Sex and the City Movie
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis
May 30, 2008
Sex and the City stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis in the same roles that created such a successful and much-loved TV show. The film attempts to re-cap for those new to the story with clips from the show sprinkled throughout the credits, though based on its core audience, it hardly seems necessary.
Starting Where It Left Off
The story begins 3-4 years after the series ended: Carrie (Parker) and Big (Chris Noth) are still together and finding a new place to live, Miranda (Nixon) and Steve (David Eigenberg) still have their son Brady though their marriage is suffering sexually, Charlotte (Davis) and Harry (Evan Handler) are still happily together with their adopted daughter, and the biggest change finds Samantha (Cattrall) splitting her time between New York and LA with her famous beau Smith (Jason Lewis).
A Solid Beginning Comes Crashing to an Abrupt Halt
Things start rolling when Carrie and Big decide to get married. What starts out as a small affair gets blown out of proportion when Carrie is asked to model wedding dresses for Vogue. After being given a Vivienne Westwood wedding dress, the size of the wedding grows rapidly out of hand for Big's taste. Before long, Carrie finds herself faced with the gut-wrenching loss of being stood up at the altar (as seen in the trailers). The film has a great pace and plot potential right up through the wedding. But once the ladies hit Mexico (Samantha turns Carrie's honeymoon into a getaway to cheer her up), it's all downhill--and there's plenty of runtime left. It's called "filler" and the film ambles along pointlessly, with little action, and with complete disregard for the "va-va-voom" (as the show itself once put it) that made each lady vivacious to begin with.
A Slap In the Face to Fans
Despite the arduous process (so rumor has it) of getting all their ducks in a row just to be able to finally make this film, the script has the feeling of being rushed. There isn't a genuine laugh in the film--the dialogue is forced (a word which could easily be overused in trying to describe just what's wrong with this whole film) and some of the "funny" lines are downright awful--as if they were placeholders for where a witty line should be inserted later.
It has a 148 minute runtime, but little care is given to the other three women's ordeals and too much time doing nothing surrounds Carrie and her woes. Miranda reverts back to her bitter, two-dimensional season 1 persona that was so off-putting before the writers mellowed her out. Steve fares no better, being mysteriously dumbed down to the point of bordering on mouth-breather. Samantha has been utterly robbed of everything that makes her the show's most outrageous and exciting life of the party. Charlotte is still Charlotte; though while the others seem to have significantly aged, Kristin Davis is mysteriously wrinkle-free.
Shamelessness and Contradictions
One of SATC's highlights for many has always been its love of fashion, and it goes way out of its way--one could almost say it's visibly burdened, infact--to remind the audience of that here. Suddenly, Carrie isn't just into her dresses and Manolos, she now has a plethora of name-brand purses as well. And Carrie may be considered a fashion goddess, but no one wears long pearls to bed. The film is littered with product placement and takes no shame in what appears to be its being sponsored by Mercedes-Benz.
It's Only Money
The shamelessness continues as it contradicts itself by pairing up characters who previously loathed each other (Stanford and Anthony??), devising lazy plot devices to explain away finances and throwing in a hollow role for a young twenty-something to supposedly draw in a younger crowd. While SATC never felt weighed down by the need to be realistic in terms of the four women and their money, Carrie's previously less-than-wealthy financial status has been blatantly and lazily slapped away by simply making her a best-selling author. Carrie sells her apartment, buys it back at inflated rates, and Big buys a penthouse of unreal proportions (considering what they had been looking at) without even discussing the cost. After the disastrous wedding (or lack thereof) and the buyback of her hugely expensive old apartment, Carrie then whimsically hires an assistant (Jennifer Hudson, in the most vapid and pointless role the film has offered yet). It was a little more refreshing when they at least pretended money was an issue.
A Complete Disappointment
Fans of the show have all been salivating for this film for a long time--simply staying true to the original characters hardly seems much to ask. Some aspects of change seen here are very respectable--there is no attempt to hide wrinkles or deny the women are now in their forties (even addressing Samantha's 50th birthday). It may have been an honest and valiant effort to give the ladies new conflicts and challenges to reflect their new ages in life, but unfortunately it also ends up wrecking the characters all the fans have come to know and love over the show's six seasons. A stronger plot (or really, just having a plot) might have created a better foundation, but as it is, this film leaves so much to be desired.
