Last night, Miss Fashion and I saw the Sex and the City movie at the Loews Village 7. It was 5:30 on a Thursday, but the theater was packed, which shows me that no matter what the stodgy old bald critics say, we girls love what we love. And our verdict? We loved it!! Seriously, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll think deep thoughts, you'll think superficial thoughts...
As we walked out of the theater, I kept gushing about how surprisingly good it was, how it was now officially one of my most favorite chick flicks--rivaling my love for Bridget Jones' Diary. It was like I'd just had a moment of grace or something. Maybe I had. I'd been in the doldrums for a couple days, but by the time I left the theater, I swear my face muscles were sore, as they say, from all the smiling I did throughout the film.
Why? I don't want to give anything away, and I think it helped that I had low expectations going in, but to begin with, how can you not love the candy-colored, perfectly lit parade of fashion, friendship and fine-ass men that is Sex and the City?
In what other city do women take their fashion so seriously? Yes, you can say it's superficial and materialistic, but the way I look at it, it's wearable art, and when you're confronted by beauty, even if you yourself can't afford it, you have to gives props.
You can't help but imagine yourself living that life. I also appreciate how real they kept things - the girls are married, have kids, are older now, and the movie explores the challenges women face at this phase in their lives. It's like we've grown up--all of us girls. Then again, Sex and the City has always aired the issues, problems, feelings we girls don't like to talk about, except with our best friends. This is a movie that will make you glad for your best girlfriends. I wished mine were all here in NYC with me.
And of course, there's Big, out modern-day prince charming. You know what I'm talking about. (Oh, and the massive eye-candy that is Samantha's next door neighbor in LA--oh my...)
Most importantly, the movie reminded me of how optimistic and excited I was before moving to the City all those years ago. When I was in LA, I used to watch the series and imagine finding love, success, friendship...great fashion in the City. I imagined my life would be exciting, stimulating, that I would grow my wings and really take flight here.
Carrie says in the movie, 20-something girls move to New York to find the two L's: Love and Labels (fashion, that is)--which is a clever line, but somehow struck a chord with me. I did find my love in NYC, so at least I got that right. And I guess I found my labels too, to a degree, because when I was watching the movie last night, I could identify so many more "insider NY" things than before--like the fashions, the restaurants, the characters, the looking for a perfect condo. This time, it felt like a movie about my city, not just a city I wanted to be part of. And I'd never felt that way before.
Samantha actually lives in LA for most of the film, and I was thinking about how much I do still love LA--the house she lives in on the beach is what my dream home would look like. But the character arc that she goes through reminded me that in NY, even though the city has kicked my ass many times, I'm probably a stronger, more dynamic person and in some ways, more my true self than I would be anywhere else. It's a straightforward city, like a true New Yorker. It tells you what you have to do in order to achieve your dreams. Those who can't ante up can leave, I guess, but then you'll never know who you could have been.
For the time being, I'm still basking in the glow of the movie and dreaming of the day when I can have Carrie's 5th Avenue closet...fully stocked, of course.
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