MovieMantz review: 'Sex and the City'

by Scott Mantz

LOS ANGELES, Calif -- "For 'Sex' Maniacs Only"

"Sex and the City"
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall
Directed by Michael Patrick King

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When the curtain came down on HBO's Emmy-winning "Sex and the City" in 2004 after six fabulous seasons, 94 episodes, a who's-who of boyfriends and more cosmopolitans than anyone could count, everything was hunky-dory.

Free-spirited Samantha (Kim Cattrall) surprised everyone by committing to a much younger man (Jason Lewis). Cynical attorney Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) lightened up and fell for a down-to-earth bartender (David Eigenberg). Preppy Charlotte (Kristin Davis) got the storybook family she always wanted. And after more ups and downs than John Travolta's career, things were finally on solid ground between hopeless romantic Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her dashing boyfriend, John James Preston - a.k.a. Mr. Big (Chris Noth).

Yes, everybody lived happily ever after, and there was nowhere left to go. That is, until now, which brings us to "Sex and the City: The Movie." Since the TV series was so sharp, fun and well written, I was just as excited as the next "Sex" addict to hear that Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha were making their high-heeled jump to the big screen. But seeing as how they already sowed their wild oats by the end of the show, I couldn't help but wonder…

What comes after "and they lived happily ever after?"

Well, a lot, it seems - and 4 years after first enjoying the bliss of their newfound relationships, the honeymoon appears to be over. PR maven Samantha is lonely after moving to Los Angeles to be with her busy actor boyfriend. Miranda now lives in Brooklyn with her family, but she's burned out from the pressures of being a working mother. Only Charlotte appears to be living a fairy tale lifestyle over on Park Avenue, but she's worried about losing it.

And then there's sweet, sensitive, love-struck Carrie. After years of putting up with Big's recurring fear of commitment, they're finally ready to take the plunge. And for New York's most famous single girl, that's a big deal - so big, in fact, that Carrie's editor at "Vogue" wants to turn the wedding into a publicity stunt. That's a problem for Mr. Big, who wants to keep it small - and as the pressure begins to mount, so will the odds against their making it down the aisle.

As for whether or not the movie is any good, it hardly matters - fans will love it, while everyone else will be better off seeing "Iron Man" (again). The characters are older and wiser, and they're finally coming to terms with the hard work it takes to maintain a meaningful relationship. That drama leads to plenty of tear-jerking moments that devoted fans will go crazy for, but first-timers who never got the show probably won't care enough to make an emotional connection.

From a critical standpoint, "Sex and the City" is manipulative, contrived and more of a "chick flick" than the TV series ever was. It's also way too long - at 2 hours and 25 minutes, it's 10 minutes longer than "Speed Racer." And while writer-director Michael Patrick King (who also executive produced the show) gives more depth to the ladies as they embrace middle age, the supporting characters are left woefully underdeveloped (particularly Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson, who comes and goes as Carrie's new assistant).

If you're the type of fan that has no problem watching 5 episodes back-to-back, then this movie is for you. But where the TV show was shocking and pushed the boundaries of female empowerment, the movie seems relatively subdued and tame by comparison. Then again, that may be the point - Carrie and her friends aren't spring chickens anymore, so the movie can't really be that way either. It's just that the prospect of seeing them together again was so exciting, I thought that the film deserved to be a little more, you know, fabulous.

VERDICT (for the fans): SEE IT!
VERDICT (for everyone else): SKIP IT!