Four years ago, our New York City foursome in Manolo Blahniks, Jimmy Choos and, well quite frankly, all the designer shoe labels that I can barely afford without leaving me in the poor house, left our television screens. Or at least left our screens in the new episodes sense, because I’m sure many of us have been watching reruns or re-watching episodes on DVD since then. Lo and behold, the Sex and the City feature film was announced, then filming started happening all around New York City, pictures started turning up all over the web, and I (along with the legion of other SaTC fans) began anxiously awaiting the release of the movie.
May 30, 2008 felt ages away.
When it was finally May and pre-order tickets were available, I pounced on presale tickets like a crazy, rabid fan (reminiscent of my younger days when Spice World first came out and my friends and I insisted on going on opening day, all giddy and hyper as we counted down the days). And on the evening of May 30th, you can bet your fancy Jimmy Choos that I was lined up in front of the theatre. However, unlike some more rabid or, erm, “dedicated” fans in attendance, I did not do so while wearing stilettos.
Now I have the movie on DVD (find out how you can get the DVD for free below), a great companion to my collection of DVDs of the series. One word: FABULOUS!
Similar to other movies that draw upon the notion that the audience has some sort of background knowledge on the overall narrative, it starts off with a nostalgic flashback of where the girls were since we last saw them. Charlotte is still with Harry, Samantha is (shock!) still with Smith Jarrod, Carrie is still with, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Mr. Big and Miranda is still with Steve but seems to be in a “relationship rut” between the two. Things aren’t exactly the same though: Charlotte is now embracing family life with Harry and their adopted child (the one she broke news of to Harry in the last season of the show) and Samantha is now a one-man lady, not to say she doesn’t feel weighed down by the ball and chain of monogamy — she is, after all, still Samantha Jones. Within the last few years in the world of Sex and the City, the dynamics of their relationship with their significant others has evolved –for better or for worse, in Miranda’s case– and so has their friendship. Nonetheless, seeing the four girls together and talking over breakfast about anything from gossip to taboo topics (i.e. “colouring” which takes on a whole different meaning now), it’s just like putting on a comfy sweater… as cliché as that sounds. It’s a familiar feeling and you know I get a kick out of nostalgia.
More than one storyline is interwoven throughout the movie, but the main storyline and the one that was most engrossing is about Mr. Big’s proposal to Carrie and the subsequent wedding. Just when you thought that Mr. Big simply wasn’t the committing type, he goes and proposes. This is not to say it was something done without any cajoling from external factors (it began with apartment hunting, Mr. Big’s purchasing a luxurious apartment for him and Carrie and then Carrie’s paranoia about “not sealing the deal” after hearing about another woman who was kicked to the curb after her relationship went south). Still, even if Mr. Big initially nonchalantly agrees to make it official, it’s nice to see Mr. Big is ready to commit to Carrie. Aside: I’ve always been a Mr. Big fan and while Aidan was, by all accounts, the perfect boyfriend/husband, I just never liked him with Carrie. And don’t get me started about Aleksandr Petrovsky… although I did like Jack Burger, even if he was a ginormous jerk in the end.
The movie doesn’t really require the viewer to be a Sex and the City aficionado, knowing every reference to the television show and every character’s background stories. It is still enjoyable on its own merits but being a fan of the show, or at least familiar with the characters, does make the experience much more entertaining. There are parts, such as the mini fashion show Carrie puts on of memorable outfits from the show, that were surely added as a gleeful homage to the show, much to the delight of fans. But while we’re on the topic, let’s not forget the fashion. If you missed seeing the outfits fashion maven Patricia Field put together for the characters back when the show was on, the ensembles you will see in the movie will definitely not disappoint.
As far as DVD features go, and I am a huge fan of watching special features on DVDs, a mere audio commentary track is kind of lacking — especially for those who have been anticipating the release for home entertainment. Even as a one disc DVD, I would have loved to have seen more bonuses, in the way of bloopers, deleted scenes and interviews with the cast (not just Sarah Jessica Parker) about reuniting after all these years. Perhaps even a feature about shooting in New York City, with the crowds and fans that would go to the filming locations to check out the movie in process. Maybe they are “bonus featured-out” after all the DVD releases of the show (I’m still rather bitter that season 6 was split into two parts, thereby causing me to have to pay twice to get the full season).