Sex and the City
Directed by Michael Patrick King
New Line Cinema
Rating: 4
Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda have captured the hearts of dedicated fans for six seasons of “Sex and the City.” The movie continues from the series finale from four years ago. The opening night started off with a long anticipated fanciful explosion of New York City’s two L’s – Labels and Love.
At the midnight showing in Davis, girls came dressed up as glitterati, many even attending the film in groups of four. The estrogen-filled theater held less than 10 men. It would not give the movie justice to call it simply a “chick flick.” It would be more accurate to deem it a documented New York Fashion Week fashion show sprinkled with drama, betrayal and love.
The sixth season left off with four relatively steady relationships – Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and “Mr. Big” (Chris Noth), Samantha (Kim Cattrall) and “Smith” (Jason Lewis), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Harry (Evan Handler) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Steve (David Eigenberg).
Carrie, who works for The New York Star as a columnist who writes “Sex and the City,” narrates the entire series and film. At the start of the 145 minute movie, Carrie provides a recap of the past, ensuring that those who have never seen the TV show will be ready to journey knowledgably along with the rest of the audience.
The vast amount of product placement and label luster drew gasps and coos from the audience. The New York City portrayed by director Michael Patrick King reveals lifestyles of endless wealth and luxury. Going out to lunch and cocktails everyday, dropping everything to go on vacation, taking flights from L.A. to N.Y. every week and building a walk-in closet the size of the average New York apartment are just a few signifiers of the affluence the storyline embellishes.
Naturally, one would find great fun in living vicariously through these financially carefree ladies. But reality sets in when King adds a new character, Louise (Jennifer Hudson) into the mix. Her character acts as Carrie’s middle-class, purse-renting personal assistant who reminds Carrie which “L” should matter most.
Each leading lady, with the exception of Charlotte, deserves moments of sorrow. Unlike the series where external forces (a.k.a men) find ways to twist and torment these ladies‘ lives, the plot focuses on the internal issues that the four create for themselves. Outsiders can no longer remedy the problem. Rather, it has come time for Carrie, Samantha and Miranda to search within themselves to independently analyze their own faults and diagnose their own cures.
But of course, the four soulmates will always be each other’s backbones and shoulders to cry on. The dynamics of their friendship give everyone something to relate their own relationships to.
Lastly, what would this movie be without sex and cocktails? Rest assured, your palate will not be left bland. Carrie brings the heaven of “Sex and the City’s” materialistic vanity back to earth by ending the movie with a very human, very sentimental, very real comment – “the best label a woman can wear is love.
