Carrie Bradshaw knows good sex*

May 31, 2008 11:35 PM

It all started with a NYC writer wearing a tutu, getting splashed by a passing bus...
"It's really hard to walk in a single woman's shoes—that's why you sometimes need really special shoes." a 7-parter on the shoes that made the show...

Then there was the necklace–an identity symbol, once lost, then found.
The Cosmos, the Tartinis, and who could forget the Absolute Hunk? Click here for the inspiration)

Follow Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda; a journey through the labels of love.

posted by iamkimiam (114 comments total)

I love the ironic hipster posts.
posted by jimmythefish at 11:55 PM on May 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

Sarah Jessica Parker Looks Like A Horse
posted by homunculus at 12:12 AM on June 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

Big hit in China and spawned local versions in Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei. Think it resonated with a new generation of independent young office workers, though I'm too old and the wrong gender to know, and anyway I naturally dismissed it as poisonous and dissolute Western propaganda.
posted by Abiezer at 12:31 AM on June 1, 2008

For every hen pecked Y chromosome bearer who needs one, here's your "Get out of watching 'Sex and the City' free card." And Carrie Bradshaw doesn't know jack sh*t, including how to avoid getting splattered by a bus. I always thought that was a bit of tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation for the benefit of the show's detractors, spliced in up front in the header roll. I loved rooting for Big to screw her over, again and again. Such a complete cop out to have him show up in Paris and save her raggedy a** in the conclusion.
posted by paulsc at 12:35 AM on June 1, 2008

fade out on bumper...and cue Mary Hart!
posted by chococat at 12:44 AM on June 1, 2008

Am I the only woman who thinks most of the shoes in the fourth link were just plain UGLY? I do not have the words to express how utterly sick and tired I am of hearing about this movie, this show, and these actresses. GO AWAY!
posted by Shoeburyness at 12:53 AM on June 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

Here are 19 reasons this post sucks and should be deleted with extreme prejudice:

Link 1: YouTube video of Sex and the City opening credits.
Link 2: Entertainment Weekly writeup of filming locations seen in Sex and the City.
Link 3: InStyle article about shoes seen in Sex and the City.
Link 4: Entertainment Weekly publicity photos from Sex and the City.
Link 5: Official site for Sex and the City.
Link 6: Time blurb about personalized name necklaces.
Link 7: HBO.com Sex and the City episode synopsis.
Link 8: HBO.com Sex and the City episode synopsis.
Link 9: Ogo.sh article recipe for cosmopolitan.
Link 10: Ogo.sh article recipe for "tartini".
Link 11: Ogo.sh article recipe for Absolut vodka drink.
Link 12: Entertainment Zone blurb/ad for Absolut Vodka.
Link 13: HBO.com Sex and the City episode synopsis.
Link 14: HBO.com Sex and the City episode synopsis.
Link 15: HBO.com Sex and the City episode synopsis.
Link 16: HBO.com Sex and the City episode synopsis.
Link 17: HBO.com Sex and the City episode synopsis.
Link 18: Cleveland.com article about fashion trends in Sex and the City.
Link 19: Beliefnet article about love lessons learned from Sex and the City.

FLAGGED.
posted by optovox at 1:05 AM on June 1, 2008 [32 favorites]

obotovox you're the reason my girlfriend doesn't understand my time here.
posted by Samuel Farrow at 1:48 AM on June 1, 2008

Ah, SPY Magazine, where are thou?
posted by GuyZero at 1:57 AM on June 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

obotovox you're the reason my girlfriend doesn't understand my time here.

She'd find it even harder to understand if it was dominated by Girlzone posts like this one.

Compulsory Boyzone Corrective: Cynthia Nixon is the only one out of the four that I'd contemplate dinnner and a movie with.

(Previous sentence edited to avoid re-tripping the Cooter timer.)
posted by PeterMcDermott at 2:42 AM on June 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

Where's the 'makes me irrationally angry' option in the flag box?
posted by athenian at 2:47 AM on June 1, 2008

We can tolerate a lot, but can we tolerate this?

And homunculus, thanks for that horse comparison. You should check out this excellent blog by a fellow called Chez, which covers this issue amongst others.
posted by imperium at 2:51 AM on June 1, 2008

shallow show, shallow post. no surprise.
posted by krautland at 3:06 AM on June 1, 2008

The only question I am left with is where is the Friends movie?
posted by srboisvert at 3:08 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

To begin with, I can't believe I watched the first season on DVD by ordering it through NetFlix. I thought it was going to be funny. After watching several episodes I realized that no it's not funny. I had not really laughed once as I recall. I was just lusting after an aging Kim Cattrall and the redhead, and was hoping there'd eventually be a scene where the two of them had sex together. I saw some spoilage on the Web that indicated the two of them were never gonna do it, so I stopped watching.

Shallow? Vain? You don't know the meaning of these words, or the power behind them. I'm so vain I think my website's about me. I found the BBC television series ManChild to be trite, predictable, and a sorry excuse for a Sex And The City ripoff showcasing the man's point of view. In conclusion, comparing Sarah Jessica Parker to a horse is tremendously unfair. There are several differences between them. For example, I wouldn't kick a horse out of my bed.
posted by ZachsMind at 3:32 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Big hit in China and spawned local versions in Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei.

But you know that those local versions would be utterly watchable. Carrie would be exploited by the corrupt owner of the free sheet she writes for, then get into terrible debt borrowing money from loan sharks to buy Jimmy Choo originals rather than the more sensible knockoffs most local girls of limited means wear. Unable to pay, she would be forced to work in a Mongkok knocking shop by the local triad gang, where she seeks to ingratiate herself with her new pimps by providing an insouciant column for a porno mag.
Each episode would focus on one of her pithy observations about the interactions between the clients and the other hookers, but somehow-- as in the US version -- Carrie can write a column on the subject of Sex in the City while never, ever putting out.

Meanwhile, Big, as played by Sammo Hung, would return from his Macau gambling stint to find his number two mistress captured, and would get together his own triad pals -- guys that he's been loyal to from childhood -- to mount a rescue mission.

