A small break from SIFF: the Sex and the City Movie

I will probably get a lot of crap for posting about this on SIFFBlog, but I got to see the sneak preview of the Sex and the City movie last night, so I feel compelled to share the experience.

It's always interesting to me that S&tC inspires such division - you either hate it with a burning, fiery passion and insist there is nothing genuine or real about it, or you love, love, love it and identify with every character, frequently commenting that you and your girlfriends are exactly like each of the 4 characters, and even arguing over who is more like Carrie, Samantha, Miranda or Charlotte.

I fall into the latter camp, minus the arguing over characters. And last night, I was in a theater FULL of women (many done up in their best dresses and heels) who love, love, love it, and it was a little insane.

I liken the experience to seeing Snakes on a Plane, only instead of beer-fueled men yelling "motherf**king snakes" every 5 minutes, it was cosmo-fueled women swooning, sighing, giggling uncontrollably, emitting shocked "ohmygods" and oohing/ahhing over the parade of gowns, shoes and bags.
After waiting in the theater through footage featuring Entertainment Tonight's Kojo talking to the crowd outside the NY premi/(R)re of the film, they started the film with,AePEntertainment Tonight's Kojo interviewing the stars outside the NY premiere of the film. Everyone was awkward and slightly irritating (I wanted to neck-punch every member of the paparazzi), including a possibly very drunk Patricia Field. Half and hour later (and a full hour after we were seated) the film FINALLY started.
And what can I tell you without giving anything away? Well, almost nothing. In fact, if you watched any of the trailers, you probably already know most of the "surprises" in store. What I will say is this: if you're a fan of the series, you will love this movie. It is exactly like the show, with a bit more label-whoreage (not being a label-happy consumer, I did find the long fashion montages to be a little much, but most of the audience seemed to love them).
There were a few over-the-top moments that made me go "really???" - but all was redeemed at the end, and the never-ending message of "you're never alone; you can always count on your best girlfriends" was carried throughout (ho-ho, I said 'Carrie-d'). One thing to note: If you haven't seen the series, you might be lost (although - the men with us did say they felt like they now knew everything about the entire series). They tried to recap everyone's lives up till now through the opening credits, but I don't think it quite worked.
All in all, a satisfying way for a S&tC lover to spend an evening - but the running time for the actual film is 148 minutes, so take that bathroom break before it starts, or you'll risk serious injury from rabid fans who might not appreciate you climbing over them.
Sex and the City opens Friday, May 30th, and is playing pretty much everywhere: @ the Meridian, the Guild 45th, Oak Tree Cinemas, and The Big Picture (but I think all the Big Picture showings for this weekend are already sold out,AeP)