Customer Reviews

Sex and the City: The Movie (The Wedding Collection Ultimate Collector's Edition)

5 star:		(132)
4 star:		(45)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

This is one of the few shows that I've watched since the beginning and considered good or ground-breaking enough to actually buy the episodes on DVD. (CSI and The L-Word being others) I didn't buy Season Six in protest of the way they split it into two DVD sets, thereby doubling the price for the Season, but I digress. The movie picks up the threads four years after the series left off.

Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) has reconciled with Big (Chris Noth) and the two are apartment hunting in Manhattan.

Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is still married to Steve (David Eigenberg) but having problems balancing the responsibilities of home, family, work and social life.

Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is happily married to Harry (Evan Handler) and the couple have adopted a daughter named Lily.

Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is living with Smith (Jason Lewis) in LA, commuting to New York for important social events.

So now you're up to date, here we go with the Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):

1. Carrie and Big make an important decision based on legal rights over property
2. Miranda makes an important decision based on Steve's actions
3. Charlotte has big news, but is afraid that something may happen to ruin everything
4. Samantha is restless, and not getting any younger
5. In vogue wedding ends up in Vogue magazine, but the honeymoon isn't exactly what the bride had in mind.
6. Carrie hires an assistant, Louise from St. Louis (Jennifer Hudson), an efficient young woman with great taste in brand names and shoes, who still believes in love.
7. The tides of life wax and wane and wax again in thoroughly entertaining fashion
8. All join in wishing Samantha another 50 years!!

This movie captures the spirit of the series, the only thing missing being not enough Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson) and Anthony Marantino (Mario Cantone)

The soundtrack is also excellent, with songs by Fergie, Jennifer Hudson, Jem, Nina Simone, India-Arie and others.

Highly recommended for all fans of the show, and the fashion forward.




Amanda Richards, June 22, 2008

The series finale of the TV show "Sex and the City" was absolute perfection. Although I was very excited to see "Sex and the City: The Movie," I didn't think it would be possible to top the way the series ended. The movie did not top the series, but it was still a lot of fun to watch.

I'm not going to give a play-by-play of the film because I don't want to spoil the plot for everyone. Obviously, the movie picks up several years after the TV series left off. I understand why some critics are having a field day with this film. Yes, there are a few hokey moments in the movie, and there are some issues with the plot. Personally, even I got a bit irritated with Carrie during the movie. Exactly how much crap from Mr. Big is she willing to put up with in her lifetime?! However, all that aside, I am not writing this review from the point of view of a critic. I'm writing it as a die-hard "Sex and the City" fan. And the bottom line is, it was so great to see Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte together again that I'm willing to forgive all the little things that were wrong with the film. This movie made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me remember why "Sex and the City" is one of my favorite television shows of all time. Plus, it had a happy ending for everyone, which is exactly what we want for all of the girls.

Fans of the HBO series will adore this movie, which is a wonderful tribute to friendships, fashion, and love. Based on those attributes, "Sex and the City: The Movie" is a five-star film all the way.

Without a doubt Sex and the City is one of the most influential TV show in history. So like any other successful TV show, it is trying to translate its fabulousness onto the big screen. However, does it work?

One of the major differences between a weekly TV show and a movie is that on TV you allow your characters to grow gradually while exploring different things in their lives. However, in a movie, you don't have that kind of privilege. You only have around 3 hrs to tell everything. So to deal with this issue, Sex and the City put the fabulous four into a whole year of adventure in 2.5 hours. Does it work? Well it keeps the funny stuff and sometimes candid stuff on the show but on the whole you feel like watching a montage of events for the characters without actually being able to think that they are unfolding in a meaningful manner. Those are life changing events, but when they are being broken down into numerous pieces that weave a plot together in 2.5 hours, it lacks the tension it allows on the TV show. This, without doubt, taxed the performance of the leads - SJP, Kim Catrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. When you watch them, you feel like they are busily putting things together to make their characters work once again. They are all familiar characters but the development was so fast tracked that you wonder how the thought process became so fast food like as compared to a meaningful growth in the TV show.?

