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The Naked Truth: 'Sex' Hit And Miss

New Line Cinema

Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones, Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes and Kristin Davis as Charlotte York-Goldenblatt in a scene from " Sex and the City: the Movie."

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By KEVIN WALKER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 29, 2008

I'm a guy - a straight, married suburbanite guy - and I never watched the "Sex and the City" television show. According to conventional wisdom, I'm supposed to loath this movie, because the demographic is women and gay men.

So much for conventional wisdom.

Oh, it drags, all right. And there are plenty of scenes worthy of eye-rolling. But it's also funny and very naughty. There are jokes here that Judd Apatow is going to wish he had thought of himself.

Which brings me to an important point. Many guys already dread having to watch this film with a significant other. They think of it as some sort of test of manhood, because if you're enjoying a movie that features conversations about Louis Vuitton purses, well, there must be something wrong with you.

Dude, wake up. This movie overflows with beautiful women. Smart, funny women. The Samantha Jones character (Kim Cattrall) is more a "guy" than most guys I know. There's a sex joke every few minutes, including a running one involving a dog, and then there's actual sex that doesn't involve Seth Rogan taking off his clothes. There are naked women in showers, naked women in hot tubs, naked women in beds, naked women lying on tables covered with sushi. There's even a poop joke!

Yeah, no guy is going to like that, right?

So, it's funny, sexy and surprisingly sweet. But here's the other Manolo Blahnik dropping: It had to have a story. And writer/director Michael Patrick King (who produced the "Sex and the City" television series) decided to give us two hours and 28 minutes of story - just five minutes shorter than "Apocalypse Now," for the love of God.

After an opening sequence in which the four main characters are introduced, the story picks up three years after the story line in the television show. Now in her 40s, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) talks her longtime boyfriend Mr. Big (Chris Noth) into getting married. But as she makes the wedding more elaborate, he gets cold feet.. Can they work out their problems? You already know the answer and it is pretty boring watching the movie inch toward the inevitable.

Meanwhile, Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and her husband, Steve (David Eigenberg), struggle to balance parenting, career and a sex life. Samatha faces whether to finally settle with one man (gee, wonder what she'll decide, eh?). And Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) and her husband, Harry (Evan Handler), get a surprise after adopting a child from China, Lily (played by the very cute Alexandra and Parker Fong).

At some point in hour two, Louise (Jennifer Hudson) becomes Carrie's assistant and drops pearls of wisdom, but at this point my head was clogged with seemingly endless scenes involving someone talking, at great length, about their unresolved feelings.

Ultimately, "Sex and the City" is good for some laughs but gets bogged down when it tries to get serious. As summer movies go, it's a decent bauble of wish-fulfillment that will entertain fans and not torture significant others.

Kevin Walker can be reached at (813) 259-7975 or kwalker@tampatrib.com.

MOVIE REVIEW

Sex and the City **½

MOVIE BOARD RATING: R (strong sexual content, graphic nudity, profanity)

STARS: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon

DIRECTOR: Michael Patrick King

LOCATION: See movie times, Page 10, for local showtimes.

PLOT SUMMARY: As Carrie Bradshaw prepares for marriage, she and her three friends each face watershed moments in their relationships.

RUNNING TIME: 148 minutes

ON THE WEB: www.sexandthecitymovie.com

Write your own review, test your knowledge in an interactive quiz, view photos and play our Mad-Libs game at TBO.com, keyword: Sex and the City.

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