Customer Reviews

Sex and the City: The Movie [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(155)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

I was initially against a continuation of the runaway hit HBO series, Sex and the City - The Complete Series (Collector's Giftset) I felt that the season finale was perfection and any other stories to be told would only spoil it. Once the movie started though, I was drawn in and it felt great to see these "familiar" friends again: Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis). Carrie and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) decide to tie the knot, and the movie revolves around how their relationship takes the next step. Meanwhile, Miranda and Steve are dealing with Miranda neglecting their relationship. Samantha has become an L.A. housewife and is none too happy about continually playing second-fiddle to Smith. Charlotte...well, she is just living a perfect life with adopted daughter and husband Harry. The movie continues the vision of the series: insightful, witty, and extremely well written. Jennifer Hudson has a nice supporting role as Carrie's personal assistant; she brings sass to her role and definitely leaves the door open for a possibility of a "next generation" of young hopeful women to hit New York City. My gripes? I felt that fashion played too much of a role; in the TV series, it was a nice semi-silent costar. In the movie, it was a little "in your face" and over the top. I also felt that Samantha's storyline seemed a little out of character and contrived; her supposed weight gain was minimal and for her to ever stay in the background for Smith just seemed out of step. Many original cast members returned for the movie, although some were absolutely wasted as they were relegated to non-speaking cameos. For some reason, Stanford & Anthony are now close friends (possibly even more), which is totally against how they were in the series. Obviously, much has happened in the years since we last saw them; it left a feeling that an explanation scene or two must be on the cutting room floor. Removal of some of the fashion stuff and putting back in more of the witty dialogue would have benefitted the movie greatly.Speaking of putting back in...yes, this version is an extended cut. Many scenes have been lengthened, and it definitely helps give the movie a more finished feel and explains much that I thought was missing in the theater. Extra fun is Carrie's fashion show in her apartment, where she tries on many of her 1980's bad outfits for the girls, who rate whether the outfits should be kept or tossed. In the extended cut, ALL the girls (including Charlotte's daughter Lily) join in the fun and try on the outfits. This is especially wonderful as SJP does not necessarily deserve the lion's share of credit for this successful series; it is definitely an ensemble cast. The restored Halloween scene of Harry as The Addams Family's Uncle Fester is not to be missed, either!

I saw it twice on the big screen - thoroughly entertained both times, and hoping for a follow-up!

Bonus features for 2-Disc Special Edition DVD:

DISC 1:
* Audio Commentary by director Michael Patrick King
DISC 2:
* Additional Scenes restored to the actual movie as well as a separate section with deleted scenes that feature commentary by Michael Patrick King as to why they were cut.
* A Conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael Patrick King: a nice look at the movie with SJP and MPK, giving further insight into many of the choices made for the movie.
* The Fabulous Fashion of Sex And The City: Excellent featurette with Patricia Fields discussing how she finds all the different fashions for the character. Not one to get caught up in labels, her talent is for mixing up totally different looks and creating magic.
* Fergie in the Studio: watch a hit in the making as the singer records Labels or Love for the movie soundtrack, interspersed with Fergie fawning over the original TV series. A short featurette but cool to watch nonetheless.

UPDATE: You might want to hold off on buying this version, as an Sex and the City: The Movie (Ultimate Collector's Edition) with approximately 4 more hours of extras is due to be released on December; so far, no Blu-ray version of this set has been announced.

If I had known the series was as enjoyable as the movie, I would never have missed a single episode, but that's the beauty of a favorite series on DVD. "Sex and the City--The Movie" was such a fabulous fantasy with such a great ending that I must see the series now.

Four women who actually care about each other--now there's a new concept, but they actually do, genuinely, sincerely, and apparently for all time. Other reviewers have called the wedding dress a fifth character; some say New York or Manhattan itself. I say the fifth character has to be all those clothes Carrie wears, each dress costing hundreds, I'm sure. As a writer, she could afford such clothes? Wow.

However, anyone with eyes must include Chris Noth's Big character. He is such a hunk! A major element that stands out for me in this movie is the respectful attitudes Carrie and Big show for each other. They are attentive, caring, and considerate (except for --well, I best not say). Anyone can make a mistake.

A huge theme is forgiveness as it plays out in both Carrie's relationship and Miranda's, and in their mutual friendship. Meanwhile, Samantha learns that she is not being true to herself, an issue I just don't want to deal with. I have no idea if she is right or wrong concerning her decision.
The only character without problems is Charlotte, who does seem to lead a charmed life.

