'Sex' driven by friendships

By Lisa Bornstein, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 29, 2008 at 7 p.m.

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Photo by New Line Cinema

Four years after the TV series ended, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall and Cynthia Nixon are back along with Sarah Jessica Parker.

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Exasperating, infuriating, feminist, sexist, heartwarming and a little addictive.

That's right: Sex and the City perfectly replicates the series that captured the attention of straight women and gay men for six years on HBO.

Most of the infuriating is front-loaded, at least it will be for those women who like to think that their platonic and romantic relationships amount to more than conspicuous consumption of fabric, footwear and housing.

The movie jumps in quickly, with brief updates on our four heroines: Samantha and Smith are living in a Malibu pad where she manages his soaring TV career; Charlotte, Harry and their adopted daughter are in familial bliss; Miranda is struggling to balance husband, child and work; and Carrie and Big (whose name we finally learn) are in crazy, comfy love.

How much love? So much that he buys them an extravagant penthouse and has it remodeled so she'll have the perfect closet. Within moments, Carrie delivers a string of what should be considered obscenities. She educates us on "the two L's: labels and love." Because, six years of women living independently notwithstanding, we should know that fashion is not the pleasing diversion some of us find it but rather a reason to exist. As are boys.

We get a rapid-fire montage of Carrie flitting through life in high-end clothing of varying levels of absurdity. Costume designer Patricia Field decorates the movie with some fine, enviable outfits . Writer and director Michael Patrick King serves Field's curating with at least four runway scenes, including Carrie trying on couture bridal gowns.

Drama over men drives the story, with marriage to Big, marital troubles for Miranda, and Samantha's loss of self at center stage, but it's the way in which the women serve one another that gives the story its strength.

In the realm of comedy, Kim Cattrall's Samantha and Kristin Davis' Charlotte shine brightest. Now in a long-term relationship, Samantha can't unleash her sex drive on every passerby. She can, however, turn into a voyeur, staring at the male version of herself next door.

Charlotte gets the finest moments, whether overwhelmed by an intestinal attack in Mexico or trying to couch her fury toward the men who do her pals wrong. Someone needs to get Davis a sitcom .

Cynthia Nixon glows as Miranda, but her character has returned to her brittle, strident roots, an unsympathetic and somewhat unpleasant turn of events.

She's an angel, however, compared to Carrie. It's a tribute to Sarah Jessica Parker that the film's protagonist maintains any draw. She is not only the most shallow of the crew, but the most selfish. When she is wounded, she is at her most appealing, as she finally deserves some attention. Parker slides into Carrie's pain, with the kind of puffy eyes and deadened affect we seldom see in pop offerings. When her friends gently care for her, the movie achieves its most affecting moments.

But Carrie offers little in exchange for her friends' ministrations. Sample dialogue: "I can't believe this happened to me. I know it happened. But I can't believe it happened." This is a woman who can whine to a friend for five minutes about her new area code without so much as a "How are you?"

The film features a new character, Jennifer Hudson, as the assistant to the woman who least needs one. Hudson is a sweet presence, but her character is barely drawn and feels like a pandering to younger audiences and those of color. Yes, a series set in New York should have featured some people of color (we miss you, Blair Underwood), but after a decade, it's far too little and certainly too late.

As for reaching younger women, it's an insult both to them - who watched the series despite it not being about them (we're not all Carries) - and to those in their 30s, 40s and 50s who not only saw themselves in the show but also have precious few places to enjoy, rather than bemoan, reflections of their lives. If Sex and the City is a hit, it will be partly because it's an enjoyable and somewhat true depiction of female friendship. But grown women will also go to see it because, finally, someone made a movie for them.

Sex and the City

The four friends four years later.

* Grade: B

* Rated: R

* Running time: 145 minutes

Changing clothes

81 outfits is how many Carrie wears in the movie.

'Sex' for sale

According to eBay, in the past month:

2,457: Number of Sex and the City items sold

$36.99: Average selling price of Sex and the City items

$395 Highest-priced Sex and the City item sold - a Bottega Veneta bag featured in the movie

4,434: Number of Sex and the City listings on eBay.com

1,824: Pairs of Manolo Blahnik shoes sold

1,223: Pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes sold

Product placements!

Designer items featured in the film:

* Louis Vuitton's denim patchwork bowling bag ($2,380)

* Carrie's Richard Prince Louis Vuitton bag, gifted by Carrie to her assistant ("the best money I ever spent," Carrie says)

* Carrie's Manolo Blahnik Hangisi stilettos ($885)

Carrie's Dior Extreme gladiator platform shoes ($770). At eLUXURY.com

* Samantha's Yves Saint Laurent gem-studded sack dress

Samantha's beach accessories include Stuart Weitzman's brass serpent Singlesbar stilettos.

* Samantha carries a handbag that matches her pooch's accessories. Both the gold tote bag and one-of-a-kind gold croc collar and leash are by Nancy Gonzalez (Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue).

Miranda's Stuart Weitzman black patchwork tote

* Designers featured include Dolce & Gabbana, Zac Posen, Sonia Rykiel, Chanel, Prada, Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood and Manolo Blahnik.

Carrie's trademark tutu and giant flower accessories make guest appearances.

Jewel tones

Makeup artists who worked with the stars of the movie report that they used Chantecaille Lasting Eye Shadow in opal and coriander, Luminous Eye Liner in "pianissimo"/oyster, Cheek Color Powder in "delight," and Compact Makeup Powder Foundation in shell on Kristin Davis while shooting the movie.

On Kim Cattrall, they used Lasting Eye Shadow in celestite and titanium and Shine Eye Shadow in tanzanite.

Fits to a T

DOWN Which girl are you? Express your inner Charlotte, Carrie, Miranda or Samantha with one of HBO's new T-shirts ($39.99), at HBO.com.

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