REVIEW: Sex & The City: The Movie (15)

Director: Michael Patrick King.

Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon.

Here it is, ladies (and ‘confirmed bachelors’)! Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda are back in big screen form for a movie that has been on the cards since before the original TV show even ended. The likelihood is that you know the basic premise - four young(ish) gals negotiate their hectic lives, both professional and romantic, to the backdrop of the city that never sleeps.

As for the plot...if you want to remain ‘spoiler-free’ for the release, you may want to skip down a paragraph (don’t say we didn’t warn you). Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is engaged to Big (Chris Noth), and is revelling in the notion that she may just have found her ‘happy ending’. She believes her three best friends may have just found that too, but of course, nothing lasts forever. There’s a hitch in Carrie’s wedding, a betrayal that shatters Miranda’s (Cynthia Nixon) world, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) has some big news and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) finds she may not be quite ready for commitment yet.

A tightrope every movie-of-a-TV-show has to walk is maintaining the balance between small and big screen. You want to keep the elements of the show that made it such a big hit, but at the same time without making it feel like one long episode. Luckily the movie manages to do just that, with a clever mix of old and new. Story-wise it’s not that revelatory - all four girls get a plot that in TV would have stretched over a series, but, squeezed into a film, we get lots of story without feeling like they’re treading on old ground. It’s raunchy, but no more than the series was,  

Given that SJP has made a gazillion rom-coms since the series ended, it’s not that unusual seeing her on the big screen. Two big surprises are Nixon and Davis, to many the ‘George & Ringo’ of the group. They slide back into their roles with great enthusiasm, and Nixon arguably has the meatiest story. Whilst Samantha’s outrageousness will keep devotees happy, there’s a tiredness to the performance that is telling, given that Cattrall was rumoured to be the last cast member to sign on for the movie. The addition of the tremendous Jennifer Hudson (last seen warbling in Dreamgirls) as Carrie’s assistant was a wise move, whilst the presence of series regulars such as Stanford and Magda bolster the familiarity factor.

There’s no earth-shattering twist, as many rumours would have it, and the ending is more likely to be met with an “awww” than an “OMG!”. Let’s be honest, this is a movie for the fans, and is unlikely to win over any detractors (or dragged-along boyfriends). But as a fans’ movie, it certainly delivers. Lazy as it may sound, if you loved the series you’ll love this - a fun, funny and affectionate update, that stands up against the much-loved series.

Sex & The City: The Movie hits U.K. screens on May 28.