Yup, I've finally
seen it. From a person (urrr...me!) who LOVES the series, and has watched all seasons, multiple times, I was overall disappointed.
**(Warning: a few spoilers!)**
Firstly, it was just.too.long. 2h15 minutes of forced laughter and focussed "oh, that's the mushy bit I'm supposed to gush at", just didn't cut it for me. I laughed out loud at very few things I'm pretty sure were not meant to be funny (e.g. Charlotte screaming and yelling at Big after the most serious part of the film was just hilarious). They totally over did it when they highlight one of the funniest parts as being Charlotte pooping in her pants after drinking some shower water in Mexico.
The romance, the butterflies, the desire of women to be in love, the trials and tribulations so accurately detailed and concluded upon, the so called "connection at a deeper level" that all women can relate to in the series, was not there at all. No, let me rephrase. It tried to be there. It tried very hard, but remained superficial.
The script was weak and the execution felt desperate.
On the other hand, the girls are great. Aged 40+, they all look fantastic, and boy, when I'm 50, I want to look like Samantha! The essence of their amazing friendship we are so familiar with because of the show, still held it's high and is the main strength of the film.
Jennifer Hudson was introduced as Carrie's PA, who for me was the gleaming rainbow of the entire film. She plays a young, hopeful, fresh, honest girl who comes to NY to find love, and she does, just not in NY. Perhaps a little straw to hold on to for youngsters who believe in love, finding "the one", and all that crap.
There are some good messages in the film. Things like: relationships are difficult, the older you get the more complicated they are, if you want to find love you will, there are two people in a relationship and any problem is both their fault, and the biggest message of the film is the importance of forgiveness. But while it tries to give you all these learnings, it also constantly gives you mixed notions: e.g. you may or may not find love, you may or may not have the fairytale ending, leaving everything bittersweet. Perhaps that was the point?
I may sound naiive, but I really couldn't predict the ending. A few incidents in the film made me question what I imagined the ending to be. Maybe I was waiting for a twist-surprise ending, but this ain't no Usual Suspects, so I guess I was thinking too much about nothing.
The movie attempts to be a grand-finale of a world-class series that, in all honesty, cannot have a finale that does justice to it. I felt that they tried to deal with too many issues at once, so a lot was left floating. Perhaps they should have kept it more focussed, like each episode, but that's almost impossible. The sheer popularity of the TV series does make you want to know how these four stunning New York girls end up; that desire the movie satiates, but in a "like duh" kinda way.
Worth watching only if you are a Sex and the City fan. Even then, wait for the DVD to come out and have a couple of other things to do while you are watching. Really.
Here's the link to a 20-minute animation called "The Story of Stuff" you must watch. It talks about what we, as a disgustingly consumerist society, are doing to our planet.
