Sex and the City: It's not actually about the shoes.

Major Spoiler Alert: You Have Been Warned.

I've seen maybe ten or twenty episodes of "Sex and the City," the television show, and that was on TBS (right?), because I've never been in a position to be paying for HBO. Still, I'd seen enough, and from the end of the series, to basically understand the character dynamics going in.

ZOMG, I freakin' *loved* "Sex and the City."

Not interested in crowds of avid SATC fans, I snuck into a 10am screening at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood on Sunday morning, thinking no one's up in L.A. on Sunday morning, right? Wrong. This obsessive center-sitter made her way up, up, up - and to the left. Where Cami Walker from the 29-Day Giving Challenge, who I'd never met before, cheerily greeted me with, "Welcome to row Y!"

Yes, I watched "Sex and the City" seated between a couple and a man who was also there by himself.

And yes, I loved it.

Now, this is going to seem really, really obvious, but I think the breadth of the appeal of "Sex and the City" lies in the fact that Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda are very interestingly different female characters, each with smartly written roles to play and each with an interesting partner to play off of. (You do wish you could see even more of the male characters, but they certainly weren't stuck just playing arm candy like women are in so many mainstream films.) Seriously, I was practically high off watching a film with so much going on that actually meant something.

I mean, "Iron Man" is great, but you could write what it's about on the back of a Moo card.

What I loved was that even though I don't live in NY, I will never buy Manolo Blahniks (totally just googled that for spelling), and I will never attend fashion week, so much of "Sex and the City" spoke directly to things I think about and/or deal with all the time. Namely: Sex & Relationships.

So here come the spoilers. How flipping awesome was the end of Samantha's storyline when she finally accepts that she's happier on her own? And Charlotte was simply delightful throughout. (*Love* her husband Harry.) And I really enjoyed Louise's relationship with Carrie.

I suspect that everyone has a different part of "Sex and the City" that speaks to them more specifically. I was fascinated by the abrupt breaks in Carrie and Miranda's lives and how they get repaired. Because it was just so real to me.

The moment where John is coming back to the wedding, having realized that he's made this huge mistake, and you can just see how the moment could be salvaged, but she just knew it was going to happen and she's running from him. The brilliance of the fact that in the end it wasn't just his mistakes, and they come together as who they truly are.

I really, really loved the portrayal of John, so heart wrenching.

And Miranda hearing that one thing and just bolting. And then later in the counselor's office when Steve says that Miranda hurt him, too, because she bolted and how can he trust that she won't bolt again. Well, that's my moment, because having been on both sides of that particular situation, it has never once occurred to me that the person who bolts has also caused serious pain that needs to be repaired and/or recovered from. That that particular skill of the 180 leaves wreckage in its path.

So, it was sexy and it was funny and it was smart and I loved it. It was also completely heart wrenching and serious at times, and I liked that it went there, that it wasn't afraid to go dark.

Because sometimes love truly is dark and painful.

If you haven't yet seen "Sex and the City," and you've gotten this far because you read spoilers (bad!), may I suggest that now that the rabid fans have had their weekend, you head out and check it out.

My advice? Bring a man. If he goes with you and you talk about it after, he's a keeper. Because the most interesting thing about sex & relationships is that they involve everybody.

The blogosphere speaks:

For You Sex And The City Fans - Tidbits on what hit the editing room floor from The Gossip Fix.

Sex and the City Movie/Sexism review - Great Midwesterner review from Tobes at Hear Me Roar.

Final Thoughts on Sex and the City - Women in Hollywood has numerous great posts up on "Sex & the City."

Sex and the City Dog - from the Baltimore Sun, a little article about Samantha's voracious pouch.

There's a ton of blogging going on about "Sex and the City," so please share your link (love it or hate it!) in the comments.

Contributing editor Liz Rizzo also blogs at Everyday Goddess.

Submitted by Liz Rizzo (view blog

) on Thu, 06/05/2008 - 00:06

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I love SATC!

I always loved the series and hopefully the movie. :) It's good to see a very positive review of SATC movie from you. I have read a lot who were disappointed.

But those are just opinions, anyway I still want to see it and I love spoilers hahaha!

I'm really curious how the gang have changed from the series to the movie. That's something to watch out for.

