New York's premier fashion aficionados-- Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda--are back in this feature-length follow-up to the hugely successful television series.
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Carrie Bradshaw is a writer in New York and she finally has everything; great friends, a great apartment and the love of her life - Mr. Big, whose recent proposal has thrown her into a pit of excitement, wedding planning and expensive dress shopping. Miranda Hobs has moved to wedded bliss in the Suburbs, sacrificing one night stands for motherhood and passionate affairs for the stability of marriage; but this transition is causing trouble and an unforeseen bump in the road will test her relationship with Steve to its limits. Charlotte is finding motherhood like a dream - she loves bringing up her adopted baby Lily with her husband and is fully amerced into her prim Manhattan socialite life whilst Samantha is living a life of tortured monogamy with her movie star boyfriend in L.A. But when tragedy hits all of the girls in one way or another they are pushed to breaking point and left shattered with the dreams of their futures seeming ever more distance - it's a good jobs they have friends close by to help them through.
The summer season is when the cinema really heats up; movie producers spend millions on stunning special effects, sophisticated advertising campaigns and enticing Hollywood stars to reel you in and get you all hot-under-the-collar. So, inevitably the blazing sun (or pouring rain in Britain's case) will bring with it movies that you really want to see (The Incredible Hulk), but by the same token it will also bring forth films whose existence you, if not totally despair of, are decidedly indifferent to. Such were my feelings when I got into town at ten a.m. to see the first showing of The Sex and the City movie - but I did it, I stepped into the cinema with a mix of fear and trepidation (after all I was stepping into the great unknown) and sat down to try my luck with the four New Yorkers: Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte. And, to my surprise, I discovered a solidly engaging and well written escape from the explosions and superheroes that are running amok in the multiplexes - it's a candy colored, heart-warming treat that offers plenty of tears and laughter, some great slivers of dialogue, brilliant performances and enough good will, fashion and romance to keep the shows diehard fans more than happy.
Sex and the City is a movie where the little moments are just as important as the big events, where snippets of narration are more moving than hours of actual interactions and where simple changes in weather and pace convey a thousand emotions. It's one of those rare films where the little scenes offer huge emotional pay-offs and simple moments of honesty and intelligence sparkle through the superficial fashion speak and sex talk. However, this can at times pose a pretty big problem as some of the bigger, more obviously scintillating moments don't carry (or Carrie) as much of an emotional wallop as the quieter ones and some scenes can feel slightly emotionally manipulative and overblown. However, for a television transition it's weirdly thematic; it feels right for the big screen - after it finds its groove it seems really at ease in the new medium and it has a nice scope that allows it to inhabit the screen fully. It doesn't lose focus and successfully fleshes out the characters and situations enough to stop it from feeling flat and limited and it happily manages to extend the franchise without losing the essence of what made it popular. The improved cinematography is wonderfully realised, bringing New York to life and bringing a poppy, fresh style to the cinema with a very contemporary colour palette, zesty visuals and slick, fluid camera work. In style it follows genre cliché whilst adding some fun gusto with crazy clothes (although I don't get the hoopla surrounding the fashion - it's mildly diverting at best) nice set pieces and a pleasing old world charm.
The film, rather appropriately considering Parker's recent perfume release, is without doubt lovely - it has such a hippy-dippy, fantastical atmosphere that it's hard not to be swept off your feet; it's emotional content is rooted in realty whilst the visuals and ideals are pure fairy tale. The dialogue is poetically crafted and the central romance is engaging and charming enough to keep things moving. As the autumn leaves fall on a beautifully lit New York City the film feels genuinely fresh and warm, as snow kisses the landscape and carpet the streets the magic and excitement of Christmas feels very real and as the sun dawns on a new summer's day you understand the redemption and lessons learned by the characters. Sex and the City has much to offer - it's sad, funny, romantic, edgy and loveable and thanks to some really solid writing it feels mature and rounded, without a sense of style over substance or unrealism. It's really great to see a film, especially in this summer of endless sequels, that concentrates on good old fashioned character development, all of the characters feel very real and their emotions relatable. They carry the scars of their past and the dreams of their futures; they follow believable plotlines and have flawed, intelligent personalities - they have to grapple with big ideas such as forgiveness and redemption and the film is brave enough to accept that there are no easy answers.
Unfortunately, the film has all of the things which put me off the show; it can feel superficial and silly and screenplay flits around too much to make the film feel completely coherent. There is a real sense of detachment from the action; like you're looking at the proceedings through a glazed window, always kept at an arms distance due to some very bad editing and slightly impersonal direction. The film speeds past things which seem important whilst lingering on tired fashion sequences and clichéd movie montages and the bloated running time drags things on a little too long. I am all for nudity on screen, especially of the Sarah Jessica Parker variety, but the graphic sex sequences feel oddly and irritating out of place with the romanticism of the piece and some of the more obvious twists are signalled from early on in the film. The materialism of the characters and situations can make the characters seem fairly unpleasant and stops you from really connecting with the film (they talk about spending 595 dollars on a pair of shoes as if it isn't unordinary) and belittles the emotional maturity and believability of the piece. The film also, most annoyingly, feels very episodic - one things happens, cut away, come back, another thing happens- which can make some of the films ideas feel tired and recycled and stops any real sense of fluidity.
The performances are all brilliant: Sarah Jessica Parker shows a great screen presence and real understanding of her character, the audience and the screenplay. She brings passion and pain to the role; she portrays Carrie with intelligence and realism, never shying away from the more upsetting bumps in the road and has a grace that makes her very watchable. Her performance is at times rubbed raw by the characters hopelessness and fatigue yet she holds onto the humour of the piece and delivers it with aplomb, edge, charisma and fun. She seems very comfortable in the transition from television land to cinema and builds a genuine bond with the audience and co-stars, especially Chris Noth with whom she has a great chemistry and fun banter. Cynthia Nixon has some equally challenging shifts in emotion and rides them out with alot of wit, old fashioned charisma and integrity - some of her scenes are heart-breaking as she deals with the repercussions of deceit and infidelity yet Nixon never resorts to overblown or overdramatic gestures. She also proves to be a surprisingly efficient romantic lead displaying a lot of charm and an endearing cynicism.
The screenplay is much better than I was expecting; it takes the characters to some surprisingly dark places without getting bogged down and doesn't allow it's emotional complexity to get in the way of the frivolous, cinematic sequences. The emotional impact of the film is all down to the quality of the dialogue and the beauty and efficiency with which Michael Patrick Smith writes. I think the movie is more male friendly than the series thanks to some more interesting and complex issues which are presented and the depth with which the characters and situations are explored.
I am being very stingy giving the film three stars; it is genuinely charming, beautifully written and a surprisingly emotional experience. However, it still failed to get me excited about the franchise and didn't really inspire me to go and watch the series - it just didn't get me all that interested or excited and the episodic nature of the proceedings made it seem a little tired. However, it is far, far better and more worthy of attention than I ever expected and is at times pretty devastatingly moving. If you are a fan of the series then I have no doubt that this will be a five out of five affair -after all it is a brave, complex, romantic kiss for all the fans and neat way to introduced newbies. The final message is so easy to relate to and it really sends out good vibrations, so if you are a fan or female I would most definitely put on you stilettos, slip into your party dress and go and spend some time with the girls.
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Soundtrack
Outstanding
How does it compare to others by the same director?
Good
Value for Money
Good
What format are you reviewing?
Film only
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