Okay, so I have a problem. Not only did I have an SATC pre-party with my best friend this past Thursday night where we sipped wine and eagerly awaited the clock to strike 12 so that we could go, fully clad in our best Carrie and Charlotte ensembles, to the sneak preview of this glorious film…but I saw it again on Friday night, dressed, once again in a Carrie inspired piece, but this time alongside my Big (or rather my boyfriend in an Italian suit). But the worst is that I am making my own personal trilogy by seeing the film yet again with some sorority sisters this Wednesday. Maybe I’ll go as Samantha. I repeat, I have a problem.
But I can’t help it. I really feel like Sex And the City is the grown up girl’s answer to Clueless. And yes, I say “grown up” because with the myriad naughty things that take place, there is no way a 15 yr. old girl (Ms. Hannah Montana) should be heralding it as her favorite show! But, even though this film has its share of hiccups and inconsistencies, I think it very well serves its purpose for all of its fans, be they (too) young or old.
Okay, so I don’t care what anyone says, the storyline and even the fabulous characters are all secondary to the true star of the film. The FASHION! Undoubtedly, over half the women in the audience (speaking of audiences that were overwhelmingly female in my two experiences) came into the theater giddy over the beautiful arrays of dresses, bags, and of course shoes that were to be spread across the screen in a visually close, but for most, a completely unattainable display. The names of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Diane Von Furstenburg, etc. parade the screen and make the audience (well, it made me at least) squirm with anticipation for the next label-filled scene. As I tried to explain to my Big…the fashion and overall aesthetics created a rich subplot to the film that should not be ignored.
If anyone knows Carrie’s style, they know her for her use of flowers, be it rose print dresses or jeweled orchid accessories. The beginning of the film you see her in this cream dress with a humongous embedded white and gold flower covering her chest and shoulder. The dress is a little over the top as we know her to be, but also emblematic of the happiness and satisfaction that she feels at the beginning of the movie. She has her Big, and all of her girls are happy and mated as well. She is in full bloom.
But early in the film, Big breaks Carrie’s heart for what seems to be the last and worst time ever…and simultaneously her wardrobe is deflowered. In the heart wrenching scene where Carrie attacks Big for his absence and her embarrassment, her beautiful bridal bouquet is destroyed. This will be the last time we see Carrie with flowers until the very end when she and Big reconcile. The day of their reunion Carrie is wearing a White jacket, that at first glance (or first movie viewing) looks like fur, but as the camera draws nearer we see that it is a collage of white fabric roses creating a puffy white bouquet, symbolically similar to the one that was destroyed when she and Big emotionally parted ways at the beginning of the film. She and her ensemble have come full circle.
Now, my own Big, who is also a closet connoisseur of SATC, felt that the wardrobe in the film was overdone. For instance, in the scene where Carrie jumps out of bed to subway across town and be with Miranda on New Year’s Eve. She throws on heels, a sparkling sequined head cap, and a long chinchilla coat over her pjs. I mean, I can see where the idea of “overdone” may ring true in this instance, but let’s not forget…it’s New Year’s Eve. I think Carrie, you know the one that plays dress up in her own closet on the daily, is completely justified in throwing on a little flare on such a special holiday…staying in or not. And, he says I’m reaching but, to me, the sequined cap symbolizes the big shiny Ball in Times Square that night. So what all of their clothing wasn’t necessarily completely natural…either way I feel like their ensembles added to the overall aesthetics of the film giving underlying weight to key moments in the true language of SATC…couture.
On the downside, Parts of the plot, as well as the new character, present a number of issues for the film that may somewhat displease the hardcore SATC fan…but not enough to fully disappoint or to make you want to see the film any less than twice. It starts off great. I actually felt like I was settling down to watch a fun filled scandalous new episode of the show…just with about 100 more people in my living room. But my own Big, (as you can see he’s a critic too…isn’t everybody) felt that Carrie’s character seemed to infuse too much of her witty journalism speech into her everyday conversations. Like the moment at lunch with the girls, where Carrie desribes her and Big’s sex life by saying “he rarely colors inside the lines”. This sounds like something tv show Carrie would have written rather than spoke aloud with her closest friends. But this inconsistency I can understand being that the film undertakes the hard task of maintaining SATC authenticity through Carrie’s infectious wordplay, while having to utilize live dialogue and action in order to attain cinematic stature.
So what could be wrong with this film, you ask? There are a number of hilarious moments such as Charlotte’s little accident or Miranda’s need for a trim…as well as deeply moving scenes like Carrie and Big’s short stint of public domestic violence. And who can forget Charlotte’s face after she screams for Big to leave Carrie alone…ugh, Classic. But as the movie progresses it unfortunately becomes pretty predictable. Towards the end of the movie I felt like the director must have been just as tired and withdrawn as Carrie was in those three scenes he chose to show her laying in bed, wallowing in over-elongated depression. And the ending…come on now guys. Of course she had to go and get the Manolo’s from the apartment, of course Big was going to be there…and we all know the rest (if you don’t please stop reading now, this blog is for true fans only). But, what isn’t predictable is how bad Jennifer Hudson is for this movie.
Jennifer Hudson (aka Effie White in Dream Girls) is Carrie Bradshaw’s personal assistant. Having an assistant…hmmm, seemingly out of character for naturally unorganized Carrie, but considering that she was an emotional wreck, dealing with relocation, book deadlines, and a new hair color…I guess she may have needed one. But Jennifer doesn’t really do the trick. Sure, she took loads of work off of Carrie’s designer draped shoulders, but it is the audience that has to bear the weight of her sub-par performance in this role. She over-acts most of her scenes and maintains this wide-eyed bewildered look that appears completely unnatural. Most of the time she is on the screen it feels forced, a feeling that I’ve never experienced when watching SATC. It’s not that I have anything against Ms. Hudson or her acting capabilities (I LOVED her in Dream Girls)…but casting her in this film reminds me of what Carrie’s wedding planner said…”like trying to fit a cream puff through a key hole”.
Regardless of these few hangups, the film leaves a true SATC fanatic pretty much satisfied. So what the ending is predictable! Do you think we’d actually feel better if Carrie and Big had broken up, or worse, he had died, like so many SATC theorists had mistakenly projected? No, we wanted this. Just like we wanted Cinderella’s slipper to fit, we wanted Carrie’s Manolo stiletto to seal the deal between her and her own Prince Big…just admit it. No, we didn’t want the over-acting assistant. But yes, we love this movie. And why, because the four women that we have grown to know, envy, and cherish, have all ended up how we would like them to…well loved and more importantly, well dressed. And besides, if I have to see one more movie with a juicy cliff-hanger ending, followed by a lackluster sequel…i’ll scream like Charlotte!
