Given the fact that you spent ...
Kristin Davis, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Cynthia Nixon, Sex and the City: The Movie
Question: Given the fact that you spent a good six years reviewing
Sex and the City the TV series, I was curious to hear what your thoughts were on
Sex and the City: The Movie. Seems to me, you — and not necessarily the TV Guide movie critics — would've been the ideal person to review it for the magazine. I seem to remember you thinking the series concluded in a mature, satisfying way and that you even recommended that future retiring series — like
Frasier,
Friends and
Everybody Loves Raymond — attempt to emulate
SATC's dignified exit. So what did you think of the movie? Do you think it lived up to the promise of the series, or did it muddy the legacy of the series' classy exit? What should future shows looking to transition to the big screen take from this movie's execution? Are there any other shows, concluded or currently running, that you'd like to see make the leap with the original cast? And what do you think the prospects are for the next TV sequel:
The X-Files: I Want to Believe?
Answer: Sorry for not weighing in sooner, but I was out of the country when the movie opened, and it took me a while to find a block of time long enough (more than two and a half hours!) to see it. Bottom line: I guess I enjoyed parts of it. With those stars, how could you not? But beyond being tragically overlong and thoroughly unnecessary — although given the box-office results, seemingly millions of fans were more than happy to reunite with these ladies — it felt to me as if HBO had stubbornly ordered one season too many, resulting in desperately contrived break-up/make-up twists (I'd almost use that jump-the-you-know-what expression) that were as unpleasant as unentertaining to sit through, and then crammed the whole misbegotten season into a 140-plus minute movie. When the various relationships started to fall apart at the midpoint of the movie, so did my attention start to wane. If I wanted to see a depressed Carrie… well, I really didn't. To address your other questions, briefly, I'd remind other producers turning their shows into movies that brevity is the soul of wit and that continuing the series' story should be worth their and our time. If a show ends its run on its own terms, as
Sex and the City did — as well as, notably,
The Sopranos — I think we should all be satisfied to leave it as is. Also, most shows that I enjoy on TV I feel are best suited for that medium, but the sci-fi and action genres probably lend themselves best to the epic movie treatment. I'd love to see a
Farscape movie in the tradition of
Serenity, but I'm not holding my breath. Ditto a new
Alias adventure. That would look amazing on the big screen. And I'm counting the days until I get to see the new
X-Files movie. That one makes total sense to me.