In the final episode, Big locates Carrie and we have the standard showdown. Bullets, swords and iron bars all strike flesh repeatedly -- in slow motion and freeze frame, with copious CGI blood flowing -- as the rival triad gangs unleash carnage on the other to save face. Carrie just has that kind of impact on a man.

Eventually, after she's been rescued, she runs back into the whorehouse to attempt to return for her beloved Jimmy Choo's, one of the expiring Mongkok pimps catches up with her and chops off both of her arms and legs. She expiring peacefully and gratefully in Sammo's ample arms as, face saved, he bears his eventual loss stoically.

I'd totally watch that version of Sex in the City.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 3:49 AM on June 1, 2008 [5 favorites]

THIS POST IS BAD AND YOUR A BAD PERSON FOR POSTING IT BLEH

Can't wait to see the movie tomorrow, should be fun!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:50 AM on June 1, 2008

Sarah Jessica Parker Looks Like A Horse

And Dee Snyder.
posted by stavrogin at 4:00 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

This is nothing.
I've sat through her hi-jinks in the title role of "Annie" on Broadway.
Twice.
(They were birthday presents from well-meaning old people who had no idea what they were putting their grand-child through...)
posted by Dizzy at 4:24 AM on June 1, 2008

The Manhattanites' big-screen outing is witless, reactionary tripe, writes Donald Clarke

A review by Donal Clarke in the Irish Times.
posted by rog at 4:50 AM on June 1, 2008

srboisvert: "The only question I am left with is where is the Friends movie?"

*screams in fear and runs out of the thread like a crazy person*
posted by ZachsMind at 5:15 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'd like to stand up and represent the many women who do not watch this show. Empowering women blah blah blah shoes blah blah BLAH clothes you can't do anything in except look like an GD moron blah blah shoes blah argh blah argh!
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 5:23 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

I object to the show on the basis of false advertising. The one time I tuned in the only nudity was of that weird bald dude, so that eliminates sex appeal, and the city these glamazons inhabit bears no resemblance to the one I live in (even though it was apparently filmed a few subway stops away from me.)
posted by jonmc at 5:46 AM on June 1, 2008

Are we marketing newly released movies now?
posted by nax at 5:47 AM on June 1, 2008

I've sat through her hi-jinks in the title role of "Annie" on Broadway...(They were birthday presents from well-meaning old people who had no idea what they were putting their grand-child through...)

My three year old neice saw Annie at some local community theatre and went so bonkers over it that my mom wen't on eBay and bought her a Annie wig and dress for her birthday. Kids are strange.
posted by jonmc at 5:48 AM on June 1, 2008

I am sorry to derail this excellent thread, but "wen't"?
posted by Mister_A at 6:00 AM on June 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

I have apostrophe difficulties, sir.
posted by jonmc at 6:02 AM on June 1, 2008

(Types something vaguely insightful while speaking the words out loud, then looks silently up and to the left for a while, pensive expression on smug, pampered face.)
posted by WPW at 6:12 AM on June 1, 2008 [7 favorites]

Thank you for the hilarious "I am a deep writer writing something deep" montage WPW.
posted by Mister_A at 6:17 AM on June 1, 2008

WPW, are you thinking of the end of every Sex and the City episode, or Doogie Howser?
posted by ibmcginty at 6:19 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Nothing's more fun to read than a bad review.
posted by stargell at 6:22 AM on June 1, 2008

Could be either frankly.
posted by WPW at 6:24 AM on June 1, 2008

*runs back into the thread still screaming*

*stops and notices WPW*

"(Types something vaguely insightful while speaking the words out loud, then looks silently up and to the left for a while, pensive expression on smug, pampered face.)"

*screams in horror and runs back out of the thread*
posted by ZachsMind at 6:25 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Never trust a woman over 19.
posted by Postroad at 6:32 AM on June 1, 2008

Guys, we gotta find another topic and fast, or else Zach's gonna upset the neighbors again.
posted by Spatch at 6:34 AM on June 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

I move that iamkimiam be stripped of posting privileges based on link #12.

Thank you, iamkimiam, for finally driving me to install NoScript.
posted by BeerFilter at 6:38 AM on June 1, 2008

"Sure, maybe Zach was screaming. But maybe it was the silence of another friend that was louder."
posted by WPW at 6:39 AM on June 1, 2008 [5 favorites]

* runs in and out of thread screaming *
posted by ZachsMind at 6:50 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Well, in my usual contrarian way, I will have to say that I liked the show and watched every episode. The best part: no guns or explosions. All you fanboys just HATE that, huh?
posted by telstar at 7:12 AM on June 1, 2008 [4 favorites]

I wanted to do a Sex and the City thread, because I searched and saw that in the 10-history of Metafilter AND the show, there wasn't one yet. Y'all had been spared thus far.

I've been thinking about the cultural phenomenon of SATC, and its interesting that there's this duality going on with many of its followers—they identify with the characters, but would never admit it. Like how hipsters or emo-kids will never call themselves as such, but nerds and geeks happily take on the label. I couldn't find that link. (For the record, jimmythefish, I am both nerd AND geek, but was oddly flattered by your trendy insult.)

I've been also been trying to think of a movie geared towards women, that's been created in the last 20 years, that even comes close to the level of epicness, buzz, and marketing of SATC. There's lots of Rambos, Indiana Joneses, Alien/Predator/Alien vs. Predator, etc. but when I try to come up with the female "equivalent" I've been stumped for ~5 days now. And I couldn't find that link.

I was also looking to compile a fashion-related post. I don't know fashion, and there was so much out there that I got overwhelmed. If somebody has the know how to bring it all together, I'd think it interesting. Fashion is a big deal to many, many people and while I don't get into it myself, I'd be totally interested in reading a post about it, especially as it relates to SATC. Millions of people either work in the industry, follow the trends, or simply have a penchant for a designer handbag, and the discussion that could arise from a post about it might be pretty darn fun to read. I did however find an article about the effort it took to get designers to loan dresses for the movie from their not-released-yet fall lines, but it wasn't really worthy of a FPP.