Fashion is the big thing in the TV show, so we have lots of fashion in the movie, including the iconic dress we saw in the opening credits for every show during the 6 years run of the show. However, the attempt of jam packing so many wardrobe changes in the show failed to let the fashion to speak for themselves. It is just a consortium of beautiful fashion popping up in display windows as you stroll down the 5th Avenue. In the TV show, the fashion forms part of the story telling with the characters e.g. the change of wardrobe from high power neutral sex suits for Miranda to motherly and feminine clothes later during the six year run. But in the movie, fashions are just accessories to provide another talking point for the movie.

For the men in the movie, except for Chris Noth's Mr. Big, all other boyfriends and husbands have become just a requirement for continuity - although they never talked about why Marcus (Stanford's boyfriend) disappeared from the screen completely, and what happened to cause the bitterness between Anthony and Stanford disappeared. Is it just because of the loneliness in NY that they shared a quick patch on New Year's Eve? It just became so vague. As for Smith Jarod, he got what he wants but we never know whether he is happy all not. The charm of dreaming to be a working actor and spending time with Samantha supporting her during chemo was completely gone.

In all Sex and the City is a totem pole for the series followers to continue to worship their TV alter egos. It is still funny and outrageous in a lot of areas, but standing alone as a full fletched movie, it suffered from a high speed plot development and completely discounted the believability of the characters it once created successfully. It is still a good night out movie but that's about it. If it wants to reach the classic status as it did on the small screen, it is still a far fetched hope for Michael King, Darren Star and JSP.

I'm not big on movie channels, so I was late to the scene in watching "Sex and the City." I'd watch "Girlfriends," and I kept hearing that "Girlfriends" was a Black version of "Sex and the City." When the show started running in syndication, I watched marathon sessions to catch up, and I loved this show as much as "Girlfriends." It's easy to like a show and film like this when you can see yourself in the characters: Charlotte and I both have the same prudish fixation about germs and sex; I love manwatching as much as Samantha does and have similar conversations about men; I have the same career focus as Miranda; and the writing, creative, and independent streak that Carrie has. And I believe there are a lot of women out there who also feel the same way. It's like watching pieces of yourself in these characters.

With this kind of connection, it was almost natural to feel their emotions. I'm not a crier, and I can count on one hand the number of movies I've cried through (Hotel Rwanda being the top one), but I was surprised that I got teary eyed during the last limo scene. I also grinned big through the sex scenes and laughed during all of the punchlines.

Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) is now living with her long-time on and off boyfriend, Mr. Big (played by Chris Noth), and they are planning to get married, but Big admits that he has cold feet after being married twice. His concern is being with Carrie, not with getting married. Will they get married? Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) is still hard at work as a mother and career woman, but she has lost the lust and spontaneity in her marriage, especially after six months of no sex. Will her husband hang around? Charlotte York (played by Kristin Davis) is married with an adopted Chinese daughter, and now she's playing the role of the mother until a surprise comes up. Samantha Jones (played by Kim Cattrall) is still trying to keep the relationship fun and fighting the idea of being in a serious relationship with her former playboy and now ridiculously gorgeous boyfriend Jerry "Smith" Jerrod (played by Jason Lewis). Throw in a wedding, a trip to Mexico, motherhood, break-ups, make-ups, therapy, weight gain, fashion, plenty of shoes, a ménage à trois, Peeping Tom(isinas), and juvenile (but still funny) humor about waxing, diarrhea, sex jokes, a peek at Dante's (played by Gilles Marini) impressive unmentionables, and naughty words from children, and there's your 2 hours and 18 minute movie.

Cons: I thought Louise (played by Jennifer Hudson) character was one-dimensional, country, and all the Lou's was a little corny (name: Louise; loved: Louis Vuitton bags; from: St. Louis). Charlotte's daughter was in a bunch of scenes just taking up space. The auction scene was predictable and reminded me of an episode of "The Cosby Show".

Miscellaneous Issues: I could not wait for the movie to be over so I could buy guacamole and chips. This movie definitely had some serious product placement with name brands, food, and fashion shows. Speaking of fashion shows, minus the first model, all of those clothes were horrible. Most of Carrie's clothes, especially that ridiculous dress with the humongous flower on it, was awful, but somehow Sarah Jessica Parker manages to look excellent in everything she puts on. Parker is one unstoppable woman.

I've seen this movie twice already just to look at Dante.

