Sex and the City

Rating : 3 Stars

Cast : Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon

Director : Michael Patrick King

Music : Aaron Zigman

Distributor : New Line Cinemas

Warning : Movie Spoiler

Based on the successful television series of the same title, Sex and the City was a good change from this summer’s continuous release of action packed blockbusters. It’s a story of four best friends living in the Big Apple and their plight for a fairytale ending of their lives. A sensuous and paradoxical romance comedy revolving around their complicated relationships, sex lives and friendship.

Sarah Jessica Parker reprises her Emmy winning role of Carrie Bradshaw, who is now at a crossroad in her life realising that she has to finally make a decision about her relationship with Big (Chris Noth). The movie pretty much starts at the point where the couple is looking for a new apartment in which to live in. They find a beautiful penthouse and agree to move in together. This is where things start to go wrong. They agree to get married but she seems to leave him out of the picture as she darts for the wedding of her life. Feeling like he is simply playing a role of the groom, instead of solidifying the relationship, Big bails out almost unwittingly.

Samantha Jones (Cattrall) is also facing a dilemma of her own. She being used to having only to focus on her own needs realises that she may have to focus on her very supportive and understanding lover. Her flamboyant and almost nymphomaniacal nature drives her hormones and her mind up the walls.

Miranda Hobbes’s career finally drives her husband to a one-night stand. His confession shocks her into divorcing him. In her rage, she accidently says the wrong thing to Big on the eve of his wedding with Carrie.

Charlotte York on the other hand is leading the perfect life of the four and it gets better with the news of her pregnancy. She had already adopted Lily years before and had settle with the fact that she cannot have a child of her own. This puts her into a paranoid state afraid that she might lose the baby.

It took the Carrie awhile to realise that she had been so focused on her desires that she had completely neglected to ask Big for his opinion on the wedding affair. She automatically shut him out for a year without hearing his side. Samantha after a year of depression, shopping and gaining weight decides that she cannot dedicate herself to one man. It also took Miranda a year to see that “it takes two to tango” in a marriage and an affair. She learns to forgive her husband and they try to work things out. Charlotte goes on to deliver her baby.

Michael Patrick King returns in the silver screen release as director, producer and writer. King was the Co-Producer for 11 episodes of the television series in 1998 and Executive Producer of 78 episodes from 1999 thru 2004. He also wrote 30 of the 94 episodes that were released through the 6 seasons. Sex and the City seems to be his only saving grace in Hollywood.

For the most part, it seems like the movie was written entirely for the girls as everything seems to revolve around what the women wanted and that it was only right for them to get it their way. The men were all too stupefied to say anything. In fact I would go to say that the all the men in Sex and the City seem like docile, insecure pushovers. The women are always in control even when they themselves are completely lost. Their immediate solution often seems to be “If I want it, then it is right”. Fortunately the ending saved it a little as life showed them the error of their ways. But as I said earlier, the movie was written for the girls, so there was very little and almost irrelevant male perspective. Also, big names in the fashion industry almost stole the lime light. Constant name dropping and clothes line-up almost makes this a very long ad.

All in all, the movie was simply a 148 minutes long finale episode where everyone gets what they want and clearly made for the fans who want an ending. If this were a movie on its own, I would not even think to recommend it. However, as this is part of a rather successful televison series and more of a finishing, so I think it turned out rather well (male ego and all aside) but only for its sentimental values. It is a rather decent Sunday Matinee if you wanted to watch something nice and pleasant with no story depth for a change. Girls you will love this movie. Guys be prepared to feel stupid.