Sex and the City film review

certificate_15

SEX AND THE CITY

Four years after the demise of one of HBO's most successful series, along comes the inevitable big screen spin-off. Held up in production limbo as the stars reportedly engaged in lengthy negotiations about the size of their respective remuneration packages, the film raises two big questions: will it satisfy longstanding fans' enormous expectations, and will male partners of the predominantly female audience find anything to enjoy?

The answer to both is a resounding yes. It might be the equivalent of cinematic bubble gum and a definite triumph for style over substance, but there's something endearing and infectious about the final product. Clearly a worldwide phenomenon such as SATC has to have a few things going for it, and these are plain to see in vivid Technicolor.

Chief among them is a knockout cast. After the briefest of flashback introductions which shows the uninitiated highlights from the TV series, the film hits the ground running as we catch up with Sarah Jessica Parker's successful writer Carrie, Kim Cattrall's nymphomaniac Samantha, Cynthia Nixon's uptight lawyer Miranda and Kristin Davis's sweeter than sweet Charlotte. Largely thanks to the impressive performances by these four leading ladies, the film is both watchable and entertaining.

As for the plot, there is some - but not much. Carrie moves in to a glorious apartment with Mr Big and ponders whether or not to get married, Samantha relocates to LA to promote the acting career of her dazzling young beau, Miranda confronts a serious rift in her marriage and Charlotte attempts for a child of her own to accompany the little girl she has adopted. It's not hard to figure out where any of the plotlines will end up.

It's all very frothy and relatively superficial but this makes for good cinematic escapism. Director Michael Patrick King - who helmed several of the TV episodes - does a good job of making an extraordinary running length of 148 minutes seem much shorter, and those seeking to be pampered by the glitziest dresses by the world's greatest designers will not be disappointed. It may even convert some new fans which is the sign of a job well done.

Paul Hurley