Sex and the City: The Movie (2008)

O Masterpiece
O Excellent
X Good
O OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid

Review by Jason Pyles / June 18, 2008

No, I’ve never watched the TV show. But I still enjoyed the movie.

I’ve heard other male critics griping about this movie, and I think they’re being a little ridiculous. Everybody knows going in whom this movie is made for. Let’s just call a spade a spade. “Sex and the City: The Movie” is a heavy-duty chick flick, or as my wife calls it, “a girl movie.”

Even so, I can appreciate a good girl movie. Most people like movies because they enjoy observing other people’s stories. So, what’s the difference if the stories happen to revolve around women (aka “half the population”)?

Though I wasn’t overly familiar with the series, I could tell the film included lots of nods and inside jokes for faithful followers. No doubt, if I were a true fan, I would have enjoyed it even more. But the movie is still easy to follow going in cold, even though there are moments that don’t carry the same emotional charge, because they lack the historical context. In short, it’s like getting to know any other characters that we’re meeting in a movie for the first time, and Michael Patrick King does a good job with getting us acquainted.

As I understood it, four girls met and became BFFs during their early 20s in New York City. They have had countless adventures together, most of which revolve around dating, sex and fashion. Now, they’re in their early 40s, and they are still reveling in the drama surrounding dating, sex and fashion.

Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is still a writer and still on-and-off again with Mr. Big (Chris Noth). But wait a minute … weddings bells are ringing not too far off. Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), a true cougar, is the only one of the friends who no longer lives in New York. She’s out in Hollywood with her boy-toy model, Smith (Jason Lewis).

Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) has a hectic family life, and we see how her marriage with Steve (David Eigenberg) hits the rocks. And then there’s Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), the fourth friend whose lovely little life is picture-perfect. We all know people like that; it’s fun to hate them.

So, we watch each woman’s drama unfold through individual, occasionally overlapping storylines. And, of course, there are multiple rendezvous where the four women gather, discuss the matters at hand, assess the damage, give advice, and break with a new game plan. In other words, we get plenty of girl talk.

There are definite highlights, such as a Vogue photo shoot, breathtaking, NYC, high-rise apartments (and other city scenery), and certainly many bittersweet moments of friendship, betrayal and forgiveness. But then there are unmistakable low-points that truly surprised me, such as an incessantly humping dog (like something out of an Adam Sandler movie) and an intestinal turmoil scene (like something out of a Larry the Cable Guy movie). How did these scenes ever get into this movie?

And yes, faithful to its name, along with the city, the movie also depicts the sex. I wouldn’t say the sexual scenes pervade the movie, but the evenly dispersed, occasional doses are graphic and explicit. The R-rating is well deserved.

The trailer for “Sex and the City,” which is one of the best I’ve seen in recent years, reveals an absolute treasure from the film’s soundtrack: India.Arie’s cover of “The Heart of the Matter.” Wow. It’s phenomenal! Listen to it right now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGmxzV8eNdk.

And at the risk of seeming like a stereotyping sexist, which is only stating the blatantly obvious, “Sex and the City: The Movie,” like the television show itself, will be best enjoyed by its target audience: women. On another note, if only there could be a “The Sopranos: The Movie,” they could throw a bone to the men and an atonement could be made for that pathetic excuse for an ending.

Directed by Michael Patrick King
Sarah Jessica Parker / Kim Cattrall / Kristin Davis / Cynthia Nixon
Drama / Comedy 148 min.
MPAA: R (for strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language)

U.S. Release Date: May 30, 2008
Copyright 2008: 296