Michael Lown
BartoSex and the City: size does matter
June 11th 2008 05:00
Sex and the City gives fans of the show everything they’ve been asking for. Whether they’ll actually leave satisfied is up in the air. People who never got on board the original escapades of New York’s favourite foursome of designer walking product placement need not apply.
The film begins with a neat set of opening credits, including an update of the television theme. They’ve made a smart move by acknowledging the passage of time and not picking up from exactly where they left off. It allows the movie to have a hint of being its very own entity, while still tying it back and refreshing us with the characters situations.
Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big (Chris Noth) are happily unmarried, until suggestions both subtle and overt shove them in the direction of an aisle. She gets swept away with the joys of wedding planning, while he starts to get cold feet. Meanwhile, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) discovers a shocking betrayal, Samantha (Kim Cattrall) gets bored and fat (not me being cruel, it’s an actual plotline) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) provides comic relief and emotional support while pondering how perfect her life is. And they wear some clothes.
‘Wear some clothes’ doesn’t really do justice to a movie which gives Carrie a full five minutes to list designer names while wearing a range of their dresses. I’m not saying weave through conversation, I am saying list. This is what people have already signed on for long ago, so it shouldn’t concern those that choose to pay to see it.
Structurally the whole project struggles to escape its half hour origin. It kind of feels like watching an entire series compressed, which would be fine, except it makes you realize how much the back third of a series is capable of dragging if watched as a slab. The real, emotional climax comes far too early, and the slow limp towards a conclusion takes up at least half of the movie. In its one offensive note, a great deal of that half somehow feels like filler. Namely Jennifer Hudson.
No offence to Jennifer, I’m sure she’s lovely and we all know the girl can sing, but her character and arc is a completely pointless addition (especially when the writer’s couldn’t figure out what to do with Charlotte). It’s as if they needed to justify getting her to sing the track over the closing credits (does anyone remember seeing Celine Dion’s uplifting sequence working as Kate Winslet’s assistant on the Titanic? They must have cut that bit). She takes up valuable screen time that could have been beefing up Samantha’s interesting, but relatively un-explored dilemma.
On the positive front, the friendships between the main four characters remains the glue that holds this thing together. Also, the fashion, which is apparently a big deal. Overall it’s funny, and moving despite the way it can drag. The key is not to let expectation and anticipation ruin the whole thing – hype can be deadly for a movie, so inoculate yourself at the door.
The film begins with a neat set of opening credits, including an update of the television theme. They’ve made a smart move by acknowledging the passage of time and not picking up from exactly where they left off. It allows the movie to have a hint of being its very own entity, while still tying it back and refreshing us with the characters situations.
Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big (Chris Noth) are happily unmarried, until suggestions both subtle and overt shove them in the direction of an aisle. She gets swept away with the joys of wedding planning, while he starts to get cold feet. Meanwhile, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) discovers a shocking betrayal, Samantha (Kim Cattrall) gets bored and fat (not me being cruel, it’s an actual plotline) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) provides comic relief and emotional support while pondering how perfect her life is. And they wear some clothes.
‘Wear some clothes’ doesn’t really do justice to a movie which gives Carrie a full five minutes to list designer names while wearing a range of their dresses. I’m not saying weave through conversation, I am saying list. This is what people have already signed on for long ago, so it shouldn’t concern those that choose to pay to see it.
Structurally the whole project struggles to escape its half hour origin. It kind of feels like watching an entire series compressed, which would be fine, except it makes you realize how much the back third of a series is capable of dragging if watched as a slab. The real, emotional climax comes far too early, and the slow limp towards a conclusion takes up at least half of the movie. In its one offensive note, a great deal of that half somehow feels like filler. Namely Jennifer Hudson.
No offence to Jennifer, I’m sure she’s lovely and we all know the girl can sing, but her character and arc is a completely pointless addition (especially when the writer’s couldn’t figure out what to do with Charlotte). It’s as if they needed to justify getting her to sing the track over the closing credits (does anyone remember seeing Celine Dion’s uplifting sequence working as Kate Winslet’s assistant on the Titanic? They must have cut that bit). She takes up valuable screen time that could have been beefing up Samantha’s interesting, but relatively un-explored dilemma.
On the positive front, the friendships between the main four characters remains the glue that holds this thing together. Also, the fashion, which is apparently a big deal. Overall it’s funny, and moving despite the way it can drag. The key is not to let expectation and anticipation ruin the whole thing – hype can be deadly for a movie, so inoculate yourself at the door.
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