Also spent some time searching the metaphoric symbolism of many of the props in SATC. Sadly, no links there. This was surprising to me, because the writing of the show was meticulous in this respect. Oh well.

So what you get is a lo-brow, whimsical FPP that may serve as a goofy little primer for those who aren't too familiar with the finer points of Sex and the City.
posted by iamkimiam at 7:28 AM on June 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

I have friends who like this show and I've never understood their devotion.

I've given it a few minutes several times, and each time makes me feel like I've wasted time I'll never get back and then was punished for it. I've never laughed at anything I was supposed to laugh at. Definitely laughed at many things I think they were sincere about.

There are still tribes of lower middle-class girls trying desperately to make their own SatC style clique, complete with goofy drinks and ridiculous outfits, and I feel sad that this pastiche of material and harpy-ish camaraderie has taken the place of real friendship.

That said, the outfits are the only thing I found interesting. Patricia Field did a good job of getting her quirky* style onto the set and keeping it there. While very few scenes from the show have made it into my memory, several of Ms. Field's often over-the-top outfits have lodged themselves in my brain. Sometimes they seemed to be broadcasting how ludicrous the character's next action was going to be, but that could just be a fortuitous bit of synchronicity.

The one nice thing I can say about SJP is that some ladies who don't have mainstream good looks have found some small amount of lift in acceptance for their defiant noses and naturally curly hair. With so much of the rest of the show about thwarting what comes naturally (even those same curls, with the riot of hair-ironing it helped fuel), that's at least something.
posted by batmonkey at 7:41 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Ach. Forgot to address my asterisk: I'm getting tired of the word "quirky".
posted by batmonkey at 7:42 AM on June 1, 2008

Metafilter was my only refuge from the ridiculous media blitz for this movie. thanks for blowing it.
posted by killy willy at 7:44 AM on June 1, 2008 [5 favorites]

Also: how could I have left out this link chronicling nearly the entire style history of the show?
posted by batmonkey at 7:46 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

I prefer this recap of the movie.
posted by WCityMike at 7:51 AM on June 1, 2008

Kim Cattrall looks remarkably young for an 83-year-old.
posted by WCityMike at 7:57 AM on June 1, 2008 [3 favorites]

(To show my true geek roots, someone needs to write a fanfic where Samantha wakes up on the Enterprise wondering why she has this awful black haircut and pointed ears.)
posted by WCityMike at 7:57 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

I was one of those women who absolutely hated Sex and the City for freaking ever. I am so not "the type" to like the show. Trust me. A lot of my friends would watch it, and I would give them shit constantly. I just didn't get it. How could something so shallow, so materialistic, so obviously corny and stupid be in any way quality programming? And what is up with the narration, anyway?

Then I watched an episode. Then another. Then another. And then I was completely hooked.

Sex and the City is about relationships, among other things. I like that none of the characters are that traditionally pretty (I thought Sarah Jessica Parker was ugly at first, too, but she really does grow on you), I like that they're flawed, and I like that they make really stupid decisions sometimes. I like that it's a show where women talk about sex, and dating, and disasters. The show became kindof like my girl friends, kind of like a support network, when I didn't have any close ones around.

I've heard that the movie is terrible. I still can't wait to see it. Y'all are just haters.
posted by lunit at 8:21 AM on June 1, 2008 [8 favorites]

All you fanboys just HATE that, huh?

Not really. In fact, I watched every episode too, and the only women that I know who actually did watch it, did so as a consequence of my proselytizing for it. They'd mostly avoided it because they tend to avoid shallow US bullshit in which everybody is beautiful and their lives are perfect, and for all its many faults, the show -- particularly in the early seasons -- was a good example of what it was. A glossy, stylish, occasionally witty, soap opera. Me, I like that stuff. Before the writing goes stale, anyway.

But there's nothing as repellent as a sensitive man who wears it on his sleeve -- so its back to Sex in the City: Young and Dangerous edition -- for me.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:22 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

When I watched the series, I didn't get the indication the series was written with the presumed demographic matching the shallowness of the characters. What I mean is, I don't think the people behind the scenes were assuming that anyone watching the show would be like the foursome upon which it focused. That would be like assuming someone puts fish in an aquarium so that other fish may look upon them.

The narrative style of the series was blatantly defensive. Carrie Bradshaw was constantly describing her actions and those of her friends in a way that was trying to persuade her reader to understand from where her 'kind' was coming. If her audience were presumably people of like mind, this wouldn't have been necessary. Fashion? Check. Shopping? Check. Chocolate flavored yogurt? Check.

If you couldn't check off ALL the similar characteristics of the foursome in question, then you were the chosen demographic for the series. I took Bradshaw's plight to be like any indivdual who fit a socially stigmatized stereotype trying to defend why they are they way they are, and often failing miserably.

In brief, these four women were modern day clowns: contemporary stooges who used parties and relationships metaphorically in much the same way that Larry, Curly and Moe used eye gouges and pratfalls. The outlandishly colorful dress and makeup are even indicative of circus clowns. We were not meant to empathize with these ladies or sympathize: we were meant to laugh at them, and where we found similarities in our own lives, we were meant to laugh at ourselves.

I too would like to take the Christy Turlingtons of this world, tie them down, and force feed them lard. Don't you? Now, with that realization on your consciousness, do you want to run around the thread screaming with me? It's a lot of fun.
posted by ZachsMind at 8:47 AM on June 1, 2008 [3 favorites]

I prefer this recap of the movie.
posted by WCityMike at 7:51 AM

It reminds me of a opening sketch on "The Chris Rock Show" (couldn't find a clip) of Chris as an old guy, reviewing HBO's line-up at the time.

"Bunch of old white ladies, talkin' bout blowjobs."
posted by stifford at 8:49 AM on June 1, 2008

Like how hipsters or emo-kids will never call themselves as such, but nerds and geeks happily take on the label.

