SEX & THE CITY
Directed by Michael Patrick King
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler, Jason Lewis, Willie Garson, Chris Noth, Jennifer Hudson.

The movie is the fashionista’s fashion feast.

THIS is easily the most fashionable and stylish movie of the year; it makes The Devil Wears Prada look like Ugly Betty. Ladies, the fabulous foursome are back and it’s time to strut out in your killer heels!

Aesthetically, this big screen version of HBO’s smashing series looks like a multi-label cinematic designer boutique. For the fashion-conscious, this is a feast of clothes and accessories. You would see Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Gucci consistently sharing screen time with the girls.

And the movie has costume designer Patricia Field to thank. Once again, she cast her magic wand. She gave personality to each ensemble, which makes them funny at times, but always stylish.

The bird-in-the-head for Carrie’s wedding ensemble and the sleepwear and fur coat combo — with heels, no less — are examples of Field’s styling genius. Her touches reveal the character of the wearer. It’s never just about wearing labels.
But before anyone concludes this as a fluffy and fashionable tale of impossibly attractive ladies, let me assure you that there is more to this story than men, Manhattan and Manolo Blahnik shoes.

The show starts four years after the series’ end. Newspaper columnist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is finally with Mr Big (Chris Noth); lawyer Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) is happily married to Steve (David Eigenberg) and has a child; Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) and Harry (Evan Handler) have adopted a Chinese baby girl; and PR executive Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) is happy with her young lover, Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis).

While the series concluded the topic on looking for love, the movie begins with the next phase: What happens once you have found love?

The movie travels back and forth from fairy tale to reality. The world of Carrie and Mr Big looks too good to be true but her friends are the living reality: coping with work, motherhood and finding happiness.

The movie is more holistic and realistic than the series, which was often built around questions like “When will the search for The One be done?”

Despite its chic facade, the problems are realistic. There are subtle subtexts of forgiveness, friendship, love, pride, family and the pursuit of happiness that make the movie relatable.

The best thing is it hasn’t lost the razor-sharp, snazzy script the series is often credited for and those witty one-liners like “I gotta get out of my Mexicoma” (per Carrie, after she had finally gotten herself out of bed).

As a big fan of the series, I miss Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson), Carrie’s gay best friend, who is given really little screen time in the film, but in the series is a huge help to Carrie.

And true to expectation, this film was censored, but fortunately, the storylines remain intact, so don’t worry too much about this.

Watch it with your other half, watch it on your girls’ night out, watch it alone, watch it even if you’ve never seen the series. You will laugh, smile and cry.

There is a birthday party at the end of the movie for one of the girls. And the first episode of the first season of the series had the girls celebrating Miranda’s birthday.

Love and friendship have come full circle.