There is something startling about seeing a film with a room full of women. There haven’t been too many occasions to experience this. Most movies have crossover appeal and, thus, would draw a salad of demographic representatives. There is no doubt about it, though – Sex and the City is for the gals. I would never presume to say it’s also for gay men because one can’t make that kind of generalization, but I can say, without a doubt, that this is a women’s movie.
This fact alone has caused the film to draw ire from internet blog sites, and especially in comments sections, because the demographic most often catered to, the 14 to 22 crowd of boys, were left out of the loop. For once. So they began attacking Sarah Jessica Parker’s looks, mainly. There is, believe it or not, a website called sarahjessicaparkerlookslikeahorse.com. Yes, we live in THAT kind of a society.
Why so threatened, boys? Feeling a tad left out? Well, welcome to the club. We women are mostly left out when Hollywood studios start generating product. Why would they consider us, though, since we appear to be a lot more discerning when it comes to buying our movie tickets. It’s worse for women over 40, who must rely only on television to deliver us interesting characters. Just look at the array of characters on Grey’s Anatomy – one of the more diverse television shows out there. And then look at Hollywood movies.
Is the A-list these days only meant for hot young actresses who appeal to the target demographic? Well, listen up, because the A-list just got a whole lot more crowded with women over 40 who not only just “opened” Sex and the City but also beat Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull its second week out. How does THAT happen? It happens because there are a lot of women out there.
Despite the rather pointless negative internet buzz, Sex and the City looks to be a hit. No doubt it will be knocked down when the next target demo money grab hits the theaters, but for now it can be confirmed that, if the subject matter is right and the star power is right, women can open movies.
So what of the film? It is not unlike going to a spa to have a massage and a facial. It is simply entertaining in that way where you can just sit back and enjoy the ride. It is easy on the woman, offers up a fantasy ending that would never happen in real life, and allows these four women to have their cakes and eat them too.
Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is ready to take the big leap with Big (Chris Noth), meaning first living together and then marriage. But when the wedding becomes an unwieldy social event, Big freaks out. Meanwhile, the other girls are busy with their own lives – Samantha is back to being a dog about men and feels stifled in her current relationship with the male model who, thanks to some aggressive Botox, looks older than the 50ish Kim Cattrell. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) has adopted one girl from China and finds herself pregnant with a biological one, and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is trying to juggle an intense job with her husband and son. When the sex goes out the window, so does the marriage.
But all’s well that ends well for this grown-up fairy tale, whether it is believable or not. No, it isn’t going to win any Oscars, nor will it shake anyone to their core. But hey, this isn’t supposed to be art. It’s entertainment, and why in God’s name can’t women be entertained along with their adolescent male counterparts?
