Sunday, January 6, 2019

Sex and the City

Movie Name: Sex and the City
Year of Release: 2008
Director: Michael Patrick King
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Chris Noth, Candice Bergen, Jennifer Hudson, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler, Jason Lewis, Mario Cantone, Willie Garson, Joanna Gleason
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3 
View Trailer

Synopsis and Review:
Ater the end of the show "Sex and the City" in 2004, Michael Patrick King, one of the show runners and producers, decided to continue the story of the four main characters. "Sex and the City" is his feature directorial debut, after a lengthy career in television. The film follows the story of Carrie Bradshaw, after she has turned 40, and is settled in a stable relationship with Mr. Big, aka, John Preston. Her friends in the meanwhile, have also continued to experience different trials and tribulations. Miranda and Steve care experiencing some rocky moments in their marriage, while Charlotte has an adopted little girl, while still attempting to get pregnant. Samantha in the meantime is living in LA with Smith Jarrod, handling his career and keeping her publicist business moving forward. When Carrie and Big decide to get married, the entire event gets out of the hand, and has an unexpected outcome, sending the girls on an unexpected trip to understand what went wrong, and also self analyze their lives.
Part of what made "Sex and the City" show relevant, was the fact that it anchored a distinct female point of view, from a group of young women, dealing with adulthood, relationships, sex and what does come next as you age. Towards the end of the show, the storytelling became less about the vicissitudes of women's lives in a big metropolis, and more about the lives of those living in the lap of luxury, though Kim Cattrall's character did provide a somewhat grounded perspective as her character went through some emotional and health turmoils. The film "Sex and the City" is like an amalgamation of three episodes of the latter part of the show, which means, less insightful, less realistic (if that was even part of what described the show during its run), and definitely more artificial and manicured. What made the show perennially entertaining was the fact that it was rough around the edges at times, particularly during the first three seasons, where all the characters had their ups and downs, and were shown in a very humane manner. The film bypasses all that, and focuses instead on what apparently the creators thought the audience wanted to see: fashion shows, sex innuendos, and living the high life. It makes for quick viewing, but sadly for little substance. Cynthia Nixon as usual, manages to create a character that is just brazen enough to make this endeavor watchable. 

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