Sex and the city

Carrie Bradshaw finds love here. So, to quote from Love Story, what can you say about four 40-something, single women living in New York City? That they are beautiful and brilliant? That they love Manolo, Vuitton, Gucci and men? Not necessarily in that order.

Sadly, nothing at all. The much-touted growing up by the Sex and the City8217;s Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte for the big screen isn8217;t much of that really. You realise pretty soon that it8217;s just a string to drag along a hit TV series to the big screen. The four are older, yes, but changed no. It8217;s the series that8217;s the worse for the transformation, losing all of its zing to become a sappy romance that would have the real Carrie Bradshaw reach for the switch button on the remote.

Just too much is happening, and a lot of it has no place in a film already trying to squeeze in all of the themes of a series that lasted several successful seasons. A stint in Mexico, for example, where nothing really happens except some stringy bikinis; or even a whole sequence with an assistant that Carrie acquires, except to waste a talent like Jennifer Hudson.

The only time Sex and the City gets out of its designer trappings to show some real emotion is when Carrie hits out at Mr Big in the middle of a busy street. However, for what seems like an immeasurable time, the two don8217;t meet again.

Parker is remarkably well-maintained, but she is the only one among the three to have survived the huge absence from public mind. Miranda looks tired, Samantha old and sad in her plunging necklines, and Charlotte boring. As for Mr Big, the handsome Noth of TV is gone, here he looks pasty and painted upon.

No, Sex and the City isn8217;t either about sex or the city. Now it8217;s only about love, coming to the four of them in different ways.

Concludes Carrie Bradshaw, 8220;Some labels like bride and groom are best left in the closetiquest; Now we were dressed from head to toe in love8230; the only label that never goes out of style.8221;

Excuse me, who wrote that line? Not the Carrie we knew. Earlier in the film, she is more to the mark: 8220;Women come to New York for the two L8217;s: Labels and Love.8221; It8217;s the discoveries in the middle that made the serial work. In changing the goals, the film cheats all of us.