Sex & the City on Life’s Indisposable Relationships

It was with much excitement that my best girlfriend and I shimmied our way up the escalator towards the theater to buy tickets for the long awaited Sex and the City movie. After what felt like an eternal hiatus from the screen, my favorite four glamour girls had finally returned! I was intrigued as to the movie’s content. What was going to be the show’s focus now? Previously on the HBO series, men and fashion had both taken center stage.

At the end of the show’s sixth and final season, men had clearly been the primary focus. The girls paired off and settled into their respective nests if you will. Mr. Big had flown to Paris and successfully recaptured Carrie’s heart. Charlotte and Harry were on the verge of adopting a little girl from China, while Samantha was moving with Smith to Los Angeles. Lastly, less glamorous though no less in love, Miranda and Steve had decided to move to Brooklyn for the good of their family. What more could the movie add? The anticipated happy endings were well on their way unfolding.

Or were they? I wondered if the movie would feature mere endings instead. Would Carrie and Mr. Big marry? What about Samantha and Smith? Were they still as sexy as ever, or now settled and serious? Was Miranda going to head back into Manhattan rather than stay in Brooklyn? Last but not least, would Charlotte find her fairy tale relationship with Harry enduring or eclipsed by something else? Not to mention, what about wardrobe? Will Jimmy Choos, Manolos and Birken bags no longer feature prominently as important feature of the mise-en-scene? Previous episodes had set the bar high in terms of haute-couture clothing that not only drew attention to a totally fantastical and glamorous world, but also, emphasized different facets of the girls’ individual personalities. These questions spun around in my mind as we entered the darkened room and tuned out the previews.

Throughout the movie, I cried, laughed, and then cried some more as all my questions were answered and then some. The movie had undoubtedly struck a chord with me and not just any chord: it was a positive one. The movie certainly dealt with a lot of complex and crucial relationship issues in its two-hour time span: adultery, pregnancy, being left at the altar…essentially the strains of monogamy. So why did I feel that the movie was an uplifting one overall?