The Experience AKA the SATC Movie with Daisy

So today, I took a brief respite from the rigors of bar review to FINALLY take in the Sex and the City motion picture. The timing seemed perfect, as the throngs of teary eyed and sighing women (well, most of them...more on that later) had taken their turns in the days close to the release. An afternoon showing seemed like the perfect option, as that would leave the rest of the day free for studying. On Sunday, Daisy informed me that she had purchased tickets for us to see the film. Now, Daisy is my usual movie going buddy during the summers. Sometimes, Daisy's reactions are, in truth, much better than what might be happening on the screen. She has also been a bit miffed at my numerous movie going adventures this summer without her; to her credit, rather than sitting back and waiting for me to plan (I have not been very good at that lately), she took control, purchased the tickets and away we went. We were accompanied by PAG and Xander, so the male to female ratio was not as skewed as that of many of the other groups in the theater (OK, so the other groups were groups of women and teenagers, but still). The four of us reached the theater just as the films were starting, and Xander and I immediately started rolling our eyes at the target trailers that assailed out senses. "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2"...umm, no, don't think so. "The Women"...amazing female cast, but noooo..don't think so. "Mamma Mia"...ok, now that has potential. I am still a sucker for well done musicals, so we will see. And the main event then began...

First of all, for those of you who may not be aware of my personal familiarity of SATC, you should read or re-read my earlier post on the subject here. Back again? Good. Writer/director and former showrunner Michael Patrick King did a wonderful job establishing the recent histories of the characters within the opening credits themselves. One of the major problems of cinematic adaptions of television works is the danger of the audience lacking the background knowledge of the history of what has gone on before. Some shows would just not lend themselves to the kind of catch up that King deftly provided in the opening (I cannot imagine David Chase successfully accomplishing this feat if he ever decides to bring "The Sopranos" to the screen). We were then launched straight into the story. Big and Carrie looking for a new place, Steve and Miranda having problems, Charlotte just being happy, and Samantha struggling with a selfless existence. The wedding sequence and all that followed really seemed true to the characters that King established. In the end, he wisely avoided the GIANT BIG SCREEN STORY and focused on the aspects of the characters that made them icons for women everywhere. The reactions to the characters to the various twists and turns of the story seemed honest, and King did a great job in insuring that the actresses (and Chris Noth's Big) never overplayed the emotional content. the whitty banter among the women (sans the frequent f-bombs that were the hallmark of the series) was there, and so was the same chemistry the women enjoyed for so many years on HBO. The lone leading female newcomer, Jennifer Hudson, served more as a reminder of what NYC must have been like for Carrie and the rest when they were in their 20s. Now, even with the focus on character,that is not to say that King avoided the frosting on the cake, namely the designers and the places and events that make New York the ultimate 5th member of the SATC crew.

So how was the movie experience with Daisy? Well, she gasped at the sheer number of designer labels that were front and center in the film. All of the air in the auditorium was taken up by her sudden inhale upon viewing Big's new closet for Carrie. Finally, later in the film, Daisy was wracked with tears during a seemingly endless series of emotional final beats to the film, with each beat upping the ante for the one that would follow. I don't know HOW she could not have been out of breath and exhausted after her experience. Then again, perhaps I reacted the same way during both of my viewings of "Iron Man" (yes, I did see it twice).

So, in the end, SATC was exactly what it was supposed to be. As much as Xander and I might have wanted to make fun of the phenomenon, we could not. King wrote an engaging story that captured the attention of and pleased devoted fans and newcomers alike. There really seemed to be nothing that was missing.

OK. The "Carrie" necklace. That was missing. Maybe next time.