It's relative, but where I live now I'm somewhat the hipster, more or less because I'm not new agey enough to quite be one of the hippie types that I end up hanging out with from time to time. I could become more hipster by, for example, taking up metrosexuality, but that's basically, "Hey, I'm a man and this is not part of my burdensome gender role, but I want to be superficial/consumerist/vapid just like on Sex and the City!"

Being on Metafilter goes a long way towards making you a hipster.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:57 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Optovox, I'm rewriting your list summary, because I think you missed a few key points...

Link 1: opening credits, where we see the iconic scene of Carrie wearing a tutu, and getting splashed by the bus (that her advertisement is on–episode 1 centered around this bus advertisement). The tutu makes appearances throughout the show, as well as the movie.

Link 2: Drawing of map of the City, with key points from the show plotted. Useful if you're not familiar with New York...puts a lot of the events from the show in context.

Link 3: Blurb about the tutu, with picture of it. Did you know it was only $5, and was swapped in last minute in lieu of a blue dress?

Link 4: InStyle article about shoes seen in Sex and the City, with a modest 7 examples/pictures of famous designer shoes worn throughout the show/movie.
Link 5: Official site for Sex and the City.
Link 6: Time blurb explaining a major icon from the show, the nameplate necklace, and the huge fashion trend it started.

Link 7: HBO.com Sex and the City episode synopsis, explaining the loss of the necklace, symbolizing the loss of Carrie's identity. This was the pivotal point of the series, where she realized that she had made a huge mistake with her life.

Link 8: HBO.com Sex and the City episode synopsis, explaining how she found her necklace. It's also the season finale episode, which may help people catch up if they are so inclined to see the film.

Link 9: Ogo.sh article with a brief history of the drink that made the show, as well as a recipe.
Link 10: Ogo.sh article recipe for "tartini", and its place in SATC.
Link 11: Ogo.sh article recipe for Absolut vodka drink. "The Absolut Hunk cocktail was created by Absolut to take advantage of the fake advertising billboard the character Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis) appears in during season six. The ad was produced by the same agency and photographer that created the famous Absolut campaign, and Absolut were quick to take advantage of the tie-in and use it along with this cocktail."

Link 12: I apologize for this.

Links 13-16: HBO.com bio pages for each of the four characters.
Link 17: HBO.com Sex and the City episode guide listing.

Link 18: Cleveland.com article about fashion in Sex and the City, with brief pictographies of the women's trends over time. And the only article I found SANS MOVIE REVIEW!

Link 19: Beliefnet article, with 15 item list of "love lessons" learned from Sex and the City. Since "Love" is the overarching theme of the film (spelled out explicitly), a FPP without some mention of love would be unjust.
posted by iamkimiam at 9:03 AM on June 1, 2008

I've never understood the "Sex and the City as Male Kryptonite" idea, where men just immediately shudder and cringe at the thought of having to watch a single episode of this show. I mean, I could understand a guy not wanting to watch something like "General Hospital" with any regularity, but I don't think "Sex and the City" is as exclusionary to men as its made out to be.

I'll out myself as a male "Sex and the City" fan, unwise as that may be in terms of opening myself up for ridicule. I'd love to say I only watched it so I could have an activity to share with my wife, but that wouldn't explain why I watched the show for years before we met. Personally, as a guy, I enjoyed the insight into dating and relationships from the female perspective (and yes, I realize this show didn't represent the dating attitudes of ALL women). I thought the first few seasons were far superior to some of the later ones, but that is a criticism that can be aimed at a lot of shows.

Is a show dividing itself between fans and haters along gender lines as common with male-themed shows too? As in, are there loads of women who despise Entourage with the same vociferousness many men hate "Sex and the City"?
posted by The Gooch at 9:08 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

I don't think "Sex and the City" is as exclusionary to men as its made out to be.

On paper, no. The idea of listening to Kim Catrall or Cynthia Nixon talk about sex (or better yet, watch them have sex) would appeal to your average straight guy. Unfortunately, what they got was the usual 'it's so difficult finding a man worthy of my golden genitalia,' blibber-blabber with a few dirty words thrown in. Plus they seem to think that New York begins and ends with the Upper East Side, which is irritating. And they've ruined old Law & Order reruns for me, too. Mr. Big, my ass, he's Detective Mike Logan. (Oddly, I've seen Chris Noth on the subway once or twice. Homeboy did not look happy about it.)
posted by jonmc at 9:18 AM on June 1, 2008

I guess this is as good a time as any to bring up the mysterious subject of female celebrities and their old lady hands.

Is this a side effect of HGH?
posted by Tube at 9:20 AM on June 1, 2008

The best part: no guns or explosions. All you fanboys just HATE that, huh?


You may have a point here, considering that my favorite dramas are "The Wire," "Deadwood," "The Sopranos," & "Rome." Although "Mad Men" is approaching the top of the list, and there are no guns & explosions in that.

Still, I think the best reason to hate SATC isn't the lack of guns, it's the presence of vapid souless harpies whining about their petty concerns.
posted by jonson at 9:21 AM on June 1, 2008 [3 favorites]

I've never understood the "Sex and the City as Male Kryptonite" idea,

Me neither. The first three seasons were funny, and there was a lot of female nudity. They kind of lost me at Mikhail Barishnikov and sponge-bathing Steve's mom, but up til then it was fun.

The ladies on this show were swearing, having sex, and actually HAVING FUN the way people in the real world have fun, without apologizing for it. In a lot of ways, they acted more like men then the typical emasculated "my wife won't let me do that lol" sitcom dad.
posted by drjimmy11 at 9:26 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Also interesting that shows like Entourage (good first two seasons, HORRENDOUS now) are full of tremendously wealthy and superficial characters, and people call it "lifestyle porn" and don't bat an eyelash. yet the women on SATC are such horrible bitches. I don't think tv shows should have to apologize for depicting a certain segment of society to the exclusion of others. If art can't have a focus or point of view, what's the point? better that than water it down to try to please everyone.

that said, i did once write a comedy sketch where Mr. Big couldn't come to Carrie's rescue because he was killed by a rampaging mob of Marxists:

CARRIE (V.O.)
As the drably-attired mob prepared to pummel me to death with my own nine-hundred-dollar Manolo Blahnik stilettos, I wondered, did they have a point? Was the machinery of capitalism really oiled with the blood of the workers, and if so, do they at least get a box of orange juice and a little cookie afterwards?


posted by drjimmy11 at 9:34 AM on June 1, 2008 [15 favorites]

The ladies on this show were swearing, having sex, and actually HAVING FUN the way people in the real world have fun, without apologizing for it.

