If you haven't seen the movie and don't want to know what happens, then you may not want to read this review, but if you've seen it already or probably won't, then go ahead and read away...

This Summer fans of the critically acclaimed HBO series, Sex and the City that has now made its way into syndication with some edits, were thrilled to find out what happened to the fantastic four -- Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), Samantha (Kim Cattrall) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon).  Die-hard fans were happy, but for the less regular folks, like this reviewer, the movie, as a movie, left something to be desired. 

The male characters especially were wooden, and there was virtually no sex in the movie -- and not even much talk of sex, as the "girls" had to watch their language around Charlotte's little girl.  The only real sex scene was awkward between Miranda and her husband, Steve (David Eigenberg). 

Samantha was relegated to flying back and forth between the West Coast and the East Coast, and she didn't have much in the way of action.  She had lost herself by agreeing to become a full time manager for her actor lover, Smith (Jason Lewis).  What made the demise of their relationship really hard to watch is that he really loved her, but she didn't love herself in that relationship, and in the end that's all that counts.  A brutal, but necessary truth to learn about life and love.

Miranda had also lost herself mostly in her relationship.  When Steve had an affair because she wasn't having sex with him regularly (the mostly natural result of working all the time between "lawyering" and "mommying"), she was initially unforgiving; she moved out of her lovely Brownstone in Brooklyn (not an ideal choice for her, but it did give her the space she needed, given that she was also caring for a relative) into a slum in Chinatown, but she did ultimately reconcile with Steve, which seemed more of a compromise than an active choice -- if for no other reason than for the sake of her financial purse and her son, or even perhaps so she wouldn't have to be alone for another holiday.

Carrie finally gets the proposal and begins planning all that she dreamed of in an enormous wedding, but when that, like all previous efforts with Big (Chris Noth) doesn't work out, she's devastated.  About half the movie, you feel her pain, as she can't even bare to have the light coming in from the window. 

The smart choice for Carrie would have been to move on.  Instead, she decides to marry Big, despite the fact that he has shown nothing but cowardice when it comes to his relationship with her.  She gets married before the Justice of the Peace, dressed in a far cry from the designer gown she would have been married in had Big gone ahead with the "Big Wedding." 

It's disappointing to see someone end up with such a flawed character as Big.  No matter what his wallet holds (and Carrie was certainly the one person in the group that could not possibly have afforded her lifestyle on her freelance writing,  even with the advances on her books given her shoe collection!), and no matter how big the closet he was offering, she should have walked away. 

The only person who really wound up happy and fulfilled given her personality was Charlotte.  She ended up with Harry (Evan Handler), who certainly wasn't much to look at, but what a mench!  This man really cared, and even after they adopted a little girl from China, they ultimately were able to conceive a biological child of their own to add to their already beautiful family.  Charlotte's choices were the only ones that made any sense in this less than perfect movie.

What made the series so great -- the snappy dialogue and the shots of New York City and its hot spots -- was supplanted with overdone designer wedding dresses and the need to bring Jennifer Hudson into the already crowded cast as Carrie's assistant.  What was she doing there?  Carrie's apartment wasn't really big enough to have an assistant hanging out in there on the show and even with the redecorations after she has to buy it back (after selling it because of the "Big Wedding" fiasco). 

All that being said, if you are a true fan, you can't miss this movie.  Seeing for yourself what happens to these women, who all have something to teach each one of us about relationships, makes this movie a Summer must. 

But caution if you're considering it for a date movie.  It's a true chick flick, if there ever was one.  For opening weekend, for the early matinee, there was a grand total of 1 guy in the theater.  And the line for the next matinee appeared to be all women.  If you're a guy and you want to please your gal, then do consider it, but if ladies, if you're suggesting this film to your man, you might want to think twice.  You might be better off to make this one a girls'-night-out kindof flick. 

Whomever you go to see it with, be prepared to talk about the life-lessons in it.  You'll be glad that you were able to see more about these four women and how their story has unfolded.  Even if it's disappointing at some level, it's what has happened to them that is meaningful.  There isn't a truly happily ever after for everyone, but life does go on nonetheless, and it's important to see what Life (with a capital L) brings these characters, which continue to replay earlier times not only in syndication but in many fan's hearts.