Movie review: Sex and the City

by Alex Bentley

Attention: Any man who avoids Sex and the City purely because they think it’s a “chick flick” will be missing one of the best films of the summer. Actually, it boggles the mind why any man would shy away from watching the film (or its TV series progenitor) since doing so is a lot like being given the playbook to how women view and approach men; who wouldn’t want to know all their secrets? And have I mentioned that there’s lots of sex and nudity? Any (heterosexual) male would never actively turn down the opportunity to see hot women naked, would he?

Of course, Sex and the City is about much more than that, but if that’s what it takes to get men to see this fantastic film, so be it. Women will likely come out in droves to see it and they will not be disappointed with what they get. The film picks up a few years after we left the fabulous foursome and little has changed (although, of course, it will over the course of the film). All four of the women are settled into seemingly-solid relationships: Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) with on-again-off-again love, Big (Chris Noth), who, after finally being given a first name in the series finale (John), is given the monied-sounding full name of John James Preston in the film; Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) with husband Steve (David Eigenberg) and son Brady in (gasp) Brooklyn; Charlotte (Kristin Davis) with husband Harry (Evan Handler) and adopted daughter, Lily; and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) with actor/client/all-around-stud Smith (Jason Lewis).

Sex and the City is a rarity in the TV-series-turned-film genre in that it comes so soon after the series ended (the last episode aired on Feb. 22, 2004) and that it treats its source material faithfully, rather than sending it up or re-imagining it. In essence, SATC the movie feels like a giant episode, touching on pretty much every theme that the series covered, which is a good thing. Writer/director Michael Patrick King has the good sense not to mess with a tried-and-true formula. The women may have left the single life behind (and each other, to an extent, as Samantha now lives in Los Angeles to further Smith’s apparently booming movie career), but they still rely on each other as much as ever.

The film is a 2 ½ hour roller coaster, and not one minute feels wasted. As is the standard for SATC, various relationships go through their ups and downs, designer clothes, shoes and purses are exalted, and, yes, sex is discussed and performed ad nauseum (although not quite as much as in the series; if anything, the film feels tamer than the series in that respect). Louise (Jennifer Hudson), Carrie’s new assistant, is the only major new character introduced, and she fits seamlessly into the proceedings, proving that Hudson is just as effective an actor in a non-singing role. In fact, there’s not one false moment to be had in the entire film. There are a couple of awkward fits, such as Samantha seemingly having to be shoehorned into situations due to her presence in L.A. or the presence of a humping dog, but any clumsiness is quickly overcome by the strength of the bond of the quartet.

Although Sex and the City gets a lot of attention for the sex and the fashion, those are just window dressing when it comes to what the show/movie is really about: the relationships. The rapport established by the women is rock solid and makes every moment resonate with emotion. The uninitiated may not have the same connection with the characters as fans will, but the film’s montage prologue does a great job of synopsizing events that happened pre-film, and the movie has sufficient story arcs for all four women that it works perfectly as a stand-alone work. Parker, Nixon, Davis, and Cattrall don’t miss a beat in reprising their roles; it truly feels like they never left.

Many may be viewing Sex and the City as merely counter-programming to all the supposedly male-oriented blockbusters like Iron Man and Indiana Jones. It may not have the action of the other big summer films, but as far as quality of film goes, SATC is superior in every meaningful way.

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