by: Sturdy and Kristy

He Said/She Said is a bi-weekly column where a male and female reviewer from the site team up to debate the merits of a particular film.

He Said:

I hate to admit this, but I actually kind of enjoyed the TV show, at least the first few seasons.  It was fun watching four middle-aged women searching for love in NYC and tackling all of the obstacles and surprises the city can throw at them.  But as the show dragged on and grew in popularity, I think everyone lost sight of what they had.  And when the movie came out…well…it was too little, too late.

My biggest problem is that these “middle-aged” women are no longer middle-aged.  They’re pushing 50 or more and what’s worse; they look it.  These women should no longer be hooking up with young models in nightclubs; they should be knitting their grandkids oversized sweaters.  So there’s a reality check with the film that we didn’t have with the earlier seasons of the show and that has adversely affected the story they’re trying to tell.

But even if they had 20 year-old actresses in these roles, the film wouldn’t have worked.  It’s basically four episodes sloppily edited together.  In fact, at every 27 minute mark, you could splice in the theme song and credits and you wouldn’t even realize you’re watching a movie.  It’s so choppy and poorly written that it’s almost like the filmmakers are telling you they don’t have enough material and they’re okay with it.

Maybe I’m just not in touch enough with my 50 year-old feminine side to appreciate the film, but I found this to be very difficult to watch.  And I’m still trying to figure out what Jennifer Hudson was doing there.

She Said:

I found the movie to be a nice wrap up to a good series and I enjoyed it.  The characters became like good friends who I wanted to share more experiences with.  There are lots of TV shows that I loved and would be happy to see made into a feature length film, and I thought Sex and the City did a good job with that transition.

This movie is about friendship and growing as a human being, age is irrelevant.  I believe the film completed the cycle the series started, as in, we saw the characters come full circle with their relationships.  All four characters found what they were looking for in a way they didn’t expect—just like real life (hopefully).  I find it refreshing that society is starting to see that women can live lives without men past their thirties and realizing that we don’t need to pack it in at 50 and start dying off.  Sex and the City made being single and successful something to admire and respect instead of something to pity and be ashamed of.

As far as the film being episodic—I can see where that would be a problem for some, but I think they were able to pull it off alright.  I’d imagine it’s tough for a television writer to take a show and make it into a film and I don’t think it would have been any different with any other sitcom.  Do you think if they made Seinfeld into a movie it would be smooth sailing?

As for Jennifer Hudson, I think she was just a plot point for Carrie to not lose sight of love.  I think she was necessary as a plot device but could have been played by any number of actresses.

I’m glad Hollywood listened and made the movie and I hope they continue to listen to their female audience.  Yes, women love romantic comedies but our interests are not only on the male gender and how we want to find Mr. Right.  Women love a good friendship story, which is why Sex and the City was and is still so popular—I know a lot of women would love to have a tight knit group of friends like Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha.  Heck, I’d love it myself and I look forward to seeing them in their next film.