-Yvie

http://tangerineslullaby.eachday.com

Let joy and love overflow to you and through you.

Submitted by tangerinelullaby on Wed, 06/04/2008 - 21:39

Re: Sex and the City: It's not actually about
the shoes.

Dear Liz,

Well... I saw SATC by myself a few days ago and frankly didn't think much of it as a movie. Aside from Cynthia Nixon, the bad acting was surprisingly tough for me to get past (Jennifer Hudson in particular). Compare SATC with "There Will Be Blood" and Daniel Day-Lewis (great acting, great film making) and SATC falls short, very.

-Bob

Submitted by bobafifi on Thu, 06/05/2008 - 06:35

There will be love!

It's interesting that you bring up "There Will Be Blood," because that movie features a very theatrical, large type of acting that I have difficulty with. Daniel Day-Lewis surely gives a command performance, but it is very big.

I enjoyed "Sex and the City" as a movie, and I thought the screenplay was very strong. It's a dramedy about intimate, interpersonal topics, so it's not really even possible to compare it to "There Will Be Blood," which is about large, historic events with epic impacts.

Featuring, btw, like one wife, and couple of church singers, and a prostitute as its entire female cast. It is an impressive film - My second pic for Oscar after Michael Clayton from the nominees this year.

But "Sex and the City," is a completely different type of film, calling for a different style of acting and filmmaking. It would be fairer to compare it to a sex romp in the 70s, really.

Liz Rizzo

I blog at Everyday Goddess.

Submitted by Liz Rizzo on Thu, 06/05/2008 - 06:42

Re: There will be love!

> "Sex and the City," is a completely different type of film,
> calling for a different style of acting.

Granted. However, I don't see why that's any excuse. Marion Cotillard in "La Vie En Rose" -- that's acting.

-Bob

Submitted by bobafifi on Thu, 06/05/2008 - 06:51

Come on, La Vie En Rose?

I've not seen it, and I hear it's amazing, but it's not a shiny Hollywood comedy! Compare the performances and filmmaking in Sex and the City to:

There's Something About Mary
When Harry Met Sally
My Best Friend's Wedding
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Notting Hill

Then we can talk. :)

The performances in Sex and the City, first and foremost, needed to be true to the performances and characters on the television show (as Yvie is speaking to above), and I think that they succeeded in that.

Liz Rizzo

I blog at Everyday Goddess.

Submitted by Liz Rizzo on Thu, 06/05/2008 - 08:34

Re: Come on, La Vie En Rose?

Why not?? I'm talking about acting -- you know, the craft -- theater training and all that. People who are so good at acting (like Marion Cotillard) that you actually believe the characters they play to be really them. That's what I didn't get from SATC, acting I could believe (except for Cynthia of course, she's wonderful :-).

-Bob

Submitted by bobafifi on Thu, 06/05/2008 - 08:47

Was not that impressed

I loved the TV show. I thought the movie was too heavy on flashes of T&A, too much sound track, and weak on writing and acting. Of course I'm fully willing to admit that this may be a sign that I'm truly old. I'm not too overwhelmed by many Hollywood movies these days.

La Vie en Rose, now THAT was a movie!

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Submitted by Kalyn Denny on Thu, 06/05/2008 - 10:28

I know it's not about the shoes, but...

It's soooo hard for me to get past the attention lavished on ludicrous shoes that cost over $750. ($750! I won't even pay that for a couch!) I do plan to see the movie (partly as a result of your rave review), but for those of us who can't get over the shoes and the clothes and the hair, I present a meme for feisty, spirited women who share our lives and support one another, yet are also slovenly and/or miserly (or is it practical?):

What's the cheapest pair of shoes you own?:

What's your favorite piece of jewelry, if you own any?:

What's your favorite t-shirt?:

If you could wear jeans every day, would you?

Do you comb your hair every day?

Suzanne Reisman, Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants

Submitted by Suzanne Reisman on Thu, 06/05/2008 - 08:25

Love your meme!

You know, the thing about the shoes is, while I do think it's ridiculous to spend that kind of money on shoes and clothes, I would spend it on art (if I had it, which I don't), and I think we all have things we spend our money on when we have it.

Someday, I will own a Shephard Fairey original. It was $2500 last time I saw it, and by the time I've got the dough, who knows. Sigh.

