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WARNER

SERIES INFO

Created By:
Darren Star
Cast:
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis
Writing Credits:
Various

Synopsis:
Four female New Yorkers gossip about their sex lives - or lack thereof - and find new ways to deal with being a woman in the big city.

MPAA:
Rated TV-MA.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
French Dolby 2.0
Subtitles:
English
French
Dutch
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
English
French
German
Castillian Spanish
Dutch
Chinese
Latin Spanish
Portuguese

Runtime: 2988 min.
Price: $179.99
Release Date: 11/2/2021

Bonus:
• 18 Audio Commentaries from Writer/Executive Producer Michael Patrick King
• “Inside Sex and the City” Featurette
&bull “Meet the Cast” Featurette
• “The Writers of Sex and the City” Featurette
• “The Fashion of Sex and the City” Featurette
• “Real New Yorkers” Featurette
• “Behind the Scenes with Patricia Field” Featurette
• “Museum of TV & Radio Seminar Series” Featurette
• 2 “Farewell Tribute” Featurettes
• USCAF Writers' Panel Discussion
• Deleted Scenes/Alternate Endings
• Two Feature Films


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RELATED REVIEWS


Sex and the City: The Complete Series and 2 Movie Collection [Blu-Ray] (1998-2010)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (November 18, 2021)

Back in 1998, HBO launched a new series called Sex and the City, and it became a near-immediate sensation. Across six seasons, fans enjoyed the social adventures of Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), a Manhattan journalist whose newspaper column deals with the ups and downs – and ins and outs – of life as a single woman.

In addition to Carrie, City focused on her three closest friends. We also spend plenty of time with romantic, innocent overachiever Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), sex-obsessed older PR agent Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) and cynical lawyer Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon).

City lasted 94 episodes on HBO and then spawned theatrical films in 2008 and 2010. This 2021 package brings fans all six seasons as well as the two movies. The big screen features already appeared on the format, but the cable series makes its Blu-ray debut here.

With nearly 100 shows, I find too much to watch and finish this review in a timely manner. As such, I’ll pick a few episodes per season for discussion and also link to extended thoughts about the feature films. The plot synopses come from the series’ official website.

SEASON ONE:

Sex and the City: “Carrie and her friends vow to start having sex like men.”

Well, that’s a terse summary! It works fine, though, as the pilot acts mainly to introduce the characters and themes.

I went into Season One never having seen an episode of the series, but I watched the two movies, so I knew where the characters would end up down the road. In that sense, it seems nearly remarkable how much of their journeys we see presaged right off the bat.

As an episode, the pilot seems perfectly serviceable. It establishes the series’ format and tone well and kicks things off with a little mirth, though its need to offer exposition limits its charm.

Secret Sex: “Carrie thinks that Mr. Big (Chris Noth) is keeping her a 'secret,' while Miranda discovers a sex secret about her new man.”

After the basics of the pilot, “Secret” manages to show pretty good development of the characters. It also finds some interesting notions about relationships that feel reasonably honest, with a dash of laughs on the side.

The Baby Shower: “A baby shower for Laney (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) - a wild-child-turned-soccer-mom - gets the girls thinking about their futures.”

At least by the time of the movies, the characters turned into cartoons, but so early in the series, they still feel reasonably honest. “Shower” helps move them along in compelling ways without resorting to too many cheap gags – even though the “stolen baby name” borrows from Seