‘Sex and the City’ leaves viewers wanting more

Since the HBO series’ close in 2004, there have been talks of a film, muddled with rumors as to why it would never happen.  Eventually the feature film of “Sex and the City” began production, dispelling the rumors of billing or salary disputes as cause for delay, and creating frenzy on the streets of New York during filming.  What had the fabulous four gals been up to all this time and what would happen next?

Even if you’ve never seen an episode, a montage from the series is implanted into the title, catching you up well enough to follow the film as a “SATC” virgin.  For the rest of us, it has been too long and that feeling lingers in the first few scenes of the movie. We join the cast five years after the series finale: Miranda is still in Brooklyn with Brady who is now five, Carrie has written two more books, Charlotte’s adopted baby is now about four years old, and Samantha (brace yourselves) isn’t even living in New York anymore.
The film continues to touch on the realities of life – women and men, single or married alike.  Carrie is described as “The Last Single Gal” simply because she is forty and it’s still socially unacceptable that she has never been married.  Samantha and Miranda begin to feel that they cannot bend any further for the men they love, and Charlotte’s perfect life begins to scare her.

Written with the same wit and heart as the series, it is easy to relate to the women and men of “Sex and the City.”  Michael Patrick King writes realistic scenarios that still leave the audience wanting a fairy-tale ending of happily ever after, no matter what bumps or jolts along the path there are.

Jennifer Hudson may have her moments but was miscast as Carrie’s assistant, giving a stiff performance overall.  Most of the other actors are superb and pick up their characters right where they left off.  Standout performances are given by Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristin Davis, who both connect fully to the high emotion certain scenes call for, grabbing the viewer into those moments as well.

Though the film can sometimes have a sense of heightened reality, the actors sell the campy scenes well, connecting to those of us who have lived through challenging moments and found the humor in them. 

The fashion is abundant, we see Parker in about five different looks in the opening sequence alone, as are the labels.  There is plenty of sex, of course, and with the soft-core style scenes running rampant throughout, it’s hard to believe that it’s only rated R.

Loose ends are tied, it’s true, but I am still left wanting “Sex and the City” to never end.  This is a love letter to friends and lovers – to you and me.
And as this single gal walked out of the theatre alone, I couldn’t help but wonder…who says I can’t have it all?