While it is -- frustratingly -- the third in a "triple dip" (following the theatrical DVD and extended cut DVD), if you are a "Sex and the City" collector / completist, then you cannot be without this set.

Discs One and Two are essentially the same as they are on the Extended Cut DVD release -- BUT!! -- Disc Two is *expanded* with three more featurettes that were obviously held back from the previous release so hard-core fans would have incentive to buy this package.

One featurette focuses on how they brought the movie to the screen, the second is about on the four leading ladies and the third is the HBO First Look program, "The Making of *Sex and the City.*"

On Disc Two of the extended cut release and this package, a conversation between Michael Patrick King and Sarah Jessica Parker takes place. Disc Three features the full conversation, greatly expanded. It plays as a "video commentary" (with many split screens and zooms in and out) to the theatrical cut of the film. Disc Three also adds a feature on the DVD release party and the day Sarah Jessica Parker did the scene with all the wedding gown changes.

Disc Four is a music disc that is worth it for me because of two additions. As a major aficionado of film scores, I am excited to find Aaron Zigman's "suite" (really two pieces from the film) on the disc and a notation that his score will soon be available on CD. I am also pleased to find the "alternate" version of "Labels and Love" on the disc. This "alternate" is what plays underneath the opening of the film.

Jennifer Hudson's song is also here, as are four songs "inspired by" the movie and the Pfeifer Bros. version of the SATC theme that is featured on the first volume of the movie soundtrack.

The box, designed like the wedding invitation to beat all wedding invitations, comes with a Certificate of Authenticity (only 85,000 of these things exist) and a slim hardcover book with pictures and quotes not only from the screenplay, but the "love letters from great men" referenced in the movie.

Overall, this is a FANTASTIC package both in terms of design and content.

I loved this movie! It was fabulous! I will be pre-ordering this as soon as it's available. I can't wait. We bought our tickets days ahead and good thing, because they were sold out that day. The theatre was packed with women, lots bringing in their own cosmos. The movie was such an experience! If you're a fan of the show, you're going to soak up this movie like a sponge. The fashion, the storylines, the whole thing was great. You will not be disappointed.

Some people are writing poor reviews, but they are uptight, priggish women who have no sense of fun. Come on! Why can't you enjoy the fantasy? It's like being with your best friends in one of the best cities in the world. Who cares that their wardrobes are too expensive in these times of a gas-crisis and real estate letdowns? It's a MOVIE! Just enjoy it. If you want real life, then just stay out of the theatre. Live your boring, plain-jane lives and leave the fabulousness of SATC to us girls who know how to have fun!

I loved watching this HBO Series immensely and was sad to see it go off the air! So, when "Sex & The City", the movie came out, it felt like catching up with old friends you hadn't seen in a few years....

The movie still has the same cast of actors playing the roles of characters we've come to know and love. Everything in the movie clicked and felt right from the storyline, the funny situations and the blips that happen along the way. Watching the movie version of "Sex & The City" was like watching an extended version of one of the television episodes, letting us, the viewers, see where & what the characters are up to now.

The entire movie was well done. If you liked the television series, then you'll like the movie too.

More often than not, the transition from the small to the big screen is a huge disappointment. The last decade has seen many television series made into film but very few have translated well. HBO's hit series, "Sex and the City" is the rare exception!

Three years after the series left off, we find the fab foursome moving along in their lives. Miranda and Steve have settled in Brooklyn with their son, Brady. Charlotte is living happily with her husband and adopted daughter, Lily. Samantha has moved to the West Coast with her hunky partner, Smith, who now has a starring role on television. And Carrie, well, she is searching for the perfect apartment with Big.

All seems just a little too perfect until the complications set in---infidelity, a stagnant relationship, wedding jitters and much more challenge the four friends we have grown to love. Over six seasons we watched as these women dealt with sex and relationships. This movie, of course, continues that journey but also begins a new chapter in their lives.

Many of the familiar faces have returned; however some are underused in the movie. Stanford, Carrie's best gay bud, is given little more than a cameo and receives about the same amount of screen time as Magda, Miranda's nanny. Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson (and American Idol alum), plays new character, Louise, Carrie's assistant--a young woman who loves purses as much as Carrie loves her shoes! Candice Bergen also makes a cameo as Carrie's editor at Vogue.

