Movie Review
Sex and the City
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall, and Kristen Davis
R. 148 min. 2008.
After four long years of cancellation, Carrie Bradshaw and Co. have returned with their very own motion picture. And what a picture it is! With no less than two breakdowns, three break-ups, make-ups, make-outs, a trip to Mexco, a ton of laughs and even a few tears, this is an epic romance that transcends expectations. As the credits rolled and the audience stood to leave, laughing and crying and reminiscing about the landmark HBO series, I couldn't help but wonder.... can there ever really be too much of a good thing?
In the four years since we last tuned into the lives of Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte, little has changed. Carrie and her off-again on-again lover, Mr. Big, AKA John James Preston, are living happily in unmarried bliss. Charlotte and husband Harry have adopted an adorable little girl from China. Miranda is still living with Steve and baby Brady in Brooklyn, predictably struggling juggling married life with her professional obligations. And most shocking of all, Samantha is living in California with Smith, an actor with a swiftly rising star. After an energetic credits sequence that catches us up on the adventures of all four women, we quickly find ourselves right back where we started. Carrie announces her engagement to Big, which sets off a chain of events that changes the lives of all four women forever. To devulge any more would spoil the fun of the fiercely entertaining and cynically romantic film.
Despite a bloated, two-and-a-half hour running time, writer/director Michael Patrick King manages to maintain the quick and witty banter that became a trademark of the series. Whether discussing the costume options available to women for Halloween or offering mildly irritating puns (Mexi-coma? This is a stretch even for a series that used puns on a regular basis!), the writing never feels false or untrue to the characters. Which is not to say that film is perfect. Far from it, in fact, as the plot is rather thin for such a long film, and the non-stop relationship drama begins to get exhausting towards the end. And yet through it all the film exudes a deeply romantic fairy tale charm that is completely irresistible. It certainly helps that the four main starts are in such fine form.
Predictably, Kristin Davis has the least to do with the most under-developed role of the four. She remains the same perky, lovably Charlotte we saw for six seasons, but she just doesn't have much to work with being the comic relief for much of the film. Kim Cattrall vamps it up deliciously during the more outrageous sequences while still offering a more grounded, believable character than she ever displayed during the course of the show. Cynthia Nixon almost steals the show after being dealt a shocking blow early on in the film that literally had the audience gasping. She doesn't get to show much of her considerable comedic talents, but her performance is one of the finest seen in a romantic comedy is years.
The film's unsung star is the undeniably talented costume designer Patricia Field. She dressed Carrie for six seasons on the show, and continues to display her daring originality for the duration of the film. The dresses and blouses and hats and shoes and ponchos and coats on display here endanger audiences with a sensory overload. What New York woman doesn't dream of wearing this type of chic, stylish clothing? The fashion show feels extraneous, almost self-indulgent, but with such stunning offerings it doesn't matter. The Mexico trip delivers some of the most practical, beautiful clothing, while Carrie's wedding dress montage is the most fashion-forward. After earning an Oscar nomination two years ago for The Devil Wears Prada, it seems likely that Field will be attending the ceremony again next year. She may even make her way up to the podium.
And then there's Sarah Jessica Parker. She was the star of the series for a reason, and she carries the movie (no pun intended. Well, maybe a little). Despite playing a character who verges on unlikably materialistic for the duration of the film, and down-right self absorbed at moments, we are always supporting Carrie, wanting to see her get her happy ending with Big. We don't find out whether or not the two characters actually tie the knot until the film's conclusion, and perhaps too much of the movie is spent following their relationship, but these are minor complaints as the film moves at a breakneck pace and never once pretends to be something it isn't.
The series was about the search for love in a city where love barely exists, while the film is about what we do after we find that great love. That small change is all the filmmakers have done to separate the movie from the series. From the first frame to the last, this is a love letter to fans of the series clamoring for one more outing with their girlfriends. It delivers everything audiences want to see while at the same time offering a handful of surprises that never feel cheap or undeserved. Like the series, the world in which these characters exist are meant to fulfill a fantasy, not represent reality. And like every great fantasy, the romance here is syrupy and sweet. There are still a handful of steamy sex scenes and a fair number of very dark moments throughout the middle of the film, notably a heartbreaking sequence that takes place during New Year's Eve. But the film is touching and romantic, displaying more emotion than any Hollywood film has offered in a very, very long time.
After all that gushing, I offer you a warning: If you were never a fan of the HBO series, then this film is not for you. Even though it follows the romantic comedy formula, it is still the same characters with the same writing and the same level of graphic sexuality. While the four women have grown and learned from the past, they are still the same women. Shamelessly superficial and privileged, these are not characters we are meant to relate to on anything more than an emotional level. They are high-powered lawyers, PR Agents to the stars, and published authors, not waitresses or cleaning ladies, and as such they live in enormous Manhattan apartments and have countless $400 pairs of Minolo Blahniks. They attend fashion shows and eat at expensive restaurants. These are things that detractors of the series and film alike will not be able to forgive. As for the fans, they just want to know if the movie is any good, and if it feels like a satisfying conclusion to Sex and the City. The answer, to my relief, is yes.
Drop a letter grade or two if you aren't a fan of the series.
