Arts & Entertainment
Sex and the City, film and cultural event
By Nina Gacsko
Orland Park Staff Writer
They’re back! Four years
after the final show of the
series aired, the favorite television
series on HBO has
returned in the form of a
movie that came to theatres
nationwide May 30, 2008.
New Line Cinema presents
the movie Sex and the City ,
bringing back the four strongwilled
females of Carrie,
Samantha, Miranda, and
Charlotte in the romantic
comedy cinema. Just what
was going to happen and how
it would end was the secret
that was kept quiet until the
movie was finally released. A
secret that was so big that
they premiered the movie to
an audience on the Oprah
show in the beginning of
May, and they cut off the
movie before the ending
could be revealed. Movie premieres
had been going on
through the entire month of
May, and even went global in
events such as the premiere
on May 12, 2008 in London,
just two weeks before the big
debut that took place at Radio
City Music Hall in New York
City on Tuesday May 27,
2008.
For the series Sex and the
City to be made into a movie
is a global event. Along with
the series on HBO, syndicated
re-runs and DVD sales
have allowed more generations
to catch on to the show.
Carrie, Samantha, Miranda,
and Charlotte help bring representations
of many generations
of women through a
variety of ages and stages of
their lives. Women have even
changed their dating styles as
many could relate to the different
situations that the fashionable
four have faced
through their own dating and
men dilemmas. The show has
attracted many generations
because we could be reached
on a more personal level. The
movie becomes an adventure
as we are taken back to the
lives of the four women
through the narration
of Carrie’s story about
love, sex, relationships,
and fashion. Sex and
the City is known for
the men and the fashion
sense that we all
would love to have,
including the over
powering accessories,
most notably the
Manolo Blahnik shoes.
The wardrobe is the
addition that makes the
characters who they
are. They carry the
lifestyle that we want
to have. I fell in love
with Sex and the City
because of their dating
styles and their fashion
sense, but even more
for the powerful
friendships that they
have between each
other. Their friendship
represents a bond that
you want to have with
your own friends, and
would be lucky to
have—the ones that are
there for you, through
every situation, good and bad.
Friendship can take on a very
important role in your life,
and having those friends that
you are able to turn to no matter
what happens is always
comforting. In many ways,
their bond to each other was
the stability that allowed them
to be who they are.
The devastation that many
viewers felt when the show
ended served to fill the anticipation
to greater levels as the
movie was ready to hit the big
screen. Sex and the City represents
a show that created
truth, where the four women
have lives that we can relate
to because they address situations
previous television
shows were too scared to
touch, and it makes us feel as
though the four women are
our friends. The movie is a
reunion after four years—an
update on their lives from
where we left off. “After
years of living in the city I
assumed that if my friends
and I ever got our fairytale
endings that would be the end
of the story. But real life
always has a twist. I can’t
believe I was running around
New York thinking I’m finally
getting my happy ending. Life
doesn’t always turn out to be
your fantasy, that’s why you
need friendships that are real to
get you through it all.” –Carrie
Bradshaw. As the movie trailers
were promoting the movie,
I wondered, “what could happen
next for the four
women? What twist
could occur in the ending
of the movie?”
Just as the excitement
has been building up,
will we find out the
answers to our questions,
if there will
finally be a wedding
for Carrie Bradshaw
and what will the
happy endings be for
the four women?
In my rare trip to
the theatre to see the
movie, my first observation
was the audience,
as it was a widerange
of ages, as well
as different types of
viewers such as singles,
couples, and
friends in the larger
groups. The movie
became a global event,
in which many made
outings just to go out
to see the movie, and
where some even
dressed in their best to
honor the fashion of
the show. You could feel the
anticipation and excitement in
the theatre as the audience was
waiting for the movie to play.
In my opinion I feel that the
movie was done very well, and
the movie was not as predictable
as I was thinking it
could have been. The director,
Michael Patrick King, did the
amazing job of continuing the
story line as if four years had
really passed for the women—
as if their lives had never
stopped. As a younger viewer,
if you haven’t already
guessed, I loved the movie. I
was not able to see the series
while it was still airing;
instead I caught on to the show
when the re-runs became
available, and instantly fell in
love with the show. I am not
one to go see movies right
away in theatres, but Sex and
the City became an exception,
not only because of the publicity
the movie was receiving,
but because I simply could not
wait to see it. The movie, like
the show, is very relatable, as
they have covered unique and
specific situations in a way
that we can connect to. With
the many surprises that
occurred in the movie, I was
definitely surprised and
impressed at how important
the roles of the men, Mr. Big
played by Chris Noth and
Steve Brady played by David
Eigenberg, were to the story
line of the movie. Although
the men were the accessory in
the series, I feel as though they
were much more than that in
the movie. The final discussion
must come after seeing
the ending and if you truly
believe it to be an ending or a
set up for a sequel. After all,
the movie was a successful
box office hit, bringing in
unpredictable first weekend
sales estimated at $55.7 million.
If that is not enough reason
to go see the movie, just
talk to anyone who has already
seen it, the majority will say
that they loved it, and that it
might have been the best way
to make a movie from the
series.