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In the HBO drama, Carrie Bradshaw wrote a weekly column, and each show was the culmination of approximately one week's worth of revelations on the pros and cons of wanting it all. The show was not about the struggle to achieve financial independence for Carrie & her friends each already had their dream jobs, rather the show was about the love lives of successful, albeit single, thirty-something women. But the show was also more than that and it gained its massive following not just because it was entertaining and witty and clever about the way the spritely-but-wise Carrie juggled her career & romance goals, but because Carrie asked the kinds of questions that were on the minds of many other women. Plus, because it was often so frank and said out loud what had not been said out loud on tv before, the show was just plain fun. Even guys, on occasion, liked it. Carrie was not Godard, or Woody Allen, but she got women and couples talking and kept them talking (Godard and Woody Allen fans probably counted the show as a guilty pleasure). It was pop culture with just the right amount of substance to keep you entertained and interested in equal measures.
Also, the series was cleverly constructed so that Carrie, the writer, could view the life of the single woman and the issues that concerned her from four distinct angles/perspectives. Each character may have been asking the same or similar questions about striking the right balance between maintaining an independent identity and finding (and maintaining) a lasting romantic connection, but each character answered those questions in their own way, and no single answer was ever offered as the best or definitive one. The show was always about pursuing ideals & dreams but it was also always about acknowledging that not every girl & woman has an identical set of ideals & dreams, and so personal and professional "success" was something that each was compelled to work out for themselves. The sex itself may have been the allure that brought both sexes to the tv every Sunday night, but the series allowed women that gathered to watch the show together to laugh at things that real women laugh at and it allowed men an invaluable glimpse into the dynamics of the feminine mind/mystique, and all in a provocative way. The show examined existing social norms & standards & expectations, and, more importantly, it provided women with new norms & standards & expectations. It gave women new ways to read their lives and never settled on any one prescriptive method or model for how a girl or woman ought to think, act, look, or feel: its inclusiveness & openness were two of the shows greatest appeals & virtues. It validated a new kind of women, it made the career woman feel good about being a career women, and it made women feel powerful and smart and sexy and fun all at the same time. I must admit I did not watch every episode but the ones I did, sometimes reluctantly, watch, I enjoyed. The show was a guilty pleasure. "Guilty" because guys aren't supposed to like the show and I liked it. I like smart women and at least two of these women (Carrie and Miranda) were smart. And the other two (Samantha and Charlotte) sexy.
Opening Night: Miami. My girlfriend bought tickets for this premiere several days ago so I was there on opening night in line in jeans with my girlfriend and a lot of other very well dressed women (many in groups of four) who'd just consumed a round or two of Cosmopolitans. I'm guessing I was the only straight guy in this very lively, very eager, very excitable line. This generation of women was raised on Madonna in high school and then graduated to Sex and the City in college. I was wondering when the next paradigm shift in the world of feminist/postfeminist pop culture would occur and what that might look like when the line, finally, began to move.
Ok, the film: I will not spoil the film for those who haven't had a chance to see it yet, but I will say that the film does not mess with the formula that made the series a hit. Carrie & Samantha & Miranda & Charlotte are all in their 40's now (and Samantha even hits 50), but they all still look, well, as good as they did in their 30's so age is not an issue. The revelation of the film is that there are no revelations: the same concerns & questions that Carrie was asking in seasons one through six of the series are still on these characters minds and still remain unanswered; what has changed, albeit ever so slightly, is that each of the characters seems to have learned to live more comfortably with those questions and concerns. I will not discuss the plot, but I will say that the main difference between the series and the film is that if the series was about women in the process of defining & empowering themselves in new ways in a more open era; the film is about women who have successfully defined and empowered themselves but are still capable of self-surprise and thus still required to make life-altering decisions. I won't discuss the plot so that you can experience those moments of self-surprise and those choices while watching the film. I will say that because this film does not try to offer any definitive resolutions for any of these character's lives (or the lives of girls & women in general), but instead shows that the continued re-examination of one's life and the continually renewed effort to invent new ways to live it is what keeps life interesting and dynamic, this translation of Sex & the City from the small to the big screen is an unqualified success.
That, added to the fact that these women can find a way to laugh and have fun in the best of times as well as the worst of times (and theres plenty of both in this film), is yet another reason groups of women, couples, and singles will find this film immensely satisfying. Yes, theres a lot of fantasy (fashion, parties, shopping) that seems like a foreign language to some of us, but theres also a lot of raw emotion too and plenty that most of us can relate to. The fantasy element (especially the outlandish fashion) seems to turn some people off, but it functions in much the same way Carrie's wit functions: it is a way of coping, a way of transcending old ways of thinking/being, and it is a way of being inventive & original. All qualities that this series and film celebrate.
The fans love it, but the critics, male and female, apparently aren't liking it (most critical reviews have been awarding the film approximately 2.5 out of 4.0). The critics may be right to pick at a few missteps but overall I think many of them are missing the point. Sex and the City is not pretending to be great cinema/art, the show never took itself that seriously nor does the film. Sex and the City was and is pop culture, but its pop culture that occasionally sneaks in some valuable social critique. The show and film have moments where the conspicuous consumption becomes annoying and these are the moments that seem grossly excessive and unproductive and wasteful, but also moments where the characters take control and creatively produce their lives. Some critics seem only to see the icing, and not the cake.
So, will there be another movie? And, if so, what will these characters be doing in another five years?
*Charlotte will probably have a whole mess of kids, some adopted and some biological. Prep schools & cute outfits (for the children) will be her main concern for the next two decades. Being so perfect herself, she will probably have issues with the more rebellious of her brood.
*Samantha's mellow spell will not last. She will have to think of new and creative ways to manage her appetites. Once she loses her ability to attract young men with her own wiles, she may have to resort to renting them.
*Miranda will tire of any man that is not as dedicated to his career as she is to hers. She's yet to meet her match, but will meet someone who she enjoys being with more than she enjoys being with the girls.
*Carrie the independent with intimacy/commitment issues will not have an easy go of it with Big who has the exact same set of issues. The two will decide they get along best when apart.
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Reviewed in Spain on December 3, 2017
