A big fan of the series when it was on, I’ve been looking forward to the movie ever since the last episode aired. Last night, as my girlfriends and I did what many women did, dressed up, consumed cocktails, and eagerly attended the movie, I felt like I was witnessing a part of history. I’ve never been part of the frenzy of any other movie opening, never purchased tickets in advance or slept on a sidewalk to save my place in line, so this was a unique taste of what I’ve seen some of my friends do to attend the movie opening of “Star Wars” or some comic book hero, except in a less-geeky, fashionable sort of way. I’m sure in the history of cinema, there has never been such a large gathering of predominately women at a movie. Girlfriends used the movie as an excuse for an evening of bonding. At least seventy percent of the women I saw were dressed up, and some made an extravagant night of it by renting a limo, two of which were lined up in front of the theatre.

We envy and admire the characters from “Sex in the City.” We all want girlfriends who are close to us like those characters are to each other, friends who are supportive and available no matter what is happening in our lives, or more importantly, in theirs. Those of us who don’t live in New York City live in a world of urban sprawl where we’re spread out from our family and friends, further exacerbating the problem of how to have regular social interaction in our already time-crunched society. In our busy world, it’s hard to find time to get together once a month, let alone once a week. Even if we could allocate an hour a week or every day, we’re not set up so that we’re able to just pop down to the coffee shop a mile down the road. Any outing to gather our favorite people involves distance and requires at least a portion of an evening unless we all happen to live in the same neighborhood.

Another thing that’s unique about the characters in “Sex in the City” is that they each represent a different experience of being a woman, each with her own sensibilities, ranging the spectrum of cynical to innocent, liberal to traditonal, and yet despite their differences are still able to connect and appreciate each other for who they are. Don’t we all want accepting friends like that, who can tolerate our differences instead of pulling out the magnifying glass and focusing on what they perceive as our flaws.

“Which one are you?” one of our girlfriends asked last night. We all claimed to be Charlotte. Either it’s who we think we are inside or who we most want to be. Only one of us admitted to being wholly Samantha, though again, wished she were more Charlotte. I, myself, have identified with all the characters at one time or another, each representing how I’ve felt or acted during different chapters in my life, the distinction of which I will leave for your imagination.

I have mixed feelings about the movie. I can’t explain why, but perhaps it was because it was a different experience watching the four women on the big screen than in the intimacy of my living room. Watching a movie in a theatre has its own charms and some of what I loved best about being at the premiere was sharing in a few moments that one can only have as part of a theatre audience. I love noting how an audience responds to different scenes, particularly this one in which the audience was uniquely, almost entirely female. At a couple of scenes that must have typified a male perspective, we could hear the distinctly deep laugh from any of the five men in the audience.

Nothing was better than hearing the start of the theme music at the beginning of the movie. During the series, each week those cheerful notes signaled the beginning of forty minutes of some of my favorite television ever. Like hearing “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” or a certain part of “The National Anthem,” like any music that takes us instantly back to special moments in our lives, the theme music to “Sex in the City” elicits a subtle feeling of happiness in me, an “Oooo.” I’m obviously not alone in this because as soon as the theme music started, the entire theatre audience applauded enthusiastically. We also applauded at the end, in appreciation of a long-awaited movie and at a few “You tell ‘em girl” scenes in between. Those are the moments you can’t have in the privacy of your living room, the feeling that you’re part of a shared cultural experience.

All the actresses were gorgeous, as usual, but most especially Sarah Jessica Parker who is beautiful with an enviable muscular body despite what some may say in the most uncharitable and unkind magazine, to whom I won’t give further credit by naming. The plot of the movie managed to remain light, largely humorous throughout despite the adversity that follows a few characters for the duration. Though I enjoyed it, the movie somehow lacked the poignancy of the series. I was expecting at least one scene to move me the way the series did, something akin to my favorite scene from the entire six seasons when Harry finds Charlotte at synagogue and proposes. Perhaps I’ll think differently when I watch the movie again on DVD, in the quiet of my home without other distractions.

Last night was as much about female bonding as it was about seeing the movie. We counted only five men walking out of our viewing that ended at 1:30 a.m. I will certainly be making more of an effort to bond with one of the women in our group. She casually mentioned that one of the Bunko friends from her neighborhood is the sister of Jason Lewis. Guess where I hope to be hanging out come the holidays when families gather together from across the country. Maybe someone from Hollywood will be my ticket to a dinner with Cal and Brooks. I can hope, can’t I?

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