Basically though, I think all that stuff in Sex and the City is just the shiny trappings. The kids on 90210 were all rich, but I still loved the show. :)

Liz Rizzo

I blog at Everyday Goddess.

Submitted by Liz Rizzo on Thu, 06/05/2008 - 08:28

I Answered Your Meme

Suzanne (and Liz),

I answered your meme questions on my blog. How fun!

I haven't yet seen the movie, but I'm trying to schedule in an afternoon soon to do so. I know it's a "go with your friends" event, but I think I'll be seeing it solo...

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Deb's Daily Distractions

Submitted by debra roby on Sun, 06/08/2008 - 06:52

I'm with you Liz!

I saw SATC last night with a friend and I am still buzzing from how much I loved it, much to my surprise. I was a HUGE fan of the show after avoiding it for a few seasons thinking it was just some lame-ass portrayal of overly dressed and overly promiscious women that don't really exist. I was very wrong, just as I was wrong thinking this movie would be a pathetic attempt to relive the glory days of a series already years old.

I've always said that if men want to know how women actually ARE and TALK to one another (the good ones anyway), they should just watch the show. With the exception of the clothes and the promiscuity (sorry, don't know any women that have that much sex) every character represents an aspect of us all. And, like you Liz, I've been through some of those painful experiences shown in the movie (including a called-off wedding) and I so appreciated how their storylines were resolved in such a real, non-fantasy sort of way.

I hate that I am so blatantly the market that was being targeted for this movie..but hey, if it's good, it's good.

Dating Trooper
http://www.datingiswarfare.com

Submitted by Dating Trooper on Thu, 06/05/2008 - 08:44

I have to agree

I, too, loved the movie. Sure, I could go all critical with it and deconstruct the issues of feminism, materialism/consumerism, race, etc., but I just CAN'T! These women feel too much like old friends to do that to them. And I don't think the movie was trying to be everything for everyone. It is what it is. And I enjoyed it tremendously.

Of course, I would never spend $750 on shoes either (a couch, maybe, but not shoes - haha) or ever have the chance to go to Fashion Week (although I'd jump at the opportunity). The characters live lives so different than mine; however, the threads of love, loss, friendship, and grief certainly aren't strangers to me, so as I watched it, I felt I knew these women intimately.

My advice to those who haven't yet seen it: go in "grumbleless" and just enjoy the ride for what it is!

Notions of Identity

Submitted by Laracolvin on Fri, 06/06/2008 - 05:39

Ditto

I was concerned because I've seen and heard such mixed reactions but I was thrilled that I loved it :) And I'm glad that for a change I avoided spoilers and saw it before learning what happened. I totally agree that it felt like catching up with old friends and I enjoyed it for what it was without thinking about all those issues you name that I could spend hours critiquing the film against.

ConsumerPop Marketing
PopConsumer (Politics, Current Events & Links)
Beyond Help (Music, TV & Pop Culture)

Submitted by Maria Niles on Sat, 06/07/2008 - 22:58

Interesting

I must be the only American involved in fashion and design who has never seen even one episode, and yet the program has been discussed so widely for so many reasons that I generally do know what it is about. I don't instantly recognize the stars like viewers do, but I am beginning to know their character names!

Anyway, I thought I would like going to see it here, dubbed, unfortunately, into Italian,when it reaches our town. I think one needs once in a while a chick flick. In a world that contains such violent films, there must be room for some silly ones, yes?

http://www.judithgreenwood.com/thinkonit/

Submitted by Judith in Umbria on Sun, 06/08/2008 - 05:24

SATC

I've seen the movie twice now. I really loved it. I laughed and cried quite a bit. I think I actually cried more the second time I saw it. As an avid watcher of the show on HBO since the very first episode, this movie eemed like a true continuation of the lives of these four women. I actually think the show was funnier but this movie did what it had to do.

The only thing I didn't agree with was "SPOILER ALERT" the men coming back in the end. Carrie ends up with Big and Louise gets back with Will. Speaking from experience, when the man you love tells you he doesn't want to marry you, that's the end of it. He doesn't wake up one day and realize he made a mistake.

Submitted by Sunshine75 on Wed, 06/11/2008 - 11:52