Overall, this is a story that reflects real life: problems in love, friendship, living arrangements, doing the right thing, and taking chances. That this movie ends well perhaps bodes well for the viewer, too. You think? Maybe...

I'm not going to review the movie, I'll leave that for everyone else. All I can say is that I am SO happy that Warner Brothers changed the digital format that comes free with their DVDs. I had bought last Harry Potter DVD for the digital version, only to discover it was not compatible with i-pods. This version is! If you are going to spend the money and want the option of it for your i-pod, get the Special Edition.

SEX AND THE CITY THE MOVIE SPECIAL EDITION won't satisfy all of the fans of the show. You either love it or hate it. Sure the movie had its pitfalls like the "will Big & Carrie marry or is this the final break-up?" etc., but for the most part it gives us fans one last hurrah. I guess the movie could be seen as the cherry on top of an already luscious and decadent sundae.

Did we need the movie? Probably not, but I'm glad the powers that be decided to make it. And just like that cherry, the movie is just a lovely garnish that topped off a really wonderful television series.

Here's what's on the SATCTM DVD Sp. Ed.:

DVD #1
***Extended Version of the movie--(Run Time 151 mins)--I think the extended scenes show Carrie, Charlotte, Harry and Lily on Halloween (I don't remember that scene in the movie)

***Commentary By Director/Writer Michael Patrick King

DVD #2
***Digital Copy of the Movie--To play on computer/ipods etc., w/out dvd

***Conversation W/Sarah Jessica Parker & MPK--24-minute featurette with director MPK and star SJP discussing various scenes

***The Fabulous Fashion Of SATC--18-minute Featurette with Costume Designer Patricia Field(who should win the Academy Award)--takes viewers on a behind-the-scenes of the fab wardrobe, shoes, bags and jewelery used in the movie and includes shots of the cast while filming

***Additional Scenes w/director commentary--Four additional scenes not in the movie or extended cut and MPK discusses each one

***Additional Scenes w/out commentary--the four above scenes w/out MPK

***Fergie In The Studio--Two-minute thing w/Fergie and the recording session for the song "Labels or Love" for the soundtrack

All in all a pretty good DVD set for fans of both the show and the movie. Seeing it the second time around, I do see things that I missed when seeing it in the theater. One of them being the over riding theme of "Cinderella." But, the friendship between the four women is still what makes SATC/SATCTM so special...at least to me.

My girlfriend and I went to IMAX when this movie was released - making it a girls night out activity. For those of you that watched Sex and the City it is a continuation of the television show and tied up the loose ends - though it would be great if there were more movies as they get older. There were some really sad moments and some that had the whole theater (which was filled with women) in stitches - but I won't give those moments away.
While it may not be Oscar worthy and the writing may not be win any literary awards, in my opinion it provided something better. It was familiar and comforting, warm and entertaining. Seeing it with a girlfriend makes it a terrific experience and one I recommend that you do. Purchase the movie, send husbands/boyfriends away, make some deliciously fattening food and watch this with a friend/friends you love (which of course negates all the calories!!).

I loooooove sex and the city the show; i thought it was funny and still is one of my fave shows. and of course like any other fan i was excited to know a movie was in the works. the final product however...not as great as i expected.

First off, i don't think Carrie and big should be married. I think the show spent its entire series showing how, at the end of the day, these two people were just not the marrying kind. And after being together for 10 years all of a sudden, on a random day of the week, Big (of either one, he is the most shocking to suggest it) just throws out the idea of getting married--and then is the one that calls it off! I think a better storyline for them would have been to stay happily coupled and adopt. I also would have liked to have seen more about their relationship day to day. The whole movie for them was basically the planning of their wedding, them breaking up and then in the last 20 minutes getting back together...I don't even know if they had that great of a relationship to begin with seeing as how the series ended with them back together. I would have liked to see how their relationship improved, if at all, from the roller coaster it was on the series in more than just a few scenes of them looking at a house and reading in bed.

Miranda and Steve's problems were predictable if you know anything about Miranda. Not saying that Steve was justified but Miranda getting consumed with work and neglecting her husband didn't feel that far from conceivable.

