4. Sex and the City (2008), dir. Michael Patrick King

[strange_complex]

Seen last night at the Light with glitzfrau and biascut

If you liked the TV series, you'll enjoy this film; if you didn't, you won't. The plot is pretty simplistic, and a lot of it was intensely predictable, but it was nicely paced and structured all the same. Given that we normally get S&TC in half-hour doses, and this was 2h30, I found my interest very effectively sustained throughout.

Fundamentally, though, the plot doesn't matter too much. If you love these four women, it's just great to see them still doing their thing in fine style at forty. I won't go into spoilers about what happens to whom, but suffice to say that it all felt very plausible, and though I had a quiet little weep every time they pushed the button that said 'Cry Now', everything wraps up in a very positive and life-affirming way for all of them.

Best moment in the film? When Carrie was trying on all her bad eighties outfits (to much hilarity from her friends), and at one point emerged from her closet wearing the outfit she sports in the TV series' opening credits. Self-mockery rules OK.

Honestly, though, the very best thing of all was the audience. Laughing and groaning knowingly the whole way through - and then when we came out and the lights were up and we could actually see them? Well, I don't think I have ever set eyes on such an overtly female cinema audience in my life before. If 1% of them were male, I'd be surprised. And so many Shoes! On one level, I felt slightly ashamed for buying into such a cynically-marketed phenomenon like a bunch of sheep... but on another level, I felt proud of the Sisterhood.

Well. It can be both.

Comments

[felinebird.livejournal.com]

I went to see S&TC last night and persuaded my other half to come with me. I did feel rather guilty when the lights went up and he was one of about three male audience members, but then again he enjoyed the film. I've promised to let him take me to something overtly male and sci-fi/violence oriented to make up for taking him to the biggest chickfest ever!

[my-mundane-life.livejournal.com]

To me that sounds like hell hehe ;)
Especially the shoes!

[vin_petrol]

I've always liked Sex and the City. An aspect of my life is that Trash sleeps about three hours more than me every night. This tends to lead to me locating programs that are on constant late-night re-runs on Sky Digital, that I can veg out and watch easily. Nowadays this is CSI, a few years ago it was Sex and the City. I do have a somewhat fragmented perspective on it. I effectively watched it in an almost random sequence, although I did watch the final few episode when C4 showed them.

It was years before I heard the apocryphal story about TiVos that assumed that men who watched Sex and the City must be gay! :-)

It's only since the film turned up that I've discovered what a minority I'm oddly part of...

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

You know, somehow you now seem all the more manly for saying this! Go you - and do catch the film.

[ms-siobhan.livejournal.com]

I simply can't imagine what you found in it to keep your attention *grin*

Think I'm going to see it on Wednesday.

[kantti.livejournal.com]

I love Sex and the City. I've was all excited about the film and then pretty concerned when I saw the trailers, so I'm glad to see a positive review. I'd almost decided I'd skip the film, actually, since I thought the preview looked so unpromising. I'm making deeply_spurious watch the series and his protests are much more feeble than those of previous partners. In fact, I think he might even like it and the main point of resentment is that I series-linked it on his Sky+ box and the flood of reruns wiped out everything else he'd ever recorded. Oooops.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

I'd almost decided I'd skip the film

Oh, no - don't do that. If you like the TV series, you'll definitely enjoy it! It's just more of the same, really. :-)

[paulgregory.livejournal.com]

TWO HOURS THIRTY???

I think, given that I wouldn't even get the gag in the best moment, I'm best skipping it.

The next probably-mostly-female-audience film I fancy is Mamma Mia!, as I loved the musical when I was dragged to it. That had a mostly female audience, although not as exclusively female as Dirty Dancing: The Musical (which I thankfully ducked out of).

[ingenious76.livejournal.com]

I'm not a huge SATC fan, but I reckon if I forget about the TV series and just view this as film in itself, I'll probably enjoy it. I do like a good romance.

[davesangel.livejournal.com]

I went to see it last night, with three friends. They wanted us to 'be' one of the characters each for the evening, though this was suggested after several glasses of wine. I wound up as Carrie, even though I've never liked her character in any of the episodes I've seen (I didn't catch that much of the show when it was on - I saw a fair few episodes but nothing like as many as many other female friends). I've always preferred Charlotte and Miranda. But Carrie I had to be, because I've had a more 'eventful' love-life than the rest of them (apparently). Anyway, I did like the film overall. Not to give anything away, but compared to the others, I wasn't entirely happy how they handled the Samantha storyline. And Carrie really annoyed me in one part in regards to her relationship with Miranda (can't go into it too much incase anyone reading this hasn't seen it yet). But it was a reasonably good film and it certainly passed 2.5 hours...

[tsdt.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad to see a positive review of this - I'm going to see it with some work friends, mostly as a chance to go out and spend some time with people who aren't Bob ;-) but now I'm really quite looking forward to it!