It’s been just about 4 years since Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big started their happily ever after at the feet of the Eiffel Tower. That’s right, Sex and the City: The Movie is finally in theaters and it’s time for another great trip around the block in Manolo Blahniks with the quartet of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda.
This time around, Carrie is finally set to wed Mr. Big only to have the elusive groom leave her standing alone at the alter and facing a long road to recovery. In fact, all of the girls find themselves facing some kind of difficult, emotional crossroads. Above all, the movie continues the thread of exploring the bond of friendship and the perils of the pursuit of love.
Those that subscribe to the SATC cult like following will be in heaven as the movie exhibits its humor, high fashion and vulgar sex talk (and scenes). Conversely, the film dangerously walks the line of alienating new viewers that might find themselves pondering what’s the big deal about these seemingly materialistic and cartoon-like females. And quite frankly, the male characters, including Mr. Big, are treated only as peripheral plot devices.
As for the cast, they effortlessly maintained status quo in portraying their counterparts. Sarah Jessica Parker hasn’t missed a beat as the shopaholic and uber-trendy Carrie. Other than the other three ladies, expect to see a few other familiar characters from the series and a handful of new ones. A welcome addition to the movie is Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, who plays Carrie’s warm new assistant that “saves her life.” Candice Bergen also makes a very small appearance in the film.
The movie clocks in at a whopping 2 hours and 20 something minutes. The tempo drags somewhat in the middle, lacking the zip of the neat-and-clean 60 minute episodes of the series. But faithful fans won’t mind this at all - it feels like spending good, quality time with an old friend.
Oh, and it’s worth noting - be ready for what feels like incessant and shameless product placement including cars, shoes, clothes, wedding gowns, purses and a number of other items.
Overall, SATC accomplishes the expected mission of paying homage to its roots, while at the same time presenting an experience that offers something new to the franchise. Underneath all the glitz and glamor is a story that is truly heartwarming and fun to watch and satisfying at the end.
BuzzFocus.com gives Sex and the City 8 stars out of 10.