One thing I will never understand, though, is a lot of women's desire to see Carrie with Big. I've always found the character arrogant, narcissitic and emotionally detached. Granted, Carrie is neurotic and a high maitenance gal but their torturous relationship has always bordered on sadistic. Apparently, some women find that type of guy attractive or they just love the constant drama in their relationships. Whatever the case, Big will always be the one flaw in an otherwise enjoyable show/movie.

Thankfully most of the elements that made the series a hit are found in the film. Samantha's zingers provide some great laughs and, of course, there is plenty of relationship talk. The chemistry that made these four women a regular Sunday night fixture on HBO is also found on the big screen. During a summer of big budget action/superhero films, "Sex" is a nice addition for all those who want a little diversion from exploding buildings and flying action heroes.

So for all of you who enjoyed the series, you will not be disappointed! And if you didn't watch, I think you will still enjoy the movie. A great date night movie! Highly recommended!

Movie started GREAT but had a RUSHED ENDING!!!!!!!!

I really liked the movie but it wasn't a 10. On a scale of 1 to 10 i'd probably rate it a 7 or 8. I thought the beginning of the movie was great and had a great pace from scene to scene. Then around 20 to 30 minutes before the movie ended, everything seemed so rushed. I know some people thought 2 hours and 20 or 30 mins is a really long movie. 140 mins for a movie ain't that bad especially if you've been a fan of the show since 1998. If you can have a SATC marathon watching 1 season non stop you can handle a movie that's a little over 2 hours. Anyways it really did start off well but towards the end i feel like the director or editor wanted the movie to hurry up & end since it was already over 120 mins that they just got sloppy with how the editing & pacing of the ending was handled etc.

SATC is a great show & always will be even though it was only seasons 1 - 3 that had all the MAGIC & SPUNK as seasons 4 - 6 i didn't really care 4. At that point they ran out of story lines & it was time 4 girls in their 30's to grow up & finally do what the majority of people in society do, which is get married & have babies. Nothing exciting about that. It's more fun when you're on the dating circuit from hell. Overall the movie had some great highlights but of course never had the witty comedy & conversations that season 1 - 3 had. Yeah the GURLS looked really OLD, & their age was really showing and at this point and sometimes the best technology in the world can't air brush wrinkles out of a movie. Ironically their male counter parts were aging so gracefully & looked younger then the gals. I guess that's the world we live in when the ones who don't hold onto their VANITY age better then the actual ones that do. Men in their 40's will always be able 2 get any girl & the same can't be said for women of the world. I was shocked 2 see so many people in the audience crying in certain scenes. The show was obviously canceled because it lost its magic & people weren't tuning in each week for the 4 gals. But a movie in my opinion was a great idea. The audience in Manhattan last night were full of girls dressed up & rocking 6 inch stilettos and tons of gay men. There was even this Latin Spanish HARLEM mess with an awful white t-shirt & lavender pants & a purse. I guess he thought he was a lady & could carry around a purse.

I hope the SATC DVD movie will be a 2 disc collector's edition with original theatrical release & then an UNRATED extended edition that will be 3 hours long 2 really satisfy all the SATC fans. That way we can see Steve's hot AZZ some more lol. One sad point was my GURL Samantha didn't get LAID in the movie. She's so great on the show & literally gets laid in every episode but in the movie she doesn't. I liked it & i hope u liked it 2.

Though I asked for this version of the movie (I waited to buy it because I thought there might be another version out), I hadn't expected anyone to buy it for me.

But my SO came through!

It's fabulous because of the packaging, the design elements, and extras. The CD of "Songs of Romance" is a better grouping of music than the CDs you can purchase separately, IMO. Every song has me moving and playing back my favorite parts of the movie in my head.

With all of the special features, there's plenty of entertainment to bring new meaning to parts of the movie. Depth.

I like having the portability of movies on my laptop and that's another great extra. There's a coupon you can redeem a free digital copy from iTunes. Sweet.

The "Ever Thine Ever Mine Ever Ours" photo album is a fabulous edition to this version. It is as if it is your copy of the couple's wedding album.

The "program" for the packaging is just like a program you might have received at Carrie and Big's extreme version of their wedding.

If you have this edition, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. If you don't have it, order it before they are all gone!