SATC: the ultimate chic(k) flick

I curse the day the MTRCB was born!

If you've seen the Sex and the City movie in a local cinema, then you get what I mean. Numerous scenes presumably showing sex and nudity were rudely and roughly cut, diluting the audience's viewing pleasure and the essence of SATC. The prudes at the MTRCB should have just given the movie an R-18 rating and let it run uncut, but no-ooo, they gave it a R-13 rating for better box office returns, the greedy bastards. This is precisely one of the reasons I whole-heartedly support the sale and purchase of pirated DVDs.

Despite the exasperating expurgations, SATC holds up as a thoroughly entertaining movie. Fans of the now-defunct HBO series will surely be pleased with this cinematic swan song for the 4 fab femmes of NYC. Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha are each given due attention with their individual storylines: Carrie and Mr. Big plan their wedding; Miranda and Steve encounter marital problems; Charlotte and Harry discover they're having a baby; and Samantha adjusts to life in Hollywood with Smith. Of course Carrie's still the star of the show, but more than just centering on her, the movie focuses on the friendship of the 4 and how it is the true constant in their lives, even throughout all the changes in their love/sex lives, addresses, or wardrobes.

And speaking of wardrobes, how can a review of SATC be complete without mentioning the fashion? SATC stylist Patricia Field's ensembles fill the big screen with color, sparkle, and labels galore. The movie is a veritable visual sartorial smorgasbord; Carrie and company are decked out in the most divine outfits and shoes, and toting the most heavenly handbags. Sighs of appreciation and envy were audible inside the predominantly female-filled theater.

The accoutrements alone are reason enough to watch SATC, but there's more to it than LV clutches and Manolo stilettos. The soundtrack is outstanding yet unobtrusive, infusing the movie with a fun vibe without overpowering what's happening onscreen. The plot is nothing that we haven't seen in other rom-coms, but it's made fresh, paradoxically, because of the history of the 4 lead characters, not only with one another, but with the audience. The acting is, surprisingly, commendable as well. Usually actors from popular TV shows don't perform very well in movies (e.g. the cast of Friends), but Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and Kim Cattrall acquit themselves well. Davis in particular exceeded my expectations with her comic timing, and in one memorable and moving scene, her ability to convey the fierce protectiveness only a loyal girl-friend can provide.

SATC fans are also rewarded with the appearance of certain sentimental elements, like the pink tank top and tutu Carrie wears in the opening credits of the TV show, gay sidekicks Anthony and Stanford, Magda the motherly Ukranian housekeeper, Steve's dog (although Miranda's cat was conspicuously absent), and the Burberry earmuffs Charlotte wears when jogging in cold weather.

MTRCB aside, my only gripes about SATC are that they underused Harry (lovable, bald, sweaty Harry), and they didn't showcase New York as much as they did in the TV series. SJP once said in an interview that New York is the 5th lady in SATC, but I didn't get that impression as much from the movie. Judging from the number of blasted cuts, the City seemed to take a back seat to Sex this time. Hell, Vivienne Westwood got more mileage than the Big Apple.

But I don't want to nitpick, because I loved, loved, loved the movie. For maximum enjoyment, I highly recommend watching it with girl-friends (I watched with 2 of mine, Ria and Jehan, who also both loved, loved, loved it). Ostensibly, SATC is about sex, love, fashion and cocktail parties, but at its core it's about friendship, the kind that should be celebrated with more than one round of Cosmopolitans.