fanciful, this sequel plays well in terms of fun, delivering what is expected with a little extra. Love those shoes.
  Diana Faillace Von Behren
  "reneofc"
  
  
  
• "Sex" Holds Its Own on the Big Screen
  By A1J03J0HZ7KU5T on 2008-06-07
  Writer-director Michael Patrick King should be commended for reviving the popular HBO series as a legitimate theatrical feature - rather than creating an extended episode. "Sex and the City" (2008) emerges as a perceptive romantic comedy-drama that expands the TV-show parameters while maintaining the vital chemistry between Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. Judging by the phenomenal box-office success, loyal fans have not been disappointed. However, the overall film can proudly stand on its own merits.
  
  
• awesome
  By A1DQHS7MOVYYYA on 2008-09-21
  So I don't have the special edition(but hope to soon)...but I just watched this movie twice in a 24 hour period, once normally and once with M. P. King's commentary. And I've NEVER watched a movie with the commentary playing, especially not one this length(SATC was longer then I expected, over 2 hours). The film is so fun. You laugh, cry, then laugh while you're crying.
  The commentary is amazing. For anyone who loves this series and has seen the all the episodes(over and over and over again!), he is eloquent, funny, tells the best little movie tidbits and was a complete joy to listen to! I was exhausted and literally could not stop watching/listening! He tells interesting things about production, things in the background, actors who appeared in episodes who he just had to have back for the movie. It was a really exciting gem for any SATC fan.
  
  
• Plot full of holes - warning - spoilers in this review
  By A1ZKGSDVP057L9 on 2008-09-25
  Since I enjoyed the HBO series, the movie was really a let-down. Let me count the ways.
  
  We're supposed to believe that Miranda can sit in a taxi outside Carrie's apartment and force her to talk to her when Carrie shuts her out, but Big never does? Big can't bring himself to just go knock on Carrie's door for almost a year??
  
  We're supposed to believe that Big even wants Carrie back after she becomes a psycho crazy bitch and beats him on the street with her bouquet? He was willing to go back. He wanted to talk. She knew from their conversation the night before that he needed to know it was just the two of them, and she was still going through with the circus wedding, and she couldn't hear him out?
  
  Of the four of them, the one you see naked having sex is Miranda?!!! That must have been as scary on the big screen as Sarah Jessica's nose and chin, which are getting more and more witch-like as she gets older and more gaunt.
  
  They gave the lovely Kristin Davis yet another diarrhea scene??!! She already did that in the TV series. Give the girl a break. And it had no real plot point except to make Carrie laugh.
  
  How did Jennifer Hudson win an Oscar when she can't act?
  
  Samantha is a sexually independent and free-spirited woman who wants to concentrate on herself, and yet she'll lay on a table covered in sushi for more than an hour waiting for Smith to come home? How is this sexually liberated? This is just profoundly stupid. Smith let her go so easily, I suspected he had enough of her, too.
  
  I don't see how any woman can identify with these women who waste so much money on foolish clothes just because they're designer brands, and too much expensive jewelry, in this economy. No good works being done here. Just selfish consumerism.
  
  Maybe a better movie would have been Big losing all his money in a stock market crash and Carrie having to support him. And how come her friends don't mind that she writes all about their private lives and makes money off it? And uses their real names in her book?
  
  And how in the world does Steve still love Miranda when she treats him so poorly, doesn't sleep with him for six months...when he had the beautiful Debbie who adored him? Steve should have just kept his mouth shut. Miranda pays so little attention to him, she wouldn't notice if he had his one-night stands in their living room.
  
  The prince charming in Sex and the City was Aidan, but Carrie truly was not good enough for him.
  
  And what was with the kiss between Mario Cantone and the guy who plays Sanford. Are they lovers now, but that whole subplot got cut? There were so many other things that could have gotten cut, like fashion week, or Carrie trying on the wedding gowns.
  
  Re: Samantha's neighbors in California -- do all the women in California have bodies mostly made of plastic and silicone?
  
  
• Sucks and the City
  By A1O8SX58JJOH3G on 2008-10-02
  There is nothing that could top the last season of Sex and the City and particularly the last episode. It was perfect storytelling. This was an abysmal attempt to further that story. I could write the entire plot, and most of the dialogue in 2 sentences. Even one episode of Sex and the City has more to offer than this entire movie. The movie was basically a fashion show. Fashion was part of the shows, but it wasn't THE show and it had mostly to do with Carrie. We watched the shows for their human element, humor, insights, some twists and turns, and, yes, getting glimpses of places we'd never go and a lifestyle most real New York single women don't live. Everyone could relate to something or someone going through something to do with life and finding love. No one was finding love in the movie. No one really learned anything. There were no Carrie hypotheses to think about or relate to. I wanted to see what happened to the women we knew on the show -- instead, I got a fashion show and a bunch of 40-somethings seeming to basically be stuck. All the action seems to have taken place in between the end of the show and the start of this movie.
  
  
• If you loved the series you'll love the movie!
  By A2PN65B6BSTIYZ on 2008-05-31
  I have been a devoted SATC fan for years, and I was excited about the movie, but I couldn't seem to banish the feeling of dread that kept lurking--you know, the dread you feel when you are afraid that something you loved has been ruined in its transition to the big screen? Well, the dread is gone--SATC the movie lived up to my hopes and left me satisfied--and wanting to go back to see it again!
  