Yeah, that's why I expected to like the show when I went to watch it. The ham-fistedness turned me off. Attitude isn't a substitute for wit.
posted by ibmcginty at 9:34 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

I guess this is as good a time as any to bring up the mysterious subject of female celebrities and their old lady hands.

Is this a side effect of HGH?

I think it's related to lack of body fat, right?
posted by tristeza at 9:35 AM on June 1, 2008

Also interesting that shows like Entourage (good first two seasons, HORRENDOUS now) are full of tremendously wealthy and superficial characters, and people call it "lifestyle porn" and don't bat an eyelash. yet the women on SATC are such horrible bitches.

The difference I saw with Entourage is that it seemed to be received much more as the characters are superficial, stupid, and often enough downright unlikeable, and so you laugh at them. The little Sex and the City I've seen seemed to identify much more with the characters.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:42 AM on June 1, 2008

I did learn from Entourage that if I ever magically become filthy stinking rich I'll put any good friends who care to on salary as "assistants" with trivial duties (i.e. Turtle's sole job seems to be to roll joints.) and we'll all live it up in posh surroundings.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:46 AM on June 1, 2008

For the record, I predict that Sex and the City the Movie will make at least $40 million (probably in the first weekend), over $80 million before DVD rentals, and there will be talk of a sequel almost as soon as the first matinee comes and goes.

I don't say this because I'm rooting for it. Quite the opposite.

I'm still miffed that Serenity paid for itself before it got out of the theaters, but because it didn't pay for itself in the first weekend, and didn't make over a $100 million overall before it went to DVD, there will never be a sequel.

Yet slop like SATC gets several seasons on cable, then languishes in reruns and the silver screen as if it were God's gift to humanity!

No guns or explosions indeed!

*explodes*

[John Candy and Rick Moranis walk into the thread]

"He dun blewed up REEEEAL GOOD!"
posted by ZachsMind at 9:48 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Maybe if it had Bea Arthur...
posted by arruns at 9:53 AM on June 1, 2008

Arruns: "Maybe if it had Bea Arthur..."

*Zach's exploded carcass, still smoldering, screams meekly and flops about the thread like a dying fish*
posted by ZachsMind at 9:56 AM on June 1, 2008

This post wernt very good wen't begun, and its know better now.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:57 AM on June 1, 2008

The ham-fistedness turned me off.

More like prune-fistedness, judging by Tube's previous link.
posted by stargell at 10:01 AM on June 1, 2008

Entourage is obviously the guy's answer to SATC, but honestly I think SATC did it better, in that they were painstakingly researched for fashion and trends, and were packed with details utterly lost on me (a guy).

I enjoyed some of the episodes, but didn't watch it through its completion.
I respect the show for not overstaying its welcome.

I thought the most annoying part of the show was Carrie morphed into a drooling moron around guys she liked, and never did her alleged friends bring that fact up.

there were many runners-up (Catrall's voice changes after the first season to a mockery of herself, and she never comes back. Besides, she was never as stunning as she was in Big Trouble in Little China.
(which I'd rather watch again any day than this movie))
posted by Busithoth at 10:09 AM on June 1, 2008

I'm still miffed that Serenity paid for itself before it got out of the theaters, but because it didn't pay for itself in the first weekend, and didn't make over a $100 million overall before it went to DVD, there will never be a sequel.

Yet slop like SATC gets several seasons on cable, then languishes in reruns and the silver screen as if it were God's gift to humanity!

I'm with you.
Fuckers.

(noting, for the record, that I am a major-league Whedon geek and would watch a movie of paint drying if he directed it...and that I want to KILL KILL KILL because he's not directing the Wonder Woman movie anymore, so it's totally going to suck)

(p.s. the best 2 presents I got for Christmas this year? finally scored a Whedonesque membership when they opened enrollment for the day at Christmas, and a Wonder Woman encyclopedia...come to think of it, even 1970s Wonder Woman is cooler than SATC)
posted by bitter-girl.com at 10:15 AM on June 1, 2008

BusiThoth: "Besides, she was never as stunning as she was in Big Trouble in Little China. (which I'd rather watch again any day than this movie))"

Seconded.
posted by ZachsMind at 10:25 AM on June 1, 2008

MetaFilter: Going a long way towards making you a hipster.
posted by jimmythefish at 10:34 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'm still miffed that Serenity paid for itself before it got out of the theaters...

IMDb lists a production budget of $40M and domestic B.O. of $25M, plus $38M worldwide (assuming worldwide doesn't actually include the US take). Tack on the promotional budget and you're talking about barely making a profit, if that.
posted by aaronetc at 10:39 AM on June 1, 2008

> Link 12: I apologize for this.

Don't. I honestly think I have a clearer sense of empathy for the icky feeling that female Mefites must get when they click on a link to find female cheesecake.

Not that, uh, I'm all enlightened and stuff now. Da Bears! *hawks snot in corner, scratches crotch, thinks scarf looks fabulous, goes to fridge for beer, looks for Playboys*
posted by WCityMike at 10:42 AM on June 1, 2008

Also interesting that shows like Entourage (good first two seasons, HORRENDOUS now) are full of tremendously wealthy and superficial characters, and people call it "lifestyle porn" and don't bat an eyelash. yet the women on SATC are such horrible bitches.

That's because Entourage and other shows like it are written from a stereotypically male point of view. It makes people crazy that Sex and the City looked at things from another angle, because they hate having to imagine a world where women are in control.