Grade: A-
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall, and Kristen Davis
R. 148 min. 2008.
After four long years of cancellation, Carrie Bradshaw and Co. have returned with their very own motion picture. And what a picture it is! With no less than two breakdowns, three break-ups, make-ups, make-outs, a trip to Mexco, a ton of laughs and even a few tears, this is an epic romance that transcends expectations. As the credits rolled and the audience stood to leave, laughing and crying and reminiscing about the landmark HBO series, I couldn't help but wonder.... can there ever really be too much of a good thing?
In the four years since we last tuned into the lives of Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte, little has changed. Carrie and her off-again on-again lover, Mr. Big, AKA John James Preston, are living happily in unmarried bliss. Charlotte and husband Harry have adopted an adorable little girl from China. Miranda is still living with Steve and baby Brady in Brooklyn, predictably struggling juggling married life with her professional obligations. And most shocking of all, Samantha is living in California with Smith, an actor with a swiftly rising star. After an energetic credits sequence that catches us up on the adventures of all four women, we quickly find ourselves right back where we started. Carrie announces her engagement to Big, which sets off a chain of events that changes the lives of all four women forever. To devulge any more would spoil the fun of the fiercely entertaining and cynically romantic film.
Despite a bloated, two-and-a-half hour running time, writer/director Michael Patrick King manages to maintain the quick and witty banter that became a trademark of the series. Whether discussing the costume options available to women for Halloween or offering mildly irritating puns (Mexi-coma? This is a stretch even for a series that used puns on a regular basis!), the writing never feels false or untrue to the characters. Which is not to say that film is perfect. Far from it, in fact, as the plot is rather thin for such a long film, and the non-stop relationship drama begins to get exhausting towards the end. And yet through it all the film exudes a deeply romantic fairy tale charm that is completely irresistible. It certainly helps that the four main starts are in such fine form.
Predictably, Kristin Davis has the least to do with the most under-developed role of the four. She remains the same perky, lovably Charlotte we saw for six seasons, but she just doesn't have much to work with being the comic relief for much of the film. Kim Cattrall vamps it up deliciously during the more outrageous sequences while still offering a more grounded, believable character than she ever displayed during the course of the show. Cynthia Nixon almost steals the show after being dealt a shocking blow early on in the film that literally had the audience gasping. She doesn't get to show much of her considerable comedic talents, but her performance is one of the finest seen in a romantic comedy is years.
The film's unsung star is the undeniably talented costume designer Patricia Field. She dressed Carrie for six seasons on the show, and continues to display her daring originality for the duration of the film. The dresses and blouses and hats and shoes and ponchos and coats on display here endanger audiences with a sensory overload. What New York woman doesn't dream of wearing this type of chic, stylish clothing? The fashion show feels extraneous, almost self-indulgent, but with such stunning offerings it doesn't matter. The Mexico trip delivers some of the most practical, beautiful clothing, while Carrie's wedding dress montage is the most fashion-forward. After earning an Oscar nomination two years ago for The Devil Wears Prada, it seems likely that Field will be attending the ceremony again next year. She may even make her way up to the podium.
And then there's Sarah Jessica Parker. She was the star of the series for a reason, and she carries the movie (no pun intended. Well, maybe a little). Despite playing a character who verges on unlikably materialistic for the duration of the film, and down-right self absorbed at moments, we are always supporting Carrie, wanting to see her get her happy ending with Big. We don't find out whether or not the two characters actually tie the knot until the film's conclusion, and perhaps too much of the movie is spent following their relationship, but these are minor complaints as the film moves at a breakneck pace and never once pretends to be something it isn't.
The series was about the search for love in a city where love barely exists, while the film is about what we do after we find that great love. That small change is all the filmmakers have done to separate the movie from the series. From the first frame to the last, this is a love letter to fans of the series clamoring for one more outing with their girlfriends. It delivers everything audiences want to see while at the same time offering a handful of surprises that never feel cheap or undeserved. Like the series, the world in which these characters exist are meant to fulfill a fantasy, not represent reality. And like every great fantasy, the romance here is syrupy and sweet. There are still a handful of steamy sex scenes and a fair number of very dark moments throughout the middle of the film, notably a heartbreaking sequence that takes place during New Year's Eve. But the film is touching and romantic, displaying more emotion than any Hollywood film has offered in a very, very long time.
After all that gushing, I offer you a warning: If you were never a fan of the HBO series, then this film is not for you. Even though it follows the romantic comedy formula, it is still the same characters with the same writing and the same level of graphic sexuality. While the four women have grown and learned from the past, they are still the same women. Shamelessly superficial and privileged, these are not characters we are meant to relate to on anything more than an emotional level. They are high-powered lawyers, PR Agents to the stars, and published authors, not waitresses or cleaning ladies, and as such they live in enormous Manhattan apartments and have countless $400 pairs of Minolo Blahniks. They attend fashion shows and eat at expensive restaurants. These are things that detractors of the series and film alike will not be able to forgive. As for the fans, they just want to know if the movie is any good, and if it feels like a satisfying conclusion to Sex and the City. The answer, to my relief, is yes.
Drop a letter grade or two if you aren't a fan of the series.
Grade: A-