  There are definitely some things I would change--like including more storyline for the girls other than Carrie, and giving the guys (especially Harry, who I always loved) bigger parts--but overall the film does a good job of picking up where the series left off (albeit 4 years later) and recreating the chemistry between the four women. And the movie deals honestly with topics like aging, marital problems, and breakups, as you would expect from SATC.
  
  I would encourage fans of the show to definitely see this movie. Even if you've only seen the show a few times but you've enjoyed other "chick flicks" check this out--there is a handy montage at the beginning of the movie to get you up to speed. I hope when the DVD is released they add extras--just like on the SATC boxed set!
  
  
  
  
• Just loved it!
  By A2HYTHX14K084C on 2008-05-31
  Didn't think I was going to like the movie, because I love the show, but it was awesome. I laughed and cried and the whole theatre seemed to just love it too. I can't wait to watch this over and over. It also made me realize how lucky I am to have loved my husband for the past twenty plus years. The "girls" were vibrant and the clothes delicious. First movie I really enjoyed in a long time.
  
  
• BEST MOVIE OF 2008!!!
  By A2CEQ8VKZM55A6 on 2008-05-31
  This is a GREAT movie!!! You will laugh, you will sigh, and you will be on the edge of your seat!!! Im not going to give out any details however because i dont want to spoil anyones curiosity about the movie but its THE MUST SEE MOVIE OF 2008 The only bad thing was that the movie ended..lol..i could sit and watch it for hours on end!! Im so buying it when it comes out on dvd!!! And all fans can relax, i will say that NOBODY DIES ON THE MOVIE!! So all the internet rumors you heard just isnt true...Just have to go see this film..in fact, im thinking about going and see it again since i dont think i can wait for dvd!!!
  
  
• 4 Years Later or "40 is the last age a woman can be photographed in a wedding dress without the unintended Diane Arbus subtext"
  By A2BPDFR58H9575 on 2008-06-11
  I've been a fan of the ultra-popular HBO series that had run from 1998 to 2004 and I went to see the movie that was based on the show. As a fan, I wanted to follow the stories of four women in Manhattan in search for "the two L's: Labels and Love." The 148 minutes long movie tried to cram the stories of four friends after we said goodbye to them four years ago but it did not exactly succeed and it lacks humor and wit of the show. The jokes in the show were often on the verge of good taste but they were not as banal and vulgar as the one that made devastated and heartbroken at some point Carrie, laugh again. Having being the fan of the show since its first season did not stop me from seeing how shallow, selfish, arrogant, and often unpleasant and not interesting the foursome of single and fabulous Manhattan women in their late 30s and 40s were. Thanks to good writing and competent directing and 30 minutes per episode, the show was always fun to watch even if it was not realistic at all, more of the fairy tale with a lot of dirty talk. I think the big part of my love for it was the fact that "Sex and the City" has been one of the best dressed TV shows in history. Nothing is wrong with adapting the fairy tale on Manhattan to the big screen but at 148 minutes, the movie version did not make the multiple stories interesting enough. Somewhere in the middle of the movie, I simply stopped caring for the characters and concentrated on their clothes, shoes, and bags that were fabulous as always. My interest picked up again when the film introduced a new character that was missing from the show, Carrie's personal assistant Louise from St. Louis (Jennifer Hudson). Hudson was refreshingly natural, young and effortlessly beautiful, genially sweet, intelligent and practical but sadly she did not have enough of screen time. I don't regret seeing the film - that's what devoted fans are for, and I liked the ending. For good ending, I would forgive a movie many sins. I wish Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda happy lives but I would not want another reunion. Their stories have been told.
  2.5/5
  
  
  
• Fairly good, but the male charcters are washed-out remnants of their TV equivalents
  By A2QHM5HBSIXRL4 on 2008-08-23
  I thought writer/director Michael Patrick King did a fairly good job here delivering a quality product vs. the significant pressure from the audience who pretty much demanded this film. Who can argue with its success? Almost $400M in worldwide box office on a production budget of $65M falls well beyond the category of 'rousing success'. The results dispelled a lot of naysayers predicting that the product couldn't translate to the big screen.
  
  I say "fairly good" because my quibble with the film come from its almost-complete washing out of its male characters. Chris Noth's 'Big' has his place of course. But my favorite character, 'Steve' (David Eigenberg), is turned into a one-trick pony as a stammering adulterer. Eigenberg's Steve was known for his inherent likability, even in the face of an often non-likable Miranda. I was surprised King would simply cash that in so easily.
  
  As for Evan Handler's 'Harry' and Jason Lewis' 'Smith', they're taken out of the picture by King more effectively than any Soviet painter ordered to remove purged Politburo members from the Red Square lineup. Handler had maybe three lines; Lewis had little beyond "Hi, babe" and dodging flying sushi.
  
  The other slightly humorous part of the product was the banishment of Kim Catrall's 'Samantha' character to LA. Surely, the slow-boil off-screen feud between Catrall and SJP played some role in that development. It reminded me of Broadcast News where Holly Hunter's producer character assigns a putative romantic rival to cover a story in Greenland.
  
  

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