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Sex and the City (2008)

Director: Michael Patrick King

Time Out rating

Average user rating

101 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Straight men never got television series 'Sex and the City', but really – what was not to get? Brunch without calories, sex without consequences, friendship without recrimination and shoes without price tickets: the programme about four thirtysomething women single and loving it in the big bad Apple was the ultimate consumer fantasy. So it’s no surprise that, despite years of denials, there’s now a feature-length version: isn’t capitalism all about stuff that’s surplus to requirements?

We didn’t need it but boy, do we want it: the night I went the queues were half an hour long – and we’d all pre-bought tickets. Happily, our independently earned cash wasn’t spent in vain. Writer-director Michael Patrick King (a stalwart of the TV series) hoves straight in with a mission statement by fashionista columnist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) to the effect that she’s a fortysomething and life is different, but friendship never changes. The girls have moved on a couple of years but are all pretty settled: Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and her Harry have a cute adopted daughter; Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is still in Brooklyn with Steve and little Brady; and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) may be out in Hollywood managing her boyfriend Smith’s career, but her killer Manolos must be leaving some seriously inelegant carbon footprints, because she’s back in New York every other minute.

The emphasis has shifted, as is probably proper for this demographic: it’s still about relationships but they’re no longer hypothetical. The questions are larger in scope: Carrie has her Big – but will he marry her? Should he marry her? Is there life after a happy ending? They’re all good issues, even if they're treated so frothily as to disappoint. Nobody wants existentialism from 'SATC', but as Carrie might once have put it, I couldn’t help but wonder why, when Love with a capital L slinks into the penthouse, sex and banter both apparently sashay straight out.

Never mind: there are good lines and plenty of laughter, even if there are none of the verbal doubles that made every TV episode feel like a really good Wimbledon final. And there’s some gleeful hypocrisy: this is not just a fashion film where the men look a hell of a lot better than the women (Carrie’s makeup bag must be bigger than her walk-in wardrobe) but we also detect a sanctimonious whisper that fashion labels – hush, now! – are just calorie-free gateaux for women whose appetites, of all kinds, aren’t being satisfied. Apparently, you can be rich, good-looking and in a relationship and still not be happy. Thank goodness for Cosmopolitans.

Author: Nina Caplan 2008-05-29 12:20:47

Time Out London Issue 1971 May 28- June 3, 2008

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User reviews of this film

debs said...

Posted on Jun 13 2008 21:34 excellent film!! really funny. highly recommended even if you havnt seen the series or have the box set like mee!! its a long film but well worth it!! go with ur girlies!!

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Georgina said...

Posted on Jun 13 2008 19:28 FANTASTIC! What a film, never wanted it to end! A MUST see....Enjoyed the whole film

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Natalie said...

Posted on Jun 13 2008 18:29 I will never understand the people who didnt think this was the best film in thw world. laughs, tears, fashion, sentiment, the film has it all. If i could give it 11 out of ten i would. now where did i put my manolos?

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sal said...

Posted on Jun 12 2008 23:54 FAB chick flick - will go and see again. Tears, laughter, and a few more tears. Worth it just for the outfits (don't they look in the mirror before they go out?) Fashion police enjoy!

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Jackie said...

Posted on Jun 12 2008 15:29 Absolutely horrible. The series was never really a piece of genius, but it was good entertainment.
The movie is boring, not entertaining, extremely primitive and shallow. Money not well spent!
SJP is a very mediocre actress, so she should not really be on the big screen.

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lauren said...

Posted on Jun 12 2008 14:57 this is the best film ever! couldnt believe how good it was, i nearly cried! its great though, worth every penny. i ABSOLOUTLY loved it!! should go too see it soon! great film utterly brilliant!! x

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Arwyn Davies said...

Posted on Jun 12 2008 14:53 OMG GUYYYYSSS this film is the best everrrr...magical..brought me to tears
Even now i still have a tear in my petit eye .
I have seen it atleast 5 times and it never gets boring..
plaese go or you will break my heart
love you guys mwahh xxxxx

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*Cat Weasel* said...

Posted on Jun 11 2008 20:54 omg longest movie i av eva seen ppl hu r goin to see it agen get a life

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Jayna said...

Posted on Jun 11 2008 20:54 This film should be compulsory viewing for all women, everywhere. I loved the TV show and the film exceeded my expectations. Fabulous! Cosmo's all round!

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donna said...

Posted on Jun 11 2008 19:53 oh my god a must see going back again still thinking about the outfits. 100% best movie

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g spot said...

Posted on Jun 11 2008 19:03 loved it, loved it, loved it! the movie did not disappoint, i agree it was long but i only realised how long when my friend kept calling me to see if we were out of the cinema yet! going to watch this again, and waiting for the dvd!

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kerry jo said...

Posted on Jun 09 2008 23:20 good god that was a long chick flick! I even took my token gay "man" friend with me. Predictable and full of couture, cosmo anyone?

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Laura Hunt said...

Posted on Jun 09 2008 14:48 One of the best chick flicks EVER!!!

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John Cooper said...

Posted on Jun 08 2008 23:56 Not as shallow as one might expect, the film's strength
is its lack of self-conscious artifice . . that' s to say it doesn't pretend to be something it isn't. It's about four New York women who come to terms with the realities of life's compromises . . . Though materialism
is finally echewed in favour of the joys of a simple, wholesome life, ie babies, companionship etc . . . it is
nethertheless irritating how much money these women
have to throw around . . . on lattes, restaurant meals,
holidays, fashion accessories, glossy apartments, etc.
Being a male viewer,it is also somewhat disquieting experience to watch a 145 minute film in which no two males have a conversation together. However, there is
much to admire in the film especially in the way that the women
have to face up to evolutionary absolutes . .ie .. Men like sex and not getting it, is a problem for them . . . Not a great film, but miles ahead of Thelma and Louise and other pseudo-feminist products which have encouraged the selfish ` I -want -it -all` ethic in the modern woman's psyche.

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katelin said...

Posted on Jun 08 2008 21:34 havent seen it yet but looks good lolxxx

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