Sex and the City

The Sex and the City girls manage to get through 300 outfit changes in the two-and-a-half-hour film.

Herald rating:

* * * *

Verdict:

If you love the TV show, then you are going to love this

Finally, after four years of rumours and waiting, it's here, and it's just as hilarious as you've been hoping.

If there was ever a film the term "chick flick" could be applied to without it sounding derogatory, then this big screen version of

Sex and the City

is it. This is the perfect film for a girls' night out, it will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you feel very unglamorous.

All that said, the film itself is a predictable affair that starts with a quick flashback, just in case you've been living in a fridge for the last decade, re-introducing us to the ever-fashionable Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon).

Picking up on their lives in real time, four years after the end of the television series, the girls are joined by the familiar faces of Big (Chris Noth), Smith (Jason Lewis), Steve (David Eigenberg) and Harry (Evan Handler).

Plenty of time is given to wrapping up these core characters' stories, with the addition of only one new character - Carrie's new assistant Louise (Jennifer Hudson), who struggles to get the tone of her performance right.

There is a short and memorable cameo from Candice Bergen, and it's a shame there aren't more of these types of appearances.

While it's a lot of fun, Sex and The City unfolds just like a series of television episodes strung together, or perhaps even a whole series, which is perfect for die-hard fans of the popular HBO series but a little lacking in adventure.

Fortunately, the fashion is adventurous, and let's be honest, the 300 costume changes are one of the major attractions in this film.

Yes, we're keen to find out what happens next in the love lives of our four favourite New Yorkers, but what they are wearing while it's all happening is just as important. You won't be disappointed, not only will this film give you shoe envy, but be prepared for walk-in-wardrobe envy as well.

Sarah Jessica Parker is once again the glue that holds the show together, but she is close to being upstaged by Kim Cattrall. One can't help but wonder whether her initial resistance to doing this film has resulted in a bigger screen profile, but the result is fabulous as Samantha is even more outrageous, patronising and funny than before.

This is a film best seen over-dressed, and since it's almost two and a half hours long, make sure you leave the boys at home, otherwise you might never hear the end of it.

Francesca Rudkin

Cast:

Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon

Director:

Michael Patrick King

Running Time:

145 mins

Rating:

R16 (offensive language, sex scenes)

Screening:

SkyCity, Hoyts, Rialto and Berkeley Cinemas