Pinch hitter: ‘Reel Son’ on Sex and the City

Written by Garrett Schumann
Thursday, 03 July 2008 10:26

For several years, Garrett Schumann contributed film reviews as part of the “Take Two” father-and-sons movie-reviewing team. This week, his father Mark, the “Reel Dad,” steps aside to bring Garrett back to the column for a guest appearance.

Before I saw Sex and the City, I had heard mixed reviews. Some of my friends really liked it, while others did not, depending on their previous experiences with the HBO series. Fortunately for me, I have seen the entire six-season saga, and loved every minute of it. I did not need to be eased into the story line because I knew where the characters’ lives had ended at the series’ termination.

I believe that even if you haven’t seen any of the series, you could like this movie, but it would be much more difficult than it was for someone like me who is familiar with and fond of the cast of characters. The movie opens with a brief, yet effective synopsis of the previous six seasons, setting the audience up for the forthcoming storylines.

Additionally, I am skeptical that anyone in America could be completely unfamiliar with Sex and the City, and if you were, why you would go see this movie? I won’t lie to you; the film is not a chance to get in on the craze that was nominated for 50 Emmy Awards in its six years on air. It would be hard to like if you were lost as to who the characters are and what they have gone through in the past.

If you are familiar with the show, however, the movie is pretty much exactly what you could want. There is drama in parts of the storyline you would expect, and a few surprises, too. Also, Sex and the City’s trademark humor is omnipresent. Basically, seeing this movie is like watching a whole season of the TV show in two and a half hours.

As well as the Sex and the City movie carries on the most beloved aspects of the television series, there were a few narrative elements that made me scratch my head, namely with regard to Kim Cattrall’s character, Samantha Jones. Jones’ notoriety among the four main characters is her liberal enjoyment of sexual freedom, which the creators of the film homed in on as a plot device. I did not agree with the direction her storyline took, which at the end of the series had her in managing her actor-boyfriend Smith Jerrod. Also, there were developments in Cynthia Nixon (Miranda Hobbes)’s storyline, which, despite my ultimate enjoyment of her narrative, made me wonder if the writers had made the right decision.

In the end, however, you can’t help but smile at how the stories from the series are treated in the movie. Nobody dies (so ignore a rumor floating around that someone does), and although the content of the film is deservedly R-rated, the message of the characters’ journey is wholesome and universal: Stay true to yourself, that is the only way you will always be happy.

 

Video Pick:

When Harry Met Sally. Looking for something to rent? Here is a suggestion inspired by Sex and the City:

Like Sex and the City, this movie is about relationships and falling in and out of love. And, although the actors are not as gorgeous (e.g. Billy Crystal) as the cast of Sex and the City and the sexuality is not as consistently overt, When Harry Met Sally gives a more endearing perspective on the same subject area.

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