“Sex and the City: The Movie” (film review; opens May 30)
On her program, Oprah Winfrey described “Sex and the City: The Movie” as “an event for girlfriends to remember.” With that line, the talk-show host certainly summed up the awaited R-rated adaptation of the wildly popular HBO series (1998-2004), which was based on the autobiographical columns by Candace Bushnell in The New York Observer. Debuting filmmaker Michael Patrick King, who had long been associated with the show, wrote and directed the picture, which provides hard-core “Sex and the City” fans with plenty of smiles, cheers and tears.
The romantic Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), the sweet Charlotte (Kristin Davis), the fiery Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and the sexy Samantha (Kim Cattrall) are back four years later with all of their dreams, hopes, fantasies, insecurities and fears, most revolving around finding genuine love while being true to themselves and each other. The ladies have waved goodbye to their 20s and 30s, but part of the joy of this sweet, if too long, film comes from showing the bonds of friendship that connect them and the relationships with men that often confound them.
According to King, the series was concerned with the search for love, while the movie is about what happens when love is found. Quite smartly throughout the film, the director peels back layers that reveal plot surprises and new insights into the sometimes flawed, always fascinating characters with whom the true fans feel such a kinship.
The creators have requested that no plot twists be revealed in reviews, since the script takes some unexpected bounces. The central plot revolves around Carrie and her ever-evolving relationship with Mr. Big (Chris Noth), her longtime, previously married boyfriend. When he pops the question to Carrie, the fortysomething woman feels her fairy-tale dreams have come true.
She’s approached by Vogue editor Enid Frick (Candice Bergen re-creating her TV role) to participate in a photo shoot that involves modeling the world’s most beautiful wedding gowns and turning her marriage celebration into a magazine story.
Things are going less well for the tightly wound Miranda, whose relationship with her husband, Steve (David Eigenberg from the series), is shattered by a betrayal. At the opposite end of the happiness spectrum is the wide-eyed Charlotte, who’s enjoying a strong marriage with her husband, Harry (Evan Handler of the series), and their adopted daughter.
Samantha has relocated to Malibu to promote the career of her handsome, much-younger boyfriend, Smith (Jason Lewis of the series). She deeply misses her close friends and the vibrant night life of the Big Apple and questions her monogamous lifestyle.
Joining the ensemble is Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls”). She brings some genuine warmth and energy to her role as Louise, a fashion-loving professional who becomes Carrie’s young assistant. In Hudson’s hands, the feisty Louise mirrors positive values by never forgetting where she came from or what’s really important.
The HBO series was hugely entertaining and involving as it followed friends who were looking for passionate interludes, loving relationships, hot clubs, and the finest fashions on the streets of Manhattan. Although the film version echoes similar themes, there’s also more of a serious subtext because the characters are older (with Samantha celebrating her 50th birthday) and their life choices are more important.
They seek lifestyles that, for the most part, let them settle in serious relationships and move forward with their lives.
These ladies still are girls who want to have fun, but by the end of the film, the four friends, who had always been famous for their conspicuous consumption and obsessions with shoes, dresses and accessories, discover that they don’t have to have it all to enjoy wonderful lives.
FILM REVIEW
“Sex and the City: The Movie”
Grade: B+
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall, Chris Noth, Jennifer Hudson and Candice Bergen; screenplay by Michael Patrick King; produced by Darren Star (who initially created the series based on the autobiographical columns written by Candace Bushnell), John Melfi, Parker and King; directed by King.
Running Time: 142 minutes.
Parental Guide: R rating (strong sexual content, graphic nudity, harsh four-letter profanity, adult themes).