What Do The Critics Say?

"If it's not broke, don't fix it. This clearly has been the approach of the creative team responsible for making the movie version of the girl-friendly TV favourite "Sex and the City". While he's let the movie run to excessive length, the well-practised Parker King (throwing in more brand names than you'll find in a Myer catalogue) otherwise knows what his target audience wanted from this reunion. Clearly, when these five new episodes disguised as movie wrap, there's material left hanging for a "Sex and the City: The Movie No. 2"." Des Partridge DAILY TELEGRAPH "I think maybe this a sex thing, plus I've never seen the television series, but I've heard a lot about it and I assumed from what I'd heard about it that this was going to be sharp and witty and tart and all those things, and it isn't at all. At least the film isn't at all. I mean the first thing that struck me is how witless most of the dialogue was, and the second thing that struck me is how badly acted most of it is. I mean the actor who plays "Big" is like a hunk of wood. I thought it was truly dreadful." David Stratton ABC AT THE MOVIES "This Movie has generated record excitement in just about every woman of my acquaintance. And the trouble with reviewing it is that you don’t want to give too much away. What this film carries with it is a whole load of female friendship, demonstrated so strongly within the film itself. We know these women and we care less about the labels than we do about them. But trust me, there are labels. Sarah Jessica Parker has no fewer than 80 costumes." Margaret Pomeranz ABC AT THE MOVIES "Fashion and friendship are the two stars of this breathlessly awaited movie spin off from the TV series that revisits the lives of the four savvy, sassy and sexy women whose playground is the Big Apple. Love gets a look in too, and so does sex, although there is nothing raunchy enough to surprise us or offend teenage girls, who may well be encouraged to begin their love affair with designer clothes and their huge price tags early. Much of the storyline is devoted to Carrie and Big, but all the lives of these close friends are so intertwined, it's like being part of an exotic design in a Persian rug." Louise Keller URBANCINEFILE

"Sex and the City: The Movie celebrates friendship more than sex or the city. Happily, reprising their roles from the popular television series, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis look more fabulous than ever in this entertaining chick flick. As someone who failed to appreciate the 'Sex and the City' TV series, I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie celebration of friendship." Betty Jo Tucker REELTALK "... the joy of "Sex and the City" is that it is eminently entertaining and fun." Diva Velez MIGHTY GANESHA "If you're a fan of the series, SATC will feel like a warm bath and a favorite meal with old friends." Shawn Levy OREGONIAN "There are flashes of graphic nudity and the usual salty language. But we fans wouldn't have it any other way." David Kaplan KAPLAN vs KAPLAN "New York is fabulous, the clothes are fabulous and the shoes are beyond fabulous: what more can a 'Sex and the City' devotee ask for? A sequel?" Jeanne Kaplan KAPLAN vs KAPLAN "The film is by no means a masterpiece, but it's a worthy exercise in indulgence that won't disappoint the cosmo-swilling core audience." Bobby Hankinson HOUSTON CHRONICLE "Four years after the series wrapped up, we have the movie. It could have been a simple cash-in, a pointless brand-name regurgitation. The fact that it isn't, that it actually surpasses its source, is something of a wonder. So unexpectedly excellent." Kurt Loder MTV

The Inside Story The TV series "Sex and the City" debuted in 1998 on HBO and ran for six illustrious seasons before the finale in 2004. The series earned 50 Emmy nominations during its run, winning seven, including acting nods for Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon. The series also won two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series and was nominated for twenty four Golden Globes, winning eight, including Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and acting awards for Parker and Kim Cattrall. But before it hit the small screen, "Sex and the City" was a series of autobiographical newspaper columns in The New York Observer by author Candace Bushnell. Darren Star, the creator and executive producer of such iconic television shows as "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place", saw immediate potential in Bushnell’s writings about sexual politics among New York’s social set. Star recalls: "I read those articles and I thought, 'wow, this is a great window into New York.' I just loved the character of a single woman who is writing about herself and exploring the city and the nature of relationships at the same time." Bushnell later compiled her columns into a book, which became a bestseller when it was published in 1996. With the start of the series, Star asked Michael Patrick King (who would go on to executive produce the series as well as eventually write and direct the feature film), to join the series as a writer and as co-executive producer. "Darren knew that Michael brought something that was very unique in terms of his skills as a writer," says Sarah Jessica Parker, who returns in the role of Carrie and also serves as a producer on the film. "That was just our good fortune and Darren’s smarts." In writing for the series, King concentrated on developing the characters of the four women. "Miranda’s the sarcastic, sort of angry, one. Charlotte’s the sweeter, sort of preppy one, the more traditional one. Samantha’s the sexy, sort of power-hungry one. And then, there’s Carrie, the indefinable one. From there, everything grew. You figure out their sense of humor, on and off screen. And then each year of the series we became more and more connected, like a relationship, as the girls grew and the relationships between the actresses and the writers and directors grew," he offered. Audiences all over the world fell in love with Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda. "It was not at all what any of us expected," says Kristin Davis. "You never expect something to be as successful and go for as long as we got to go. We had just a really incredible time." "The success of the show stemmed from a lot of things," adds Cynthia Nixon. "It starts with the writing. It’s really clever and heartfelt writing. People watch the show over and over, the same episode five, ten times because it’s so jam-packed full of content. Not just jokes; ideas. And I think the actors are wonderful." "It was about women joining together as the new family, girlfriends sticking together through thick and thin", Kim Cattrall adds. "And those relationships are what made the show so popular." "The show was successful because there was a void that needed to be filled," adds King. "And that was, someone had to speak out for single women, someone going through life alone in a society that says everybody should be together." When the the series aired its last original episode in 2004, even those with only a passing knowledge of the show knew that it featured independent, smart, sophisticated, single women with a taste for Manolo strappy sandals, Magnolia Bakery cupcakes and the crispest Cosmopolitans that the newest Big Apple hot spots had to offer. Reuniting the creators and cast in a feature film seemed a natural next step in the story of the four women. For Sex and the City star and producer Sarah Jessica Parker, there was no question that anyone other than Michael Patrick King would write the story for the film. "Of course there would be nobody else to tell it, I knew he could do it," she stated. "He’s a really gifted romantic comedy writer, and I just felt like I couldn’t do it without him." "I got to fall in love with four women for many, many years, and hold them in my heart, even when we weren’t doing the series," King notes. "I got to be in love with these four women for whom I actually created their voices. It’s rare to get that kind of a love affair going with people." The script that King ultimately wrote has a universal theme that touches Carrie, as well as her girlfriends. "The series was really about the search for love," says King. "And I think the movie’s about what happens when you find it. It’s about women in relationships, and their friendships." John Melfi, who was a producer on the series and is also a producer on the feature film, describes the film as posing a question deriving from the classic fairy tale ending: "What is happily ever after?" King’s script for the movie opens up in present day (2008), four years after we last saw Carrie and her friends. And, as happens with time, their lives have all changed. Still working out of her Upper East Side apartment, Carrie is no longer writing her newspaper column. "She is a sometimes contributor to Vogue," Parker explained. "She’s working on her fourth book: the three previous were best-sellers. So she’s experiencing New York City in a different way. It’s the first time she’s been wise and smart enough and prudent enough to save money. She’s much more of an adult." "Sarah Jessica Parker is a phenomenal muse for a writer," King says. "When you want her to be a star, she’s a star." "She can go from Carrie here. Then the camera stops rolling, and she’s focused on being a producer," says producer Melfi. After years of dreaming of love and motherhood, Charlotte and her mensch of a husband Harry are proud parents to Lily, a darling little girl they adopted from China. With her newfound happiness comes a change in Charlotte, according to Davis. "Because she has so much of what she wants, she’s kind of focused on other people." Surprisingly, Samantha, who once prided herself on her sexual conquests, is also in a committed relationship, though on the opposite coast. Having bravely battled breast cancer, Samantha has followed her actor boyfriend Smith in his career move to Los Angeles. She now lives in a beautiful beach house in Malibu, but she misses her life back in New York. "Her girlfriends are getting married and having babies," says Cattrall. "There is that feeling of being left behind, not just distance-wise." Back in Brooklyn, Miranda also feels cut off from her beloved Manhattan. Having settled down with her husband Steve and their son Brady, Miranda is experiencing the pressures of modern life. "She’s just exhausted," explains Nixon. "Just like a working mother, she’s extended in five different directions." Actress Candice Bergen also returns as Carrie’s chilly Vogue editor, Enid Frick. "Enid is very, very professional, very careerist," says Bergen. "She’s very devoted to her work, and very much in need of a life outside of her work, I would say." Bergen’s working relationship with King dates from her hit comedy series "Murphy Brown" which ran for 247 episodes between 1988 and 1998. It was where King started his writing career. "I love Michael so much," she says. "It’s always a pleasure to get to work with him." Oscar® winning actress Jennifer Hudson ("Dreamgirls") was cast as Carrie's assistant, Louise. Hudson revealed she had not been a regular viewer of TV's "Sex and the City", so when she heard about the role of Louise, she happily delved into her research. "And I have not stopped watching it since. I’m addicted. I’m in love with it." In a show about four single women in New York City, the men in their lives tend to come and go. However, their importance to the story is not to be underestimated. “The men are the unsung heroes of "Sex and the City", because without the men to react to there would have been no tide," King explained. "There would have been no punch or pull." Chris Noth reprises the role of 'Mr Big', Carrie’s longtime romantic ideal throughout her various romantic entanglements. During the series, "Mr Big was the holy grail," King notes. "It’s important that Carrie had somebody she couldn’t figure out." In the film, 'Mr Big' is, at long last, Carrie’s fiancé." "The chemistry that Sarah Jessica and I had was invaluable," Noth says. "She and I, in playing together and having a simpatico relationship and a certain chemistry, allowed the relationship to go a lot of different places." David Eigenberg returns as Steve Brady, Miranda’s husband and the father of her young son. After several unsuccessful relationships, "Steve is the one who got into her heart and was a grownup with her," King says. "David Eigenberg is authentic. He is New York." "Steve is a stand-up guy," says Eigenberg. "He’ll do anything for the people he loves. Miranda and Steve are two true-blues. They’re a great love story." Evan Handler, who returns in the role of Harry describes his character as someone with "not all the social graces that Charlotte York was used to," but was "someone whose spirit and soul she couldn’t resist." Samantha, who took great pride in her liberated attitude toward sex, is now in a monogamous committed relationship with Smith Jerrod, played by Jason Lewis. "What defines him is his openness, his willingness to accept somebody for who they are without judgment," says Lewis. Also returning are Mario Cantone who plays Anthony Marentino, and Willie Garson who plays gay talent agent Stanford Blatch. Finally, King hopes viewers will find in the movie not only what they loved from the series, but will experience something more, as well. "When you go to the movies, you want to learn something about life, or laugh about life, or cry about life. And hopefully, with the movie, you’ll be able to laugh and really cry." Synopsis

Strap on your Manolos, grab a cupcake and a Cosmopolitan. Those four fabulous New Yorkers: Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte are back in the big screen, feature film "Sex and the City", based on one of the most talked about TV series of all time. Carrie Bradshaw, successful author of three books and everyone’s favorite fashion icon next door, her famously sardonic wit intact and sharper than ever, continues to narrate her own story about sex, love and the fashion-obsessed single woman in New York City. "Sex and the City" finds Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda four years after the hit HBO series ended, as our favorite femmes fashionables continue to juggle jobs, friendships, relationships and life's ups and downs while they start to navigate motherhood, marriage and Manhattan real estate. Some of them may even, brave other boroughs outside of the 'Big Apple'.

The Verdict "Deadset, if you're a fan of the TV series which featured New Yorkers Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, Miranda and John James Preston and entertained a worldwide audience through 94 episodes between 1998 and 2004, your head will be spinning in anticipation of seeing where the girls are four years on. Is it five episodes squeezed into a bigscreen edition? No! "Sex and The City" the movie has many of the elements that made the TV series such a smash hit, and more. But be warned, you will need to take the tissue box with you. While there is romance, comedy, falling-outs, fashion, glitz, glamour, and a tasty temptation for one character, there is also some highly emotional moments during which I can guarantee you will unashamedly shed more than a tear or two. The big question on all fans lips is, what about rumours of a wedding. Sorry! You'll just have to see the film to get an answer to that question. And, is there sex in "Sex and The City"? Of course there is (and it's very spicey stuff too). Fabulous fun for fans. But non-devotees should steer well clear of seeing it. As a long time fan of the TV series and now the movie, I have only one thing to say: "Bring on the sequel". I can hardly wait. Can you? 4 1/2 STARS." Crew Bytes "SEX and THE CITY" was .......
directed by TWO TIME EMMY Award winner Michael Patrick King ["Sex and the City" and "The Comeback"]; screenplay by Michael Patrick King ["Murphy Brown", "Sex and the City" and "The Comeback"]; art direction by Ed Check ["Joe's Apartment", "Lulu on the Bridge" and "Sex and the City"]; costume design by Patricia Field ["Spin City", "Hope & Faith" and "The Devil Wears Prada"]; production design by Jeremy Conway ["The School of Rock", "Failure to Launch" and "Sex and the City"]; edited by Michael Berenbaum ["Bum Rap", "Before Night Falls" and "Hollywoodland"]; director of photography by John Thomas ["Law & Order: Trial by Jury", "Conviction" and "Six Degrees"]; original music by Aaron Zigman ["Bridge To Terabithia", "The Jane Austen Book Club" and "Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium"]. Who's Who?

Sarah Jessica Parker Kim Cattrall Kristin Davis Cynthia Nixon Chris Noth Candice Bergen Jennifer Hudson David Eigenberg Evan Handler Jason Lewis Mario Cantone Lynn Cohen Willie Garson Joanna Gleason Joseph Pupo Alexandra Fong Parker Fong Gilles Marini Patrick DeMarchelier André Leon Talley Plum Sykes Lawren Howell Gucci Westman Serge Normant Mary Howard Gilbert Cruz Damian Young

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Carrie Bradshaw Samantha Jones Charlotte York Miranda Hobbes 'Mr Big' Enid Frick Louise Steve Brady Harry Goldenblatt Jerry 'Smith' Jerrod Anthony Marentino Magda Stanford Blatch Therapist Brady Hobbes Lily York Goldenblatt Lily York Goldenblatt Dante Vogue Fashion Photographer Vogue Executive Vogue Writer Vogue Fashion Editor Vogue Makeup Artist Vogue Hairstylist Vogue Set Dresser Raoul Karl

Run Time 145 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - Warner Bros & HBO - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved - Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.