Yesterday, Variety reported that New Line Cinema and HBO are closing the deal for a film version of HBO's popular series Sex and the City .
Sarah Jessica Parker and company are all set to reprise their roles, with the series' executive producer Michael Patrick King directing a script that he wrote.
Here's the question: do we really need a celluloid version of the ladies, sexing it up in a bigger version of the city? I'm annoyed. The series wrapped up after a long run and resolved all the lingering questions, including the "Big" question. It became a cultural touchstone. What else really needs to be said?
Here's why it bothers me: Hollywood and the creative minds behind Sex and the City could put their financial and creative energies behind an original idea. There are tons of them out there. Stop drawing from the same old story well.
Thoughts?
-- Angela Carone produces arts and culture programming for These Days and Culture Lust . Please read our guidelines before posting comments.
Jessica
July 05, 2007 at 08:07 PM
I could not agree more!
I think it's rare to feel that the conclusion of a multi-season series wraps up in a satisfactory way - and SITC managed to pull it off. I don't find myself wondering what Carrie and Mr. Big are up to these days. There's no burning curiosity about the family life of Charlotte and Harry, or Miranda and Steve. And Samantha and Smith are off my radar entirely.
SITC now seems so symbolic of the zeitgeist of the early 00's...and frankly, we've all moved on.
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Jerry
July 06, 2007 at 12:39 AM
Hi Angela,
Great blog.
I really agree with your post. The American mainstream movie industry has gotten quite uncreative. Look at the movies hitting theatres this summer - Shrek the Third, the third installment of the "Pirates" franchise, Harry Potter (a sequel based on a book), Live Free or Die Hard, and Transformers (a movie based on a cartoon from the 80s).
It's harder and harder to find a movie with a halfway original premise. But until people stop going to retread movies in droves, studio execs will keep on greenlighting them!
Carolyn
July 06, 2007 at 06:38 AM
I never saw the original, but did catch a couple of episodes after the series retired. Wasn't my cup of tea. I think one had to be of a certain generation and age to value such trivial fare. NOT funny -- just pathetic!
A film seems like a good idea ONLY because it puts some under-employed, niched actors to work. I can not imagine that it would be a film worth my time, but I've been wrong many times.
Charleen Sertz
July 06, 2007 at 05:41 PM
As long as movies are the ATM of the industry, creativity will take a far second place to the size of the withdrawals.
Shelli
July 13, 2007 at 08:06 PM
I saw a lot of the shows, initially I thought they were too vapid for me. But over time I realized the girls had changed over the seasons and became more like real people. I admit I don't react to life like any of them except maybe the character Carrie and Miranda. And a lot of times I thought Carrie was an idiot with men, and totally out of sync with how men think.
But Hollywood is a money making machine, and this is what Americans buy, so why not make some more dough on it? This is what they are thinking and they always will, people's choice awards are more key than critics choices. Not everyone is a Sundance or iFilm person. I'm a huge fan of Landmark myself and I love indie but I can see how Sex and the City can make a lonely girl out of her element feel at home with some "Friends" when watching the show.
I like what HBO creates, if it were a 6Feet under movie, I'd see that too.