For the record, I predict that Sex and the City the Movie will make at least $40 million (probably in the first weekend)

It make $26 million on Friday so yea, that's probably a decent if low estimate.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:42 AM on June 1, 2008 [10 favorites]

Catrall's voice changes after the first season to a mockery of herself, and she never comes back.

True, true, she sounds ridiculous quite a lot of the time. "Dirty martini? Dirty bastard!" I cringe every time.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:44 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

because they hate having to imagine a world where women inane yuppies are in control.

fixed that for you.
posted by jonmc at 10:50 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Oh hey, box office results for Friday and Saturday: $55 million
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:52 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

No matter how you feel about the series (I'm not a fan), it's good for female-fronted movies to do blockbuster business. Anything that encourages Hollywood to look outside the male 14-25 demographic for money will bring more variety to the multiplex. Who knows what movies will get greenlit because of this? (Besides SITC II).
posted by Bookhouse at 10:58 AM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

That's because Entourage and other shows like it are written from a stereotypically male point of view. It makes people crazy that Sex and the City looked at things from another angle, because they hate having to imagine a world where women are in control.

I'll ask, following up my post above: do you (people watching this show in general) view the characters overall as mostly sympathetic, or mostly worthy of derision? My experience when people would put on Entourage is the latter (while people certainly sympathized with the luxurious lifestyle,) while my very slight experience with Sex and the City is the former.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:06 AM on June 1, 2008

Carrie Bradshaw knows good sex?

No.

Cynthia Heimel knows good sex. Always has.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 11:08 AM on June 1, 2008

Anything that encourages Hollywood to look outside the male 14-25 demographic for money will bring more variety to the multiplex.

Right on. Hopefully, SATC will come to be seen like Melissa Etheridge. Not that anyone thinks it's actually any good, but at least it shows that women can make rock music/be the lead characters in movies that can make a lot of money.

(As I remember it, album rock radio was pretty much 100% male when Etheridge came along. I could be misremembering her impact.)
posted by ibmcginty at 11:12 AM on June 1, 2008

*growls at AaronEtc*

PinkSuperhero: "Oh hey, box office results for Friday and Saturday: $55 million"

So, as I predicted, there will be a SATC2, but there will never be a Serenity 2. This seriously brings into jeopardy my faith in a god that loves me.
posted by ZachsMind at 11:27 AM on June 1, 2008

For clarity, what offended me so about link #12 wasn't the picture, it was the audio ad that launched when I went to the page. I can't recall ever having that happen before like that. It was just like a frickin' radio ad.

I was just kidding about stripping iamkimiam's posting ability.
posted by BeerFilter at 11:32 AM on June 1, 2008

I used to just avoid Sex and the City. Right now, I fucking hate it and would happily pay to have it wiped off the earth forever.
posted by jokeefe at 11:51 AM on June 1, 2008

I'll ask, following up my post above: do you (people watching this show in general) view the characters overall as mostly sympathetic, or mostly worthy of derision?

I don't know, I have a hard time of thinking of it as a either or. For me, it seems like the characters themselves are liked, but they do things that viewers may not like. Do viewers like Samantha? I think so, yes. As far as I can tell, do many relate to her sexual prowess? Not really. I "like" the character of Carrie, but she did a lot of things that I didn't like- cheating on Aidan with a married Big, go to Paris with the Russian, getting back with Big at the end of the series (not a big Big fan) yelling at Charlotte for money for a down payment for her house (I *really* didn't understand that; if someone pulled that shit on me I would drop them forever). I feel the same way about the Entourage guys, fwiw- I find them likable even though they aren't perfect.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:36 PM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Wow, tell me more everybody, about how much you hate this show! I can't hear enough.

You know what I hate? Or I think I would hate? WWE or Ultimate Fighting or whatever the fuck. And yeah, Entourage. So I don't watch them.

I liked Sex & the City and will probably see the movie on DVD. MOST television is shit. 99.99% of TV is not "empowering" or "enlightening" and wasn't designed to be.

It's entertainment. So it works pretty well if you watch the stuff you find entertaining (for whatever reason - because you love it, love to hate it, or like to cringe as adults mock teenagers who think they can sing - whatever) and avoid the stuff you are not entertained by.
posted by peep at 12:36 PM on June 1, 2008

It's very okay TheOnlyCoolTim. No worries about Ch1X0r posting how she feels. I didn't take it the wrong way. It's cool.

I mean, you can flag it however you want, but I just flagged it as funny. =)
posted by ZachsMind at 12:47 PM on June 1, 2008

Hopefully that comment will be deleted but I'll respond also to this point about Firefly because it made me realize an interesting shift:

A demographic that is not interested in seeing the women engage in superfluous lesbianism for the entertainment of the male gaze?

with the interesting point being that I personally know several people for whom the lesbianism is for the entertainment of the lesbian/bisexual female gaze.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 12:50 PM on June 1, 2008

I think Ch1XOR was referring to the multiple people in this thread saying they would watch SITC only if they women engaged in sex scenes.
posted by Bookhouse at 12:56 PM on June 1, 2008

Lesbian sex scenes, that is.
posted by Bookhouse at 12:57 PM on June 1, 2008

I'll out myself as a male "Sex and the City" fan, unwise as that may be in terms of opening myself up for ridicule. I'd love to say I only watched it so I could have an activity to share with my wife, but that wouldn't explain why I watched the show for years before we met. Personally, as a guy, I enjoyed the insight into dating and relationships from the female perspective (and yes, I realize this show didn't represent the dating attitudes of ALL women). I thought the first few seasons were far superior to some of the later ones, but that is a criticism that can be aimed at a lot of shows.


