Lori & Resa

Summer 2003

Sex & The City Bridal Shower

“Sex and the City” opened last night, and I, who never goes out after 7:00 pm, I WAS THERE.  Amid the millions of women dressed to the 9’s, standing in snakelike lines to RUN into the theatre with tickets bought well in advance, passing by theatre employees so nervous about a mob of women determined to get a SATC fix, they were armed with walkie-talkies and gave us a “talk” before starting the movie.

Resa and I went together; we thought we were rebels for sneaking in tiny bottles of liquor to pour into our sodas.  As we slid our contraband out of our purses, women ALL around us pulled theirs’ out as well.  Our row was thoroughly shocked at my quarter of Jack Daniels (apparently protocol would have dictated a flavored Vodka), until I said, “Um…I went to Ball State”.  Understanding head nods up and down our row.

I would keep this brief if I could, but as a movie buff, and a true blue SATC fan, to the point I had a SATC wedding shower complete with shoe contest, this movie was UNBELIEVABLY GOOD.  The Director does an excellent job of catching the audience up to speed so you could follow the storyline had you not been a fan, but the character’s nuances are so subtle, the plot so rich in context, you won’t get it.  You may enjoy it, but you’ll wonder while you are laughing, why is the person next to you screaming, slapping their knee, bending over, stomping the floor…?  You get my drift.

I will tell you ZERO of the plot.  There is one, and for movies spun off of something else, sometimes that is the most you can hope for.  It’s like watching an entire series of episodes in on show.  IT IS DELICIOUS.   I laughed so hard I cried.  I cried during sad moments too.  I cheered non-stop for these 4 women who entered our lives just when we thought we were crazy for having careers, buying homes, and daring to turn 30 without a ring on our finger.  You want to hug them and say thank you.  Thank you for making my life real enough to be turned into art.

What I found most amazing was that I was entertained from the moment is started until the standing ovation at the end, and yet it wasn’t trying too hard.  It was somehow gentle and careful.  The dialogue was so exact, you would think the writers never took a hiatus.  The acting was so spot on, you will wonder if they filmed this BEFORE the TV series ended.  There so much going on, you wonder how they managed to fit in the fashion, and yet it’s there, just pouring out all over everything and making you want to put a 2nd mortgage on your home to get those shoes.

It ends where it should, and you are glad they let you go.  You want your last memory to be exactly where the Director leaves us.  It’s tied neatly enough to be a chic flick, yet real enough to be a real movie.  Nothing about this movie is contrived.  Nothing is expected, and yet it goes exactly where you wish it would, and so believably you don’t how you got there.

My favorite part of this movie would be the aftertaste.  It made me appreciate my children, my husband, my family, and especially my friends, all the while reminiscing fondly about my late 20’s and early 30’s, without at any time, making me miss it.  The women have moved forward, and we have too.  They aren’t stagnant still shots, and they honor what we were, and what we’ve become.  Bravo! Bravo!