Review of Sex and the City (2008) by Markb. — 05 Jun 2008

I almost set a moviegoing record with this one. Back in 2005, when I went to see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, I noticed that I was one of exactly two males in the audience, and the other man was presumably there with his daughter.

Well, this time out I was one of THREE guys in the audience. (The theater's trailer coordinator obviously knew that theaters showing this flick would gather a higher estrogen count than a mall comprised entirely of nothing but beauty salons, and programmed accordingly; I saw previews for the ABBA musical Mamma Mia, the filmization of the bestseller He's Just Not That Into You, and, yes, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.

) Lest I be asked to relinquish my Y chromosome for going to see the further adventures of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha WILLINGLY, let me advise any of my gender that should their spouse or squeeze insist on taking them to this, to remember three points: 1.

) she went with YOU to see all thirty-six Marvel Comics movies released in the past five years, so fair's fair; 2.) be grateful it's this and not that crappy wedding movie starring Dr. McDreamy; and most importantly, 3.

) guys should enjoy this for the same reason that many guys enjoyed Terms of Endearment, When Harry Met Sally...and Pretty Woman: all four are damned good movies. Writer-director Michael Patrick King, a staple of the beloved, long-running HBO TV series, assumes the same duties here; he seamlessly blends high comedy (there's a delightful sequence early on using Crayolas as euphemisms), low humor (the notorious pubic hair joke from the preview is seen in its extended version), tears and melodrama, as author Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) excitedly prepares for her wedding to Mr.

Big and her three girlfriends experience various other life-changing situations. I've seen about 10 episodes of the show (my best friend's wife is a fan) and so had a working knowledge of the characters and relationships, but what drove me to the theater was Parker, who, with her warmth, vulnerability, little-girl charm and mile-wide smile, brings humanity to even superficial or unsympathetic characters (L.

A. Story, Ed Wood, The Family Stone). She doesn't disappoint here, and her costars are a delight to watch together and apart (with special kudos to Cynthia Nixon, given that Miranda acts like a horse's ass for roughly half the movie).

Some other random observations: Kim Cattrall does something with sushi that'll forever change your thinking about it, whether you like or loathe the stuff; Carrie's choice of a "chase the blues" movie is about as good as it gets (and no, it's not As Good As It Gets); the extended New Year's Eve sequence is breathtakingly lovely, funny and poignant; and I really admired KIng's refusal to shy away from the implication that one of the character's decisions will almost ensure that she remains lonely and unsatisfied throughout the rest of her life.

Most of all, the primary reason that Sex and the City (the movie even more than the TV episodes I saw) works as well as it does is that it so convincingly depicts the power of friendship. This is especially fitting because, like most of the even-numbered Star Trek films, Sex and the City-The Movie should make not only hardcore disciples but also casual acquaintances of (and those completely unfamiliar with) the TV series feel like they've spent a couple of hours with some very good old friends.