Me too. There's more in there than people will ever give it credit for, and it's long run on HBO is testimony to same. For me, the elements dealing with friendship, and some of the supporting character development, made it consistently worthwhile. Lots of people won't go near The Wire or Dexter or Weeds or Deadwood or a bunch of other stuff because they can't get past their initial one-dimensional assumption of what it must be about. There are Universals to the human condition. Whether they play out in spheres or gender's you find immediately enticing isn't the key to their quality.
posted by docpops at 1:20 PM on June 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

[um a few comments removed. either flag it or talk about it but talking about flagging maybe needs to be done in metatalk?]
posted by jessamyn at 1:35 PM on June 1, 2008

As I remember it, album rock radio was pretty much 100% male when Etheridge came along. I could be misremembering her impact.

I think Chrissie Hynde and Pat Benatar would beg to differ.

/derail
posted by BitterOldPunk at 2:05 PM on June 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

Field Guide to the different species of people one can expect to encounter at opening-weekend screenings of the Sex and the City movie

I tried to watch the show once. I lasted about ten minutes.
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 2:40 PM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

True story.

After a Thai Boxing match my wife and I met up with a couple trainers and fighters and their wives/girlfriends at a local bar where one of the fighters, Joel (who was on the under card), held a bar tending job. We get a table and the Joel (it was his night off and he was high off his win) came up and told us we could score some rounds of drinks for free. Oooooh! We all say.

So I follow him to bar and order. "Jack & Rocks... and a Cosmo." I say. Both Joel and the working bartender roll their eyes.

"Jesus fucking Christ! A Cosmo! You know how annoying that drink is for a bartender. Ever since that stupid Sex and City show every chick comes in here and orders a god damned cosmo." Joel says

"Sex and City? Really" I say."

"Hey! Sorry. I don't mean to diss your old lady. I bet she is really into that show and shit, right?"

"Yeah. But I don't think she takes it seriously."

"Cool." Joel takes both drinks. "I got it bro. I got it." He says.

We make our way back to the table where several of the other couples have joined us. Joel sets the drinks down with this excessive flourish like 'My lady, your drink'. He sets the Cosmo in front of my wife and hands me the J&R.

"Here you g..." he says.

My wife looks puzzled and quickly slides the Cosmo in front of me and grabs HER Jack & Rocks lifts it and guzzles while I delicately lift my Cosmo and sip, pinky extended and flutter my eyes at him.

"Dude you just shattered my entire image of you." Says Joel.

PS. My wife is AT this movie while we speak.
posted by tkchrist at 3:00 PM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

From one man's take on watching the movie:

"It’s amusing to me how a show that celebrates materialism, selfishness, class-ism, and Whiteness can have such a broad following. When looking for an apartment in a “low income” district, Miranda and her White nanny remark disapprovingly about the all-Asian neighbors. In fact, Miranda says, “Oh, look! One white person! Follow him” and, much to her relief, finds one White person living amongst the minorities."

posted by BeerFilter at 3:03 PM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

So, I don't respect HBO any more since they favoured making a Sex & The City movie while simultaneously cutting Deadwood at least a season short.
posted by turgid dahlia at 3:03 PM on June 1, 2008

A little part of Universal Studios burned today, in shame...
posted by Dizzy at 4:04 PM on June 1, 2008

I suppose my last attempt was too flamey, so let me try again in a nicer tone:
Gentlemen, perhaps you could resist the urge to complain that the stars are not sexually attractive to you, that you are not interested in the show because there are no lesbian scenes between the main characters, or that you consider this movie so inferior to your favorite neglected movie that it is clearly an abomination that it has done so well. Because, really, even if you are half-joking, it comes across as narcissistic and whiny and is not as funny as you think it is. Surely there are enlightening things you could be saying about other topics rather than acting the buffoon in this one.
posted by ch1x0r at 4:08 PM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Am I allowed to criticize the series for being vapid, shallow and materialistic crap?
posted by loquacious at 4:29 PM on June 1, 2008

I think Chrissie Hynde and Pat Benatar would beg to differ.

and Janis Joplin.
posted by jonmc at 5:58 PM on June 1, 2008

For a while, back in the 1990s, it turned out that every woman I dated idolised or wanted to be Audrey Hepburn or Holly Golightly. Only one of them ever actually understood that Holly Golightly is fundamentally a dim tart.

Sex and the City is the update. Four vain, stupid, venal women are presented as attractive clotheshorses and shoetrees, and because the show never stands up and goes, "These people are ridiculous," viewers assume that they and their behaviour is acceptable. Carrie's spent $30,000 on shoes! Ah, but she's just a naif. Carrie cheats on her boyfriend to break up the marriage of the man she's convinced she should be with. To my reading, that makes Carrie psychotic. Apparently not. Apparently women should want to be like her.

Today I left the house of my mother who is still mourning my father's death, and spent four hours in a car so that I could look after our baby while my wife went to see this fucking film with her friends. Because I am a loving husband. But I loathe and despise Sex and the City and everything it stands for, and if a woman ever tells me she idolises or wants to be Carrie Bradshaw I am going to punch some sense into her inevitably horse-like face.
posted by Hogshead at 6:05 PM on June 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

FWIW, I enjoyed the movie as the fairy tale that it was.

If you take the movie or its characters seriously, that reflects poorly on your boyzone mentality. Take some fucking chill pills, children. Jesus.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 6:46 PM on June 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

Apparently women should want to be like her.

Who said that? I don't think anybody said that. I wouldn't say that. Who wants to be someone who isn't real? Sure, there's the dream of wanting some of the aspects of the magical lives on TV (the free time, the money, the glamour), but that's in the same category as wanting a pony that can fly- nobody is holding their breath.

Because the show never stands up and goes, "These people are ridiculous," viewers assume that they and their behaviour is acceptable

Oh, give me a break.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:20 PM on June 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

TheOnlyCoolTimeI'll ask, following up my post above: do you (people watching this show in general) view the characters overall as mostly sympathetic, or mostly worthy of derision?

I've never seen Entourage, but I don't think those two options (sympathy vs. derision) are mutually exclusive. Okay, "derision" is a strong word. But for me, SATC's appeal relies on its balance between superficiality and gleeful self-mockery.

