Written & Directed by Michael Patrick King
New Line Cinema
At the end of the pilot episode for the HBO series Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) asks Mr. Big (Chris Noth) if he's ever been in love. With a wicked grin, he responds, "Abso-****ing-lutely." and drives away. Ten years ago, we were introduced to Carrie and we were as hooked as she was on Mr. Big's smile. Over the course of six seasons, audiences tuned in every Sunday evening to revel in the lives of characters created originally by columnist-turned-author Candace Bushnell and brought to life by writer-producer Michael Patrick King. We hung on every word and every relationship; we grew to love Carrie, Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) as if they were our own friends; we fell in love with each of their great loves and our hearts ached and broke when theirs did. My apologies to those who think I've lost my mind to the world of chick-flickdom, but this is one of my few girly indulgences. I also apologize to those who may have been offended by the show reference in my review title - those who know the show and love it as I do knew instantly what I was saying, and I couldn't think of a better way to begin.
The point is, after four years of syndicated re-runs and a number of stalled attempts, Sex and the City: The Movie has finally arrived in theaters. Women everywhere are strapping on their Manolo Blahniks and heading out to theaters to reacquaint ourselves with four old friends. While I was probably the least fashion-conscious gal there, I was pleased to find that King has not let us down. The lights went down and the opening notes of Fergie's re-imagining of the show's theme song filled the room...as did the audience's appaluse. Obviously, I wasn't the only person excited for the great reveal of a film with a plot so tightly kept under wraps that the cast had taken to the refrain "Dream sequence!" to keep the masses at bay.
Fittingly, the film begins a few years after the series left off -- Carrie and Big are together and happy; Miranda and Steve (David Eigenberg) live in Brooklyn with their son Brady (Joseph Pupo) and the ever-present Magda (Lynn Cohen); Samantha and Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis) have moved to Los Angeles and are giving monogomy a try (!); Charlotte is still living in happily-ever-after with her husband Harry (Evan Handler) and their adopted daughter, Lily (Alexandra and Parker Fong). Big and Carrie are apartment shopping and find real estate heaven - a penthouse with a terrace across the way from nirvana. The apartment has been vacated due to a nasty divorce, and Carrie, wit in tact, discovers the reason for the nastiness -- too-small closets. Her knight in shining black limousine tells her he will build her a proper closet. It's obvious that Mr. Big - John, as we found out in the series finale - has truly stuck to his word, that Carrie is the one and she's all he wants. Any fan of the show knows that he is truly all she has wanted, as well.
As a result of a visit to an auction of personal effects held by a woman jilted by her boyfriend, Carrie discusses security with Big and they decide to get married. This decision gets the plot rolling and it becomes intertwined with the lives of Carrie's best friends. Samantha visits New York far too often for Smith's liking, but she feels she has lost herself somehow in their relationship -- both personal and business. Miranda is feeling the pressure of her job and caring for her family and has begun to slip into her old critical ways - she's pushing Steve away again and their marriage is suffering a dry spell as a result. Charlotte, however, is living her lifelong dream - she is married, a mother, and blissfully happy. Interestingly, this seems to put her in the background as far as the movie plot goes, but there is no shortage of drama in this film, trust me.
As a devoted fan to the series, I refuse to give anything away here regarding plot details. Suffice it to say that there's a wedding, a trip to Mexico, a new personal assistant for Carrie, a surprise pregnancy, lots and lots of fashion - of the standard - everyday and also of the wedding-dress variety, and relationship heartaches and mending. The girls are definitely back in their primes, as the original cast seems to have picked up right where they left off. The boys are just as wonderful and you see why these are the men with whom our fabulous foursome have chosen to spend their lives. New to the world is personal assistant Louise (Jennifer Hudson) whose eager, wide-eyed search for love in New York reminds Carrie of herself as a 20-something. Louise knows her labels, however, and even reveals to Carrie that you can rent designer bags on the internet! (Who knew? We can be sure that people are trying to find out at this point, though, that's for sure!) Hudson is a perfect fit for this role and you grow to love her in 2 hrs and 20min as much as we've loved our girls for six seasons.
With a movie like this, audience reaction is everything. When and if HBO produces a Sopranos movie, they would be smart to take notes from Michael Patrick King. He knows how to reel us into the lives of his characters as if they had never left us and how to string us along the truths of lives, love, and labels to a resolution everyone will be satisfied by...at least I was. There's a lovely undertone of Cinderella in Sex and the City, one that's been around for ages, considering Carrie's obsession with shoes. It's tied in very well in the film, as a bedtime story for Lily and for us as well. Sure, chick flicks perpetuate the idea of happily-ever-after from our girlhoods, but maybe there's some truth in it. I'm willing to put some stock into it. I guess that means I'm a Charlotte. I'm sure you know which of our gals you are, too...just make sure that if you can identify yourself with one of these characters that you make it to the theater as soon as you can to enjoy this wonderful final hurrah from one of HBO's greatest original series.
Sex and the City: The Movie is now playing in theaters.
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