Friday, May 30th 2008 is a date that my close girlfriends and I have been looking forward to for months. Since leaked trailers and snippets for the Sex and the City move started popping up online in February, we have been glued, analyzing every tiny detail and possible scenario for the four heros, Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda. Since March, it had been decided that we would all see the movie together the first day it came out and make a whole night of it, dressing up and heading for dinner and drinks and pretending we were on the streets of New York instead of Chicago. Knowing the shows would sell out, I signed up for email alerts from Fandago.com to let me know when tickets became available for purchase online and did so the same day I received my alert.

So after much speculation, including rumors of a possible death (we had it pegged that Samantha's cancer would come back or Big would suffer a heart attack), and anticipation, we all met and prepared to head out for the night.

The restaurant we chose was walking distance to the theater, a nice corner Italian restaurant in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Even with our reservation, we had to wait for our table, which was jammed in the corner next to the rest rooms. The room was filled with chatty girlfriends drinking specialty cocktails (lots of cosmos), no doubt just from or on their way to see the movie themselves. Indeed, as I looked around the restaurant, I noticed that there was one only 1 male patron in the entire place!

We paid our bill and made our way over to the theater about 30 min. before the scheduled 10:20pm show time. The experience that followed was slightly surreal.

As we approached the doors to the theater and began to smell that sweet, buttery popcorn aroma, I noticed signs on every door announcing that all 10 shows of Sex and the City for that night were 100% sold out. As we made our way to our theater number, we were separated and bombarded by hords of women making a beeline through double doors for a 10:45 start time, and then saw a line of women camping out for seats outside for an 11:10 viewing. After seeing the masses for the later start times, we realized that arriving 30 min. early for the showtime was not early enough to ensure a decent seat. Once through the doors, the exuberance in the theater was like none I'd seen before, at least in person. It reminded me of television shows I've seen about the crazy lines and crowds at the opening days of Star Wars movies. The room was filled with females gossiping away at each other and taking posed pictures next to the movie screen, in the aisles, in their seats, anywhere, and everywhere. Every woman in the theater looked like us, dressed to the nines, wearing their cutest dress and shoes, trying to imitate the Carrie Bradshaw lifestyle. A few, hopefully integrating the movie into the celebration of their 21st birthdays, were wearing plastic princess crowns with flashing lights and pink and purple fur! Disappointed, we took the last remaining seats, in the 2nd row, and prepared to strain our necks the entire movie.

Once the previews began, the chatting did not subside as in normal movies, but only increased as the excitement in the room began to grow. Finally, the screen went blank and flashed the white letters "HBO". At last! The talking ceased, and the theater was silent. Until suddenly, 2 seats to my left, one "princess" with a particularly obnoxious tiara echoed throughout the theater, "IS EVERYBODY READY?????" To which the crowd burst into applause and cheers. I sunk down in my seat and hoped that no one in theater thought that I was friends with this "princess."

Even with the annoyance, and the horrible seats, we were fully prepared to enjoy ourselves. Except, the movie wasn't funny. The characters were overdone, exaggerations of the people they had been on the series. Samantha was especially blunt and horny. Charlotte was overly bubbly. Carrie's clothes obsession mowed you over like a freight train. The only character that didn't seem like a characture of the original was Miranda, though she did have her moments when she would remind the girls that she, "ahem, has a JOB, remember?" I also don't recall any music and dance montages like the 80's themed display as Carrie cleans out her closet and the girls grade what items she should take with her to her new pent house with Big. I felt like I was a watching the "Sweetest Thing" with Cameron Diaz...

The Big/Carrie plotline was 100% predictable, with everything being revealed in the previews. Michael Patrick King really owed the viewers more than just another merry-go-round with Big's committment issues. We've seen that just one too many times already. And maybe I would've felt more sad for Carrie being jilted at the alter if her wedding dress had been beautiful and didn't involve a bright blue bird in her veil. Once they, of course, reunite, Big says his first proposal wasn't romantic. But neither is his second, in a closet with no ring, but instead a Manolo.

The character Louis, played by Jennifer Hudson, made things interesting, but does anyone wonder how Carrie is able to afford to buy back her condo, pay the salary for her personal assistant, and completely redecorate her condo, while continuing to shop?

Charlotte's storyline was a little weak. She finally gets pregnant, and she's very happy in her marriage to Harry. But, though she's in a few scenes, her adoptive daughter Lily isn't a topic of much discussion eventhough it's certainly had to have been a huge change for the family.

Samantha meanwhile has moved to Los Angeles with Smith and is unhappy that her life is now revolving around him. She is also tempted by the sex life of her neighbor, who reminder her of her old self. She does everything to keep from sleeping with him including buying a dog and eating to no end. In the end, after 5 years, and finally having a healthy relationship, Samantha just ends it the same way she tells her cheating ex- Richard Wright, "I love me more." IThey try to portray Samantha as single, 50, and "fabulous" in the end, but it's really just sad. Seems to me her life was more fabulous WITH Smith.

Miranda's story was at least more believable and closer to the feel of the series. We very abruptly learn, with almost set up, that Steve cheats on Miranda (this was predicted from the previews). We never learn who, when, or exactly why other than that it has something to do with the fact that they are both busy with work and Brady (seriously is that kid's name Brady Brady?) and haven't had sex in 6 months. Cold-hearted Miranda has no sympathy or interest in forgiving Steve and they separate for months until, in one of the very few heart pulling moments of the movie, they reunite on the Brooklyn Bridge. Something that is also upsetting was the focus on Carrie and her selfishness. Miranda has been with Steve almost as long as Carrie has been with Big. They have a child together and have actually been married for years. After Steve's infidelity, Miranda's marriage is presumptively over for most of the movie, yet the only person who we are made to feel sorry for is Carrie as she mopes about her "honeymoon" in Mexico either drunk or sleeping. But, Miranda is supposed to be helping "poor Carrie" feel better while feeling guilty herself for making a snide remark to Big at the rehearsal dinner.

After so much anticipation, the entire experience and movie were quite the let down. The series finale left each character getting exactly what they needed. Carrie finally found true love with Big. You assume that they will be together forever and get married, but I really didn't need to see it. Charlotte got her baby from China. I didn't need to see her give birth to her own child and have awkward moments with her adoptive daughter. Samantha finally learned to love and be in a relationship. Smith was so good to her. Through her chemo and cheating with Richard, and every possible obstacle she threw at him to push him away, he loved her and was there for her. And she finally had to admit that she loved and needed him. I didn't need to see her brutally dump him, because she's horny over the neighbor and then just become single and "fabulous." Miranda's cold heart finally melts. She admits that Steve is the man for her, that she will move to Brooklyn because it's best for her family, and she helps Steve's alzheimer's stricken mother. I definitely didn't need to Steve cheat on her!

You owed us more SJP, Michael Patrick King, and Candace Bushnell!