When people, especially guys, criticize the show, they characterize it as, well, for example, "vapid souless harpies whining about their petty concerns." As if the show is completely oblivious to its shallowness. It isn't, and though it certainly glamorizes the lifestyle it portrays, it doesn't deify it, and it tends to answer self-satisfaction or cockiness on the part of the main characters with their subsequent humiliation. When Samantha tries to get into an exclusive club by stealing a member's card and faking a British accent, she's supposed to look like a fucking idiot, and you're supposed to laugh then and every other time her hubris leads to her downfall. But that doesn't mean you're not sympathetic to her as a character.

The same goes for the other women - they're all routinely made to look ridiculous. I'm actually amazed at how game the lead actresses are to embarrass themselves on national television. (As an aside, this show really doesn't get credit for its finesse in upping the raunch factor as high as anything the Farrelly brothers could come up with. It's got tons of gross-out humor, just not for its own sake.).

Some examples off the top of my head: Carrie organizes a mini-celebration to watch the first bus drive by with her advertisement on it, only to find that someone has graffitied a giant cock aimed at her mouth. She travels to San Francisco to promote her book, and at the reading realizes she's actually just the lame opening act for Mr. Winkle. Charlotte lies about her age to a guy at the Hamptons and gets pubic lice. Samantha finds a gray pubic hair and freaks out and accidentally dyes her pubes orange trying to cover it up. Miranda, I don't even know where to begin. She's far and away my favorite - you people really don't find even her funny? Really? Anyway, there's no way I can do this justice here, but the scene where she accidentally gets jizzed on at a tantric sex handjob workshop is one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen in my life.

OK, I'll wrap it up. The point is, we're not at all meant to sympathize with the characters unequivocally, nor glorify their lifestyle above all others. The show has a much more ironic tone than that. (Of course there are the <3~*~CARRIE + BIG~*~<3 people, and some of us are kinda bitter that the series finale seemed to pander to them rather than keeping its integrity, but whatev.)
posted by granted at 7:26 PM on June 1, 2008 [7 favorites]

if a woman ever tells me she idolises or wants to be Carrie Bradshaw I am going to punch some sense into her inevitably horse-like face.

Awesome. Let's beat up women over a TV show. Metafilter at its finest.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:37 PM on June 1, 2008 [2 favorites]

vapid souless harpies whining about their petty concerns

That's more or less my reaction to Carrie. And, from what was excerpted in voiceover, she's a lame writer, to boot. I always found Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte sympathetic, likable, and possessing some depth.

But maybe I'm just envious that she can afford her lifestyle by cranking out one lousy column a week.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 10:14 PM on June 1, 2008

I've always liked SATC for two reasons: 1) fairytale, 2) realism about how people talk about relationships. It's not about realit for #1, but very much for #2--people aren't logical, they exclude partners for objectively stupid reasons, they dissect.

That said... the movie was what I expected: fabulous clothes, betrayal of characters (apart from Samantha, whose arc was perfect), and thorough ignorance of how people over 18 conduct relationships. I'm sorry, but Big--being the kind of guy he is--just sitting there and taking it? No. He should have said "Hey HEY HEY wait a minute, I fucked up but I realized it and I'm sorry, let's go do this thing." Would have resulted in a far more interesting and nuanced movie.

But, God. Those clothes. I wish I were a woman and fabulously wealthy.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 10:52 PM on June 1, 2008

I'm still miffed that Serenity paid for itself before it got out of the theaters, but because it didn't pay for itself in the first weekend, and didn't make over a $100 million overall before it went to DVD, there will never be a sequel.

Ay! Let a thousand SATC sequels bloom to blot out that kind of same-old-same-old shoot-em-up BS. Fucking fanboys need to grow the fuck up!
posted by telstar at 2:04 AM on June 2, 2008

Maybe if it had Bea Arthur...

I think it would get more love on Metafilter if it had 'Queen' Bea Smith fighting back against the oppressive state in the form of Vinegar Tits and The Freak?

He used to give me roses
I wish he could again
But that was on the outside
And things were different then

From the days when women's soap operas really did have big brass balls.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 7:35 AM on June 2, 2008

found this Salon.com article, Those Dirty Girls
"Did "Sex and the City" change the erotic landscape or turn the female libido into a marketing ploy? Sex writers discuss the iconic show's impact."

At the same time, some erotic pioneers are unapologetic about their "Sex and the City" fandom. Take, for instance, Jamye Waxman, a sex educator whose professional credits include directing a line of educational adult videos. Not only did "Sex and the City" open up the public dialogue on the sex lives of women, she says, but its impact on the real sex lives of women was also a very real phenomenon -- not a marketing ploy. "Sex and the City," Waxman says, "gave women permission to talk about subjects that they might not know how to bring up to each other, to their partners, or even to themselves. The topics are universal for a lot of women, whether you live in New York or Ohio. It gave all of us a platform to dissect ourselves and to say, 'I don't agree with this, let's talk about this, this is what I agree with.'"...

Says Bright, "I feel like someone drove over me with a truck. I feel invisible. I feel -- you know what I feel like? I feel like Trotsky when Stalin airbrushed him out of all the pictures of the Russian Revolution. I feel like the revisionist version of the sexual liberation movement is so stupid and shallow. If the original idea was about self-knowledge, and being orgasmically aware, and large and in charge, and independent, and not pathetically hung up on a man's approval, then the show is a failure." But, she adds, "I take it very seriously. I'm sure the people who make the show would say, 'Lighten up. Susie Bright -- what a pain.'"

posted by iamkimiam at 8:57 AM on June 2, 2008 [1 favorite]

To all the haters, you obviously are the kind that'd need
a bucket of wheatgrass juice.

[ naughty reference for the SATC lovers out there ]

And, last but not least :
Samantha's sex scene at the Firehouse.

'Nough said.
posted by liza at 3:03 PM on June 2, 2008

I saw the movie today, with my mother and sisters. I love the TV show, and was disappointed in a lot of the movie. Meanwhile, my mother, who never really watched the TV show, loved the movie. Color me shocked.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:00 PM on June 4, 2008 [1 favorite]