The perfect movie

***** May contain spoilers

Saw "Sex and the City: The Movie" last night. My initial thoughts were that it was an almost perfect movie. As I've pondered it since then, I realize it has a few flaws. For one, I missed some meaningful face time for some characters we SATC fans have loved since the beginning of the HBO series, like Stanford and the even more flamboyant Anthony. And I thought Charlotte was a bit short-changed, although she has a couple of the funnier moments in the film

But I've decided those are really minor flaws, and my initial conclusion was right: This is a near perfect flick, especially for women, and especially for fans of the original series. Not only does the movie provide a few great laughs, but the scenes that are meant to touch your heart are brilliant. When Carrie looks at her drawn, lifeless face in a mirror after things go awry with Big, the moment is truly heartbreaking and spot on. Miranda and Steve have an incredibly moving scene on the Brooklyn Bridge, a scene that gives Cynthia Nixon (who looks better than ever, by the way) one of the best cinematic moments in the film.

Many of the early reviews were just lukewarm. However, I did see a review by Kurt Loder that was one of the few praiseworthy ones written by a man. Here's a snippet:

"This film maintains a near-perfect balance between tender sentiment and carnal extroversion. (When was the last time you saw a naked woman turn herself into a living sushi platter?) It's a funny movie that also resonates emotionally — a rare-enough twofer — and it's great to see these familiar characters being taken someplace new and considerably more adventurous. What's not to like?"

And I don't need to tell SACT fans which of our gal pals turns herself into a sushi platter....
I was also struck by the audience reaction to this movie (and there were a surprisingly large number of men in attendance). The audience was truly into the movie, and even applauded at the end, which is something you don't often see.

So, yeah, this one's a keeper. I definitely intend to see it again (anyone up for a viewing later this weekend?) and I have little doubt that I'll also buy the DVD. I want to keep these fabulous women around for a long time to come.