Samantha didn't even seem like herself anymore! This was a woman that prided herself on her fabulosity and glamour but in the movie, she lets herself go by gaining weight? As I recall, she wanted a boob job on the show! And true Samantha would have NEVER let that hot neighbor tease her like that ESPECIALLY while her and Smith were having problems. And speaking of Smith, he seemed like such a sincere, down to earth guy on the show but I guess the fame he acquired changed him, showering Samantha with expensive gifts instead of support and acting like a complete jerk after blowing off valentines day! (and walking in with a box of chocolates? c'mon, if you're this big star with all this money and obviously can afford to buy her expensive jewelry on any other occasion, it did not seem realistic that of all days, valentines day, all he would have thought of was some candy!) And speaking of valentines day--Samantha going through those lengths for any man? Not believable. And then waiting up for him like a disgruntled housewife? The Samantha I knew would have got all dolled up and went out looking for a new guy at a hot, new club once Smith screwed up.

And Charlotte....I don't have anything to say for her character cause the script didn't give her much. It seemed kind of forced that she would be pregnant all of a sudden after the drawn out storyline during the series of her struggles with conceiving. And am I the only one that doesn't think that the toddler lily looks like a believable older version of that picture Charlotte had from the series finale?

And I keep reading comments about how people are confused by Anthony and Stanford becoming friends which I agree with but I was also more confused by the disappearance of Standford's boyfriend Marcus. If i'm not mistaken, didn't they end the series with them still together? But in the movie, all of a sudden he's gone and now Stanford has grown closer with someone he hated on the show. I admired the fact that SATC included a gay storyline in the series with Stanford and his relationships along with the heterosexual ones with the girls and was interested to see how they would continue that with the movie, hoping that Stanford and Marcus would still be together proving that gay relationships can be just as long-lasting and fulfilling as straight ones (especially given the continued struggle the gay community has with proving the validity of their bonds and trying to legalize gay marriage). But they gave Stanford, or any gay character for that matter, nothing and I was disappointed in that.

Also, yes we all know that fashion was a character on the show but it was a between the lines placement, i felt. It seemed like just a normal part of their lives, naturally occurring but in the movie it was definitely forced. The part about Carrie's involvement in that Vogue article seemed like the movie's way of giving her an excuse to dance around in labels for a photo shoot--we get it, she loves clothes--and did she really need to tell us all the designers who made them? Did they give some type of incentive for having a mention in the movie, because that's how it felt to me. And how perfect that she gets to keep one of the dresses for her own wedding--again, a moment that I felt was fake and was forced.

Jennifer Hudson's character was fresh as everyone agrees but I don't know if I was comfortable with her acting. I mean, for the role, its not like she needed to bring an Oscar performance but there were definitely moments where her emotions seemed fake and her talking sounded like she was reading directly from the script or reading from cue cards. But it was nice to see another African American face since, lets face it, there weren't hardly any on the show which was odd to me because NY within itself is very diverse.

All in all...I was happy with what they put out only because I think I just really miss the show and the movie was like an extra episode for fans who were tired of watching the reruns on TV. But I must say, as a fan, they could have done much, much better. Hopefully they realize this with the sequel....

I'll assume those here have seen the movie, or at the very least the tv show. I'm a huge fan of both, so I opted for the special edition dvd. The first disc features an extended film. I couldn't get enough of this film, so I was thrilled to have the extra 12 minutes, but I'm not sure you would miss them if you didn't know about them. The digital copy of the film is great, but most fans probably don't have a need for it. I love being able to watch it anytime, on my computer or tv. The deleted scenes are fun if you liked the movie, but the conversations with Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael Patrick King are underwhelming. If you read any of the reviews or paid any attention to the movie's extensive publicity, then you won't find much that's new.

Essentially: if you liked this movie a lot, you'll appreciate at least some of the extras, but if you're not a huge fan, then you probably won't miss them if you opt for the "regular" edition.

This movie is fantastic! The scene where Carrie gets out of bed and travels through the snow on New Year's eve to be with Miranda while Auld Lang Syne plays in the background makes me cry every time I watch it. The movie is about love, sure, but mostly it is about 4 friends who know each other very well , love each other in spite of their difference and will stick together forever. The four stars are so natural together, and it is a credit to the writers and producer that they make it look so effortless. The other star of this movie is NYC, and it is a love story about that beautiful city as well. I think they are making SATC number 2 and I honestly cannot wait!

I always thought of the ladies of s.... and the city as narcissistic, rich, spoiled, old brats, and I would only watch them if I was totally desperate and wanted to fall asleep (or if Mr. Big was gracing a scene with his presence). Therefore; watching the movie on HBO on another desperate boring evening was a pleasant surprise.
The ladies, against all odds, did a good job and celebrated the theme of love and friendship in a very classy way.
The movie, the acting, the theme of love, family, humanity, vulnerability and friendship was grand. I would watch it again!

This is definitely one of my top three favorite movies. The extended scenes are cool, too.