Ahh… Sunday afternoon in San Francisco.  Gary and I joined our friends , Robert and Alfredo, to see the matinee showing of Sex and the City – The Movie at the AMC Theatre at 1000 Van Ness Street.  – SPOILER ALERT!-  I am going to write about what happened in the movie so if you have not seen it yet…consider yourself warned.

Just before we entered the theatre, I was on the iPhone with a colleague from work who had already seen the movie and said,  “It would be all that you would expect it to be!”  You know, he was right and it was even a little more.

After the long parade of previews, the movie got started and the sound of applause rose from the audience of mostly women, gay men and a few obligated straight men.  To see Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda grace the big screen together brought that High School reunion giddiness to the air augmented with fashion brands!

Each women grappled with their own life challenges and struggles with love.

Charlotte grappled with the idea that her life had been so blessed that her unexpected pregnancy would somehow end in tragedy. Meaning things were so good for her that something bad was bound to happen. We learn from her life that some times good things continue to happen. Except for a bout with Montezuma’s revenge in Mexico and her water breaking in front of a restaurant while railing on Big for what he did to Carrie ( I will write more about that later), Charlotte’s life is fine. Her life is full of love.

Miranda and her husband have allowed daily life to consume what personal time they have for each other.y. Sex has become nonexistent. When they finally try to have it, Miranda tries to rush it through because of other commitments. Then one day, Steven confesses to a one night stand. Things spiral out of control.  Miranda strikes back by separating and refusing to forgive a clearly repentant husband.  Ironically, she becomes the catalyst of trouble between Carrie and Big later where she seeks forgiveness herself.  She eventually learns that love is worth fighting for and that often the cause of relationship problems are two sided. Love is worth forgiveness and new starts.

Samantha has it all:  the hot young man, money, home out in Hollywood, the good life and even an over sexed dog. However, what she does not have is herself. She is tempted by the hot prolific lover next door named Dante ( who has more nude scenes than any cast member of the show). She feels lost. I believe her lesson in love is that to ultimately love someone else you need to love yourself.  The truth is , to love yourself, you need to truly know yourself.  This process does not make you self-centered but self-less. Samantha turned 50 and so she still is learning about love.

Samantha as always brings the most comedic relief to the movie.

Carrie and Mr. Big. We now know Mr. Big’s first name is John.  John is apparently rich because he bought the sweetest penthouse for Carrie and himself. He even built a new walk-in closet that can fit all the shoes that Carrie could ever buy.

 

Okay so there is the big marriage with all the trimmings.  There is the big designer wedding gown.  There is the prolific wedding location. Then there is the big cold feet fueled somewhat by an outburst by Miranda to John.   Then commences the drama between Carrie and John we have seen on the HBO series. However, now the hurt is deeper and seems more permanent.  They are older and these consequences seem more serious.

Carrie rebuilds her life over the next few months.  She hires a new assistant, Louise ( played by Jennifer Hudson), from St Louis, Missouri.  This twenty something women reminds Carrie about love. Eventually,  events move along and Carrie finally learns about love and so does John.

We all have images perpetuated by the media, pundits and tradition about how love should be and how it should be expressed or celebrated. Carrie and John’s wedding fell apart because they were living someone’s else’s script. They always had the love. It was right there. Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, Carrie just needed to tap her Manolo Blaniks three times and get back into the arms of her man.  She did and they did end in wedded bliss in a simple New York courthouse wedding. It was just the two of them.  

Of course, they followed the event with a typical New York diner meal with the girlfriends and their families. This is one day  we let New York borrow the “Heart” left in San Francisco because Sex in the City made all of ours beat louder this afternoon.