Sex and The City The Movie. Part Deux.

If you're not a fan of Sex and the City, you probably won't want to read this.

I thoroughly enjoyed the SATC movie, though it had its faults. It was a little long. I thought Jennifer Hudson was miscast. And I found it totally implausible that Big did not find a way to contact Carrie after the wedding debacle (the best part of which was Carrie beating him over the head with the bouquet, and Charlotte mermaid-ing around the car with her funny mean look). But Big's unanswered email the only attempt to communicate? Come. On. I mean, go to her house maybe?

But aside from that, it was great -- the clothes, the dramas, the witty repartee (much of which was Samantha's). The new movie will shoot later this year and come out in 2010. Something to look forward to in bleak times. Presumably Michael Patrick King is putting the finishing touches on the script right about now.

But the moment I read the item on the sequel I thought, "they've got to tone things down." They can't ignore the recession, particularly in New York, ground zero for the financial collapse. By the time the movie comes out, we will have had two years of this and things may be worse, not better. How will they address this?

It's a sticky wicket. We all want the escapism, designer clothes, expensive restaurants, town cars. Though they've taken on serious issues before, it remains to be seen if they'll tackle the recession head on.

So, herewith some plot predictions and possibilities (and dare I say, suggestions?) some but not all of which have to do with hard times.

Career/Money (one in each category):

1) Big had a lot of money with Madoff or in some other insecure investments (isn't he in real estate?) He loses a lot of his fortune. Carrie and he would need to downsize, except one of Carrie's books has been turned into a movie, and it becomes a blockbuster. This upsets the apple cart and is a blow to Big's ego. They go to counseling, which he is of course reluctant to do. Hilarity ensues.
2) Miranda loses her job and becomes a housewife. This drives her crazy. Steve's bar continues to do well and he becomes the breadwinner, despite that fact that most restaurants in New York are hurting and will continue to.
3) Samantha has to close her agency and takes a job in-house at a PR agency. Needless to say, she has an affair with the boss or an associate.
4) Billings are down at Harry's firm because people don't get divorced when there are money troubles. Charlotte goes back to work in a gallery.

Babies:

1) Carrie has a baby. Or maybe, sadly, loses a baby and is devastated even though she was unsure about becoming a mother.
2) Miranda has another baby.
3) Samantha's heretofore unmentioned sister dies and she gets custody of her niece.
4) Big had an illegitimate child he did not know about. Mother appears with child.

Clothes:

1) Patricia Fields throws a little J. Crew into the mix.
2) Carrie discovers that Payless has great patent leather heels for 25 bucks (it's true).
3) Carrie starts her own low-end clothing line that goes bust (also true).

Various and Sundry:

1) Transportation: We see Big on a subway.
2) Charity: Carrie works the soup line in stilettos.
3) Aging: Samantha has a facelift.
4) Abodes: Someone moves to the country (Harry and Charlotte?) but comes back because they hate it.
5) Travel: There'll be some location shooting. Maybe they all go to London for Carrie's movie premier, thereby making room for some nice English cameos.
6) Health: I don't think Samantha's cancer comes back and no one will die. (Given that the first movie grossed over $400 million and they all had points, I think they'll be leaving things open for a "threequel").
7) Romance: There needs to be a bit of dramatic tension here. I think one of their men comes back from the past and stirs things up. Aiden, The Russian, Trey? Or someone new comes into the life of Carrie or Charlotte. Yes, that's it, finger-wagging Charlotte has an affair.

Ok, that's all I've got. Clearly, I have too much spare time. Would love to hear your ideas, readers.

Comments

[Samalabear]

I saw all of the series. By the time the movie came out I was living in the reality of my recession and seriously the fluff didn't attract me anymore. Shallow women leading shallow lives -- it just doesn't do it for me -- but that's me.

Now if they bring some of those script ideas in this blog then it might be interesting. If it is the same, forget it. I'd love to see how these women deal with a real life.

[Feanor]

The movie seemed to only have about half the wit of the show, none of the clever writing that made it so unique, but just cliche piled on top of cliche piled on top of bling... hopefully the next one will be an improvemen­t... i like some of your ideas, especially Harry and Charlotte in the country and Big/Carrie money role reversal..­.

[iheartsmartpeople]

great suggestions! and I completely agree with Paul Katz's suggestion that he consult with the original female writers who helped make the show what it was.

[Paul Katz - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi Val,

You make some great observations here and offer some interesting story tweaks. If I venture a guess though -- it seems that Michael Patrick King thinks of the girls as escapist fantasy for most women. In season 5 of the show, just after 9/11, tough times were mentioned and not in a deep way. The series was mostly "eternal spring" and it had to be hard to mine comedy out of that much dark.

I know these four women are "in his head" but I think he should consult some of the female writers he worked with during the show to find out what they're going through. The series worked so well because many of those stories came right out of the mouths and experiences of those women.

It bugged me that the movies biggest audience laughs came from Charlotte's accident in her pants and the humping dog. The show was WAY smarter than those moments.

I imagine if he talkes to those writers, tough times will spill out of their mouths -- leading to a sequel very close to the one you hope for.

While I agree it wasn't exactly the height of credulity, there are logical reasons Big never goes looking for Carrie outside of email. She'd sold her apartment, and he doesn't appear to be privy to the fact that she bought it back. Also, she tossed her cell in the ocean and her carrier switched her phone number.

[gentlernation]

Charlotte is at her summer cottage and invites Carrie and Big. Carrie is stuck in traffic and Harry is also detained. Only Big makes it up there. There is a terrible thunderstorm, general blackout, and Big and Charlotte have an affair.

[Val Brown - Huffpost Blogger]

tantamount to incest! could they ever recover?!

[gymbunnybee]

Char would NEVER do that!