Sex and the City: The Movie

BEWARE: There are major plot details discussed in this blog. DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN THE MOVIE!

Sex and the City: The Movie. Long-awaited. Long-anticipated. Long movie. Though it didn't seem long at all. In fact, I could have easily sat and watched another hour (possibly more).

Before I continue, I should probably make something clear. I am a straight male who loves Sex and the City. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I actually know plenty of men like me. I may be more open to admitting it, but other guys will come around. Like most men, I tried to avoid the show. I remember the first time I saw it. I was in college. My roommate at the time, Phil, was away for a weekend and I was in the dorm sick as a dog. He had the third season sitting on his shelf. I figured, let's see what this is all about. It was the season where the main story line consisted of Carrie cheating on Aiden with Big. Right away, I knew I liked this Mr. Big character. It was obvious there was something more to this guy. Further, there was something more to all these characters. This wasn't just HBOs attempt at a sit-com. This was something bigger and better. Anyway, this is how my roommate, Phil Haas, got me into Sex and the City.

Back to the movie ...

Sex and the City: The Movie has an ironic title. Why the movie? It seemed more to me like a group of episodes. It felt as if I had put the next DVD in and had a "mini-marathon." The first episode: The Proposal. This may seem like a bad thing, but it wasn't. It actually made the show easier to watch.

What I admired so much about the movie was how familiar it was. This was not a movie for someone who had just seen a few episodes. This was for the true fan. There was no wasting time with silly exposition such as, "Big and Carrie dated, then broke up, then cheated on their significant others with each other, yada yada yada, got back together in Paris." This movie was for those who had memorized their favorite lines and knew every character by heart. This was risky, I feel, but worth the risk!

As soon as the little tease of the theme song started, you could feel the energy of the room. Women of all ages began to applaud loudly for their four favorite ladies, who were in their 40s (and still wonderful on so many levels).

Within two minutes of the movie, I felt comfortable, as if I was sitting in my own den watching a show that I have watched for many years (ONDEMAND, because I try to avoid the TBS edited versions). The characters were the same, yet so incredibly different. There was a maturity about them that made it obvious the city and the characters were four years older. The perfect example of this was the scene when Big calls Carrie while he is writing his vows (with the adorable moment of Lily picking up the phone and saying, "sex"). Big expresses his hesitation in getting married and Carrie calmly steps out of the room and speaks to him rationally. The Carrie Bradshaw we knew four years ago would have freaked out. I was so happy that the writers and Sarah Jessica Parker realized that being in this relationship (and being in her 40s) would cause a metamorphosis, no matter how large or how small.

Carrie and Big

The relationship between Carrie and Big has clearly developed into what it was always meant to be: a best friendship. Though her girls will always be here true soul mates, it is obvious that Big has taken the fifth slot. Their storyline is dealt with very quickly. It obviously continues throughout, but as far as the on screen love, it suffers a drastic change within the first "episode" of the movie. Though we have seen Carrie suffer numerous times as she tries to get over Big, this time seemed oddly different. Perhaps it was that maturity I was talking about, or perhaps it was the fact that we just missed this damn show so much, but Carrie was now suffering because of their mistakes and not just Big's.

Carrie is probably the most flawed character is television history; one of her greatest flaws is the fact that she thinks she is flawless. But now we get a true sense that she did something wrong, too. What drove him away this time? As she realizes it was the hoopla of the big wedding, Miranda searches for a way to tell Carrie that she had a hand in it, too. Miranda's cynicism has now affected someone else other than Steve.

Miranda and Steve

This was a true example of brilliant marketing. Every magazine and newspaper said the exact same sentence about Miranda's storyline: "She deals with feeling betrayed by Steve." What's the first thing that comes to mind? "No, Steve would never cheat on Miranda." This was one time where thinking the obvious paid off. Thanks to Steve's lovable character making us think he is flawless all those years, the audience was literally shocked when he quickly and coldly says, "I had sex with someone else." It was possibly the biggest shocker of the whole film. Brilliantly acted by David Eigenberg, Steve finally showed flaws that made us understand why Miranda and he are a perfect match.

Charlotte and Harry

Like always, Kristen Davis proved why she rarely got nominated for Emmy's while the other three got nominated every year. Her performance was fine (and she stood out as the prettiest -- like always), but she lacked the three-dimensional performance that drives the story of these women along. Harry, one of the cutest characters ever to be introduced, was not in the movie nearly enough. There is not really much to say about these two, other than their beautiful moment where their dream came true. However, I did notice that once Rose came along, Lily was nowhere to be seen ... favorite child? That's sad!

Samantha and Samantha

Samantha Jones finally accepts that she is her one true love. Mirroring the Carrie and Aiden relationship, we discover that Smith is just too good for Samantha. I think it's very noble of a show (and a movie) to admit their characters have problems, which is exactly what this show does. It was beautifully done as we watch Samantha go back to her promiscuous life while lovingly letting go of Smith (possibly the greatest man she'll ever know). This was a smart move on the movie's part because, though I didn't realize it the numerous times I watched the final episode, having the four girls each find love and equating it with happiness was very risky. You have a large demographic of single women who watch the show. Most of them enjoy the wonderful ending where everyone eventually finds love, but this show prides itself on honesty. What about the single girl who will never find a man? Was she written out of the final episode? The movie fixes this by showing single women that it is okay to live your life without a man. It's obvious Samantha is truly happy with her decision.

Louise

What a beautiful performance by Jennifer Hudson. It was big enough to remember, yet never stole the spotlight from the movie's four leads. As a character that was meant to emphasize the age gap between the girls, Jennifer reminded us what it was like to be a single, working woman looking for love in the big city (sound familiar?). It also gave us something to compare Carrie to towards the end of the movie. This once again emphasized the difference between old and new Carrie. I will say that Michael Patrick King (Writer and Director) dropped the ball when he had Louise marry her Mr. Big so quickly. Have things changed since 2004? Is it actually easier for women now? I would have much rather seen Big and Carrie find their love, making it hopeful for Louise, but not giving it away so easily. It would have been nicer to see Louise give up (as Carrie so often did) and then have the main relationship in the movie act as an inspiration for Louise not to simply move back home, but to keep trying here in New York City. This does not, however, lessen the terrific performance by Jennifer Hudson. See, she can do more than play Effie White (and how about those pipes at the end?).

Finally ...

Before seeing the movie, I couldn't help but wonder: what is the point of making Sex and the City: The Movie? It was to show what these women were up to now that they have found what they've been looking for. There were some ups and downs, but never did the girls forget the most important thing: they had each other. The movie beautifully balanced the old, familiar show with fresh, moving, (and surprising) moments that will now simply be added to the "remember whens" that friends will share at parties and dinners. When someone says, "Remember when Steve cheated on Miranda?" no one will ever respond with, "Well, that was in the movie." The two will forever go hand-in-hand. This was the challenge of making this movie and Parker, King, and the others never looked back. They created a terrific extra-long episode that will now be remembered (at least by me) as the true series finale.

Why I have this ...

Tonight, Friday, May 30th, my fiancee and I went to see Sex and the City: The Movie. No I am not gay, though my opinion of the movie would definitely give someone that impression, as would my love for musical theater. These are all things we can discuss later. The point is, after the movie was over, as we were driving home with her best friend in the back seat, I realized that I wanted to write about this. This is not unusual. When I was in college, I wrote a lot. I was a theater major and an English minor. Shortly after graduation, I earned my degree in English and became a certified high school English teacher. I have always hated the idea that "those who can't do, teach." For that reason, and the constant urge, I decided to write every now and then. Usually, the topic of my writing is about television or theater. The problem was I never had anywhere to put this stuff. I thought about writing a book, but what would the topic be? I have so many things I like to write about. Would people care? Maybe not ... But should I only write for people who care? Shouldn't I just be able to express my ideas. Furthermore, what right do I have teaching fourteen-year-olds how to write when I don't do it myself?

So I told Bonnie that I felt an urge to write and she said, "You know what? You need a blog." I went home (well, her house) and got on the computer and immediately Googled "blog" and found this web site. I've heard of this blog site (thanks to my fellow English teacher, Cara Restaino -- who also has a true love of the written word) and so here I am!

I figure "Joe's Spot" can just be a place for me to write about things that interest me. Sometimes I can write about topics that are bothering me, exciting me, or just keeping my mind going. Often, I will talk about plays, movies, or television shows I've seen. I will also give my opinion, which is something I love to do.

Anyway, this is "Joe's Spot" and this is the first Blog. Now what next? Oh ... Sex and the City: The Movie.