The girls are back in town
For six seasons Sex and the City was a television sensation. Now it has just made the jump to the silver screen and thousands of people can't wait to see it. The film about the glamorous lives of writer Carrie, publicist Samantha, lawyer Miranda and...
For six seasons Sex and the City was a television sensation. Now it has just made the jump to the silver screen and thousands of people can't wait to see it.The film about the glamorous lives of writer Carrie, publicist Samantha, lawyer Miranda and curator Charlotte, whose friendships, loves and fashion sense in Manhattan captivated millions of viewers during six seasons on HBO, opened in cinemas worldwide yesterday.
Sex and the City takes up four years on from where the hit series left the sassy singletons, who were so blatantly honest in their desire to have "sex like men" but also lusted as much for a new pair of Manolo Blahnik heels as they did for the perfect beau.
Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays Carrie and is also a producer of the film, said she had been working on the project for two-and-a-half years. But getting everyone together again was not easy.
There were reports that when talks about a film began, Kim Cattrall, who plays Samantha, had demanded more money and creative control.
"It was a really hard time," said Ms Cattrall, who at the time was in the midst of a divorce. Her father had also just been diagnosed with dementia.
"I needed to spend time with my real family and I'm really glad that I did because in the four years, you know, coming back, I think the film is where it should be," said Ms Cattrall. Kristin Davis, who plays Charlotte, said she was tired of hearing endless gossip that the quartet of stars did not get along on the film set.
"It's a sexist thing really," she said, complaining that magazines "don't talk about how the Sopranos all fought or whatever."
"We've got a woman running for President, we need to get with the times. Not all women are bitchy to each other," she added.
And big is not necessarily better for the highly anticipated movie. When making a successful transition from TV show to motion picture, the trick always is to retain the essence of what made the series so watchable while at the same time addressing the demands of that larger canvas without feeling like a super-sized episode.
But while staying faithful to the former ‒ Carrie and the girls remain energetically true to form ‒ the nearly two-and-a-half-hour feature tends to resemble the latter.
Not that the bloated result will deter the show's fiercely loyal audience, which should make the release a potent girls night out destination, but it is unlikely to build on that fan base.
The movie efficiently brings everybody up to speed.
Carrie, no longer writing that weekly column, is working on her fourth book and is still in a stable relationship with Mr Big (Chris Noth).
Charlotte is living her fairy tale existence on Park Avenue with her hubby, Harry and the little girl they adopted from China.
The considerably more-stressed Miranda is living in Brooklyn, struggling to balance a high-pressure job with marriage to her husband Steve (David Eigenberg) and motherhood.
Meanwhile, over on the other coast, Samantha appears to have settled down with her actor-client Smith (Jason Lewis) in their sunny Malibu beach house.
But when Big pops the big question, a whole mess of change is set into gear.
With that jumping-off point, the movie certainly was capable of standing on its own two Blahniks.
Unfortunately, where episodes of the series used to take their cue from a question posed by one of Carrie's columns, writer-director Michael Patrick King never finds that focus, and Sex and the City loses its tart edge in the process.
In need of some serious tightening up, the flabby picture does what the old Samantha would have never done: It keeps hanging around, pushing for a long-term relationship.
There's still much to enjoy here, especially from the nicely honed performances of its four colourful leads (the more explicit stuff is carried out by secondary characters). And a trio of costume designers ensure that there's no stinting on all the equally important label action.
Sarah Jessica Parker is Carrie
A celebrated icon in film and television as well as fashion, Sarah Jessica Parker continues to expand upon her impressive collection of credits through her remarkable range and effortless style. An actress since the age of eight, Ms Parker continues to come into her own as an artist and as an entrepreneur.Ms Parker won over critics and audiences alike in the series for which she was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2001. She was also an executive producer on the series, which received the Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Comedy Series three years in a row in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and was honoured with an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2001.
When we last saw her:
Carrie had left Petrovsky behind in Paris, where Big - with the blessings of Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha - tracked her down. Carrie and Big, realising they're meant to be, returned to New York, ready to start over... again.
Kim Cattrall is Samantha
Kim Cattrall has been a staple of both screen and television since her first day on set. She has been one of the industry's busiest actors due to her comedic timing, dramatic depth and onscreen presence.She was a leading force in turning the groundbreaking Sex and the City into a global phenomenon. Portraying femme fatale Samantha, Cattrall has been highly praised by the critics and recognised with a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards plus five additional Golden Globe, four
Emmy and three Screen Actors Guild nominations.
With the worldwide syndication of Sex and the City, her portrayal of Samantha is known around the globe.
Her extensive acting career has spanned film, stage and television. Born in Liverpool, England, and raised on Vancouver Island, Canada, Ms Cattrall moved to New York City at the age of 16 to attend the Americal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
On graduation, Otto Preminger signed her to a five-year film contract and Ms Cattrall became one of the last participants of the Universal Contract Player System.
She starred in a host of Hollywood blockbuster films, including Police Academy, Mannequin, Big Trouble in Little China and the Bonfire of the Vanities.
When we last saw her:
Samantha had faced some hard realities - a battle with breast cancer, and the realisation that she loved Smith.
Kristin Davis is Charlotte
Kristin Davis portrays the ever-hopeful Charlotte York Goldenblatt, who has found happiness on the Upper East Side with Harry, her unlikely prince of a husband, and their beautiful adopted daughter, Lily.Through a variety of roles in television, film and on stage, Ms Davis has proven herself a talented and versatile actress.
Her role for six seasons on Sex and the City earned Ms Davis nominations for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. The show also starred Ms Jessica Parker, Ms Nixon and Ms Cattrall, all four women winning the Screen Actors Guild Ensemble Award not once but twice.
Prior to Sex and the City, Ms Davis made an impact on the television scene when she joined the pop culture phenomenon, Melrose Place and brought life to the devious Brooke Armstrong.
Born in Boulder, Colorado, Ms Davis moved to Columbia, South Carolina when her father, a professor of psychology, transferred to the university there. She later attended Rutgers University to complete her BFA in their classical theatre training programme and upon graduation moved to New York where she began working in classical and contemporary theatre, as well as commercials.
Ms Davis divides her time between New York and Los Angeles.
When we last saw her:
Charlotte had become a nice Jewish ravine: She'd converted and married her divorce lawyer Harry. And after many thwarted attempts to become parents, she and Harry have finally learned they've been approved to adopt a Chinese baby girl.
Cynthia Nixon is Miranda
Cynthia Nixon plays Miranda Hobbes, a funny, smart, and straight-talking Manhattan attorney, who, with her adorable red-headed son Brady, and good-hearted bartender husband Steve, lives - grudgingly - in Brooklyn.Emmy and Tony Award winner Ms Nixon has been a critically acclaimed and sought-after actress since the age of 12.
For six seasons Ms Nixon appeared in Sex and the City, a role that garnered her an Emmy Award in 2004 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, two other Emmy nominations, and four consecutive Golden Globe nominations.
Ms Nixon began her film career at age 12 with Ronald F. Maxwell's Little Darlings (as Sunshine, the flower child) and went on to appear in Sidney Lumet's Prince of the City (as a strung-out drug addict) Milos Forman's Amadeus, Marshall Brickman's The Manhattan Project, Let It Ride, Addams Family Values and Advice from a Caterpillar.
Born and raised in New York City, Ms Nixon attended Hunter College High School and has a degree in English Literature from Barnard College. She lives in New York City and has a daughter, Samantha, and a son, Charlie.
When we last saw her:
Miranda had done several things she swore she'd never do: Married Steve, had a baby boy... and moved to Brooklyn.