Sexless and the city

Note, this my "review" of the Sex and the City movie, but I've been careful to reveal no major plot points for those who haven't seen it yet.

I loved Sex and the City.

Each episode served up a delicious little cocktail of men, drama, laughs, fashion and the Big Apple that I drank down heartily, always eager for the next installment. Above all, the show was about friends. Four smart, stylish women friends who stuck together through thick and thin, cried on each other's shoulders, stood by each other and celebrated milestones together. Through sickness and health, good times and bad, for better and worse, as long as they had each other, nothing else mattered.

Of course, the show was about sex and relationships too and each character had her ups and downs in her quest for love. When the series ended four years ago, each character had found love and happiness in her own way.

I had high hopes for the film version of this and while it was entertaining enough, something was missing. The Fab Four continued to hold each other up through some pretty tough times, which is what ultimately saved the movie in my eyes. But still, I couldn't help leaving the theater feeling a little void. It didn't quite fire on all cylinders and I've been trying to figure out why.

Some of the jokes felt a little forced. Charlotte poops her pants (really) and Samantha gains weight and gets a gut. Meanwhile, Big stomps on Carrie's heart yet AGAIN and Miranda is still working on opening up and embracing her emotional side.

Despite the title, the person having the most sex in the film is Samantha's male neighbor, who she watches through the window every night. Prudish Charlotte comes in second, but otherwise, the film could almost have been called Sexless in the City. The resident vamp, Samantha is reduced to a voyeur, she herself garnering only one sex scene in the entire two-and-a-half hour film (which quite frankly, was a bit too long).

There were happy moments for sure, but much of the movie is as depressing and dark as the hair color Carrie dons to hideout during a particularly tough spell. Fortunately, alls well that ends well and most people will find the ending - in which the major characters are shown sharing a meal, laughing and enjoying life - very satisfying.

Scorecard:
Sex - C
Love - B
Fashion - A++
New York - A
Cocktail drinking - B
Fun moments - B
Hot men - A-
Friendships - A
Overall - B+