Sex and the City

By Jenny Siddle
June 5, 2008

There is a reason why you don’t see movie sequels to romantic comedies; we don’t ever want to believe that Cinderella and her Prince Charming lived anything other than happily ever after. Yet when the makers of Sex and the City finally confirmed rumours that Manhattan’s Fantastic Four were to make their silver screen debut, fans of the outrageously popular HBO series couldn’t wait to tune in to the next chapter of the tumultuously passionate saga between Carrie and Mr. Big. Admittedly, I am one of those fanatics.

When we left off at the series finale three years ago, newlywed Charlotte and her lovable schmuck, Harry, had finally been approved as adoptive parents for a new baby girl arriving from China (Lily). Miranda, married to her career (oh, as well as to Steve the bartender), had recently moved to Brooklyn with her husband to raise their son Brady in a "normal” family environment. After kicking cancer in the ass, Samantha had given new life to the term “over the hill” by shacking up with her twenty something smoke show of a boyfriend, actor/model Smith Jerrod. And Carrie, the helplessly over-analytical romantic, had not only broke it off with Russia’s greatest love machine in the world’s most romantic city, but had finally been swept off her feet one last time by her long, lost, lust - John. Or so we were led to believe…

While Brady and Lily have certainly grown by 2008, not much has changed in the lives of the leading ladies. Charlotte is raising her daughter to be just like her (pretentiously polite and pleasantly pretty), Miranda still strives to find the logic in love, and Samantha, now living in Los Angeles with Smith, endlessly craves mind blowing sex just about every minute of every day. The only thing out of the ordinary is the fact that, three whole years later, Carrie and Big are still together. And happy! Now of course we have all been indoctrinated to believe that in the twisted road that is life - first comes love, then comes…marriage?

As any avid fan of the show knows, the only vow Mr. Big has ever made to Carrie was that he would never get married again (mind you, he said that while in between his first and second wife). And who can forget those fortuitous words he uttered to Carrie in the back of his limousine when she announced her own engagement to Aidan: “Sorry, kid. You’re not the marrying type.” Could it be that Mr. Big and Carrie have finally succumbed to the societal pressures (namely Charlotte) and are making it official? In the words of Big himself, “Believe it, Baby."

Unfortunately, as we have come to realize in the world of Carrie, with Big expectations come even Bigger disappointments, but this time, Miranda secretly thinks she is the one to blame. Dealing with infidelity issues in her own relationship, Miranda takes out her frustrations (and complete distrust in the institution of marriage) in a fit of anger on the wrong person at just about the worst time and place imaginable. While attempting to pick up the broken pieces, Carrie turns to an unlikely muse for inspiration – her new “twenty-something” assistant, Louise. As Carrie is about to learn, it often takes a lesson from the young to remember how wonderful naivety can be about a little thing called love.

There is so much more in the film that doesn’t deserve to be spoiled, so I won’t even get into it. However, what I will say is that I think I would be hard pressed to find a Sex in the City junkie that is disappointed with this movie – it was like watching an extended two and a half hour episode where we struggle alongside Carrie as she not only tries to pen the next chapter in her book, but in her life as well. In all of their lives. The movie definitely takes us to darker places than we ever experienced on the small screen, and my guess is that those who were not fervent followers of the series may find that the movie runs far too long. But if you ask me? I couldn’t get enough. Whether the ladies were uptown for Fashion Week gossiping over the latest style news, or downtown on Madison, sipping cosmos in their Jimmy Choo’s, at the end of the day we were reminded of the same message that we were left with four years ago: that while men can storm out of your life as fast as they can sweep you off your feet, it is your friends who will always stand by you once the dust is settled to pour you a glass of wine…or a bottle.

As for the fairytale ending? In the immortal words of our favourite Manhattan sex columnist, sometimes you can ruin a perfectly good thing by trying to plan the happily ever after.

Touche, Miss Bradshaw. Touche.

Wide Release Date: May 31, 2008
Running Time: 2 hour, 28 minutes
Director: Michael Patrick King
Producers: Eric M. Cyphers, Michael Patrick King, John P. Melfi, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Darren Star
Executive Producers: Richard Brener
Music: Aaron Zigman
Screenplay: Michael Patrick King
Director of Photography: John Thomas
Editor: Michael Berenbaum