The fab four bring fashion and fun to the screen
”
Sex and the City
”
starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and
Cynthia Nixon
When
”
Sex and the City
”
first started in 1998, I was in college and too poor to pay for
cable so I never watched HBO. But my sister, who was in high school
and living with our parents, watched it from the beginning. By the
time I moved back home, the third season was over and it just
seemed overwhelming to jump into the middle of the friendship
between Carrie Bradshaw and her three cohorts.
The fab four bring fashion and fun to the screen
“Sex and the City” starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon
When “Sex and the City” first started in 1998, I was in college and too poor to pay for cable so I never watched HBO. But my sister, who was in high school and living with our parents, watched it from the beginning. By the time I moved back home, the third season was over and it just seemed overwhelming to jump into the middle of the friendship between Carrie Bradshaw and her three cohorts.
Through the years I watched an episode here and there, especially after my sister bought each season on DVD as they came out. I always found the series funny and empowering since most movies that have strong, powerful women portray them as slutty or power hungry.
I loved how I could see bits of me and people I knew in each of the characters – though I’d love to say I am most like Carrie, I have to admit my somewhat obsessive-compulsive attention to work probably makes me more like Miranda. Still, I never really got into it like my sister.
When the rumors of a movie first started, my sister said we had to go see it. As the movie debut came closer, every woman I know talked about going to see it with their gal pals. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to keep up with all the characters in the movie or get references to past events.
But as with most movies that are developed from a long-running series, the filmmakers did a good balance job of keeping fans happy as well as making the movie accessible to those who had never watched the shows.
On opening night, my sister, my mom and a friend all headed to the local theater after work. Apparently we weren’t the only ones waiting for the movie to open as the largest screen in the theater was packed. We had to sit toward the front and strain our necks to see the four New York fashionistas. Needless to say, there weren’t many men in the audience.
Writers Michael Patrick King and Candace Bushnell start the movie with a montage of the most important moments from the series to catch up old fans and fill in new watchers. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is doing prep work on her latest book, and she and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) are happily dating. In the five or so years since the series ended, things have also gone well for her friends. Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is balancing life with a toddler and her husband Steve (David Eigenberg) with work, while Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is living her dream life as a mom and wife. Samantha’s (Kim Cattrall) life is the most surprising since she moved to Los Angeles to further her boyfriend’s career.
Though it seems as though life has been going great, the men in their lives shake things up a bit for these four friends in the movie. But as always the male characters fall a little flat. Even in the series I never understood Carrie’s fascination with Big. She is an amazing writer, fashion-forward and quite a catch. Big, on the other hand, never fully comes to life.
The movie, of course, like the series, focuses more on the friendships between the ladies. It really is a gal pal movie, but one with enough to make us laugh and make us cry. After all, I think we all want to find Mr. Right, but still hang on to the friends who helped us out through all the wrong ones.
From the die-hard fan
Like any true Sex and the City fan, I own all six seasons on DVD and have re-watched the series start to finish many times. So, when I heard there was a Sex and the City movie coming out this summer, I knew I had to see it. By the time the movie was released, I had heard some disappointing reviews of the movie. Despite this, I knew I had to go see my four favorite New Yorkers on the big screen.
I always felt like the series was more about the women and their friendships through everything. The sex and the men seemed more like background characters to the four women. The movie followed this same theme. Even though the “big” question of the movie revolved around Carrie and Mr. Big, I felt the movie was still more about the friendship between Miranda, Charlotte, Samantha, and Carrie.
If you are like me and fashion isn’t your thing, then the fashion montages throughout the movie might seem to drag on a bit, but even I can appreciate some of the cool and weird looking outfits.
Overall, the movie did lack some of the spunk and edginess of the series, but it felt like the filmmakers still captured the spirits of these four, fabulous women. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha back after so many years.
If every woman had three great friends who knew when to hold their tongues and when to pull their punches, the world would probably be a better place.
Melissa Flores’ sister contributed to this story.
