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Review #646 of 365
Movie Review of Sex and the City (2008) [R] 148 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $11.25
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When Seen: 30 May 2008
Time: 12:01 pm
DVD Release Date: 23 September 2008 (click date to purchase or pre-order)
After the Credits: there is nothing after the credits
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
Soundtrack: Download now from 
- or - order the CD belowLegally Download "Sex and the City" (the TV show) from
Directed by: Michael Patrick King ("Sex and the City" )
Screenplay by: Michael Patrick King ("Sex and the City" ) with characters from the book by Candace Bushnell
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Sarah Jessica Parker (Failure to Launch) • Kim Cattrall (My Boy Jack) • Kristin Davis (Deck the Halls) • Cynthia Nixon (One Last Thing) • Chris Noth ("Law & Order: Criminal Intent") • Candice Bergen ("Boston Legal") • Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) • David Eigenberg (Driftwood) • Evan Handler ("Californication") • Jason Lewis (Mr. Brooks)
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Click to see photos from the Premiere of Sex and the City
Click to read the spoiler points for Sex and the City
Though it might be terribly difficult to believe, I never watched the show. Well, I possibly saw it once or twice maybe on the road in a hotel that had free HBO®. Nope, never watched a single episode of the "The Sopranos" either. If you don't have HBO®, you don't have HBO®. So, when it comes to "Sex and the City" which I always thought was called, "Sex in the City" until I started priming up for the film version and discovered, to a bit of admitted disillusionment, the error in my mind, I'm pretty close to being a virgin. Does that disqualify me from giving it its proper due via critique? Probably "yes" for some ardent fans, but maybe "no" to the many other millions of potential viewers of the film who, likewise, don't know much about the now infamous foursome of NYC self-obsessed gal pals, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), who might believe this review to be a more potent "see it or not" guide. What I cannot do, however, is let the astute aficionados of the acclaimed television series know if it closes loose ends (though I can predict at least one) and / or lives up to their expectations. One thing's for sure, I've not sat in a more entranced 12:01 a.m. audience since the last Star Trek film; and, indeed, the fans, maybe they're properly called 'Sexies' or 'Sexers', were out in full force, similarly costumed, and unapologetically prepared to worship what ever might splash up on the screen. The story seems to reunite the fab four around the concept of marriage or, in the case of Samantha, "long-term, relationship", survival. Charlotte couldn't be happier with her dopey husband Harry (Evan Handler) and their newly adopted, Chinese daughter Lily. Samantha, now dwelling nearly exclusively in L.A. has her boy toy Jerry 'Smith' Jerrod (Jason Lewis) in tow. The bombshells that set off the story and send it spinning out of control for the ample running time perhaps more befitting a Peter Jackson epic at 148 minutes are Carrie's sudden announcement of a real-life marriage to Mr. Big (Chris Noth) and the inexplicable, or is it, separation of Miranda and her doltish Steve (David Eigenberg). Hundreds of episodes of a commercial free TV show couldn't convince me that any of these men were the soul mates of these make-believe sisters; but, then, my casual observation over the years leads me to believe that this mismatch is true to life as I've witnessed dozens and dozens of college friends spend zillions on failed marriages to people selected for all the wrong reasons prompting me to wonder if arranging marriages at birth was any worse a strategy for hitching people up.
What possibly could be more trite than a fairy tale wedding with all of the trappings and a gigantic, walk-in Karen Walker closet?
In any case, if there's an "SitC" fan out there who cannot already predict the eventual outcome of these superficial and transparent plot lines, I won't ruin it for them here, that's what the ""spoiler" is for. I'll just say, there's a happy, utterly obvious ending so don't waste tears and Kleenexs® early on in the film. I will say, however, that the plot, for all it's build-up and hype, was about as complex and interesting as a trashy romance novel—what? Don't claim you haven't read at least one, dudes! If you haven't you should just to see what all the hype and allure of this genre is, to be fair, before one criticizes or judges. With all due respect, though seriously, "Sexies" when you see the film, and you will, you've got to admit it. Maybe the television show was all about female empowerment, if not for story, at least for the female-centered way the show is driven and the cardboard, pointless male characters who couldn't be more stereotypically emasculated and unappealing if they were simply chalk outlines, but the film is all about fulfilling stereotypical, US movie/tv societal marital or, again, in the case of Samantha, relationship bliss. What possibly could be more trite than a fairy tale wedding with all of the trappings and a gigantic, walk-in Karen Walker closet?
Some readers are going to post back that I just don't understand these characters and this show. Because I wasn't sitting with my bowl of Paul Newman's organic popcorn and can of Sprite® Zero—no ice—with a Cheshire Cat grin salivating all over episode 9 of season 4, what do I know? Point taken, and if this is what all the hype was / is about, I'm going to have to say, I'm not all that sorry I missed the bus on this one. Now, shockingly, that doesn't mean I didn't like the movie. Actually, I thought it was ok, not too bad. I didn't love it. I didn't think it was great. I didn't even think it was illuminating to any noticeable extent.
…if you want a chick flick with a truly romantic heart, see What Happens in Vegas which was everything this exploitative film wasn't.
It took me no place I've never been before in films. There were mechanical and romantically bankrupt sex scenes. There was not a character in it, with the notable exception of the newly introduced, Louise (Academy Award®-winning Jennifer Hudson), who seemed even slightly emotionally genuine. Honestly, if you want a chick flick with a truly romantic heart, a punchy, appealing story, and brilliant comedic actors, see What Happens in Vegas which was everything this exploitative film wasn't. But, that doesn't mean there weren't very funny lines, dutifully quality performances by the leading actresses, and some touching moments. Hence, I didn't mind the film. I didn't loathe it, nor did I love it—though I know a certainly large percentage of "Sexies" will. I was sort of glad when it was finally over and with just the right happy ending I predicted early on. If the show was like this, it won't disappoint the "Sexies", if it was something more earth-shattering, then it likely will. As for the rest of us, it's just a slightly above average, mostly routine romantic summer dramedy and a half (recall the 148-minute running time).
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Sex and the City (2008)
Cast Members
Sarah Jessica Parker
• Kim Cattrall • Kristin DavisCynthia Nixon
• Chris Noth • Candice BergenJennifer Hudson
• David Eigenberg • Evan HandlerJason Lewis
Director
Michael Patrick King
Writer
Michael Patrick King
When it comes to "Sex and the City" I'm pretty close to being a virgin like many other millions of potential viewers of the film who, likewise, don't know much about the now infamous foursome of NYC self-obsessed gal pals, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon). Reuniting the fab four around the concept of marriage or, in the case of Samantha, "long-term, relationship", survival consumes the 1 hour, 48-minute plot. The result is an okay movie. I didn't love it nor find it terribly illuminating. There weren't very funny lines, dutifully quality performances by the leading actresses, and some touching moments. Fans of the series may enjoy it, but as for the rest of us, it's just a slightly above average, mostly routine, romantic summer dramedy and a half written and directed by series vet Michael Patrick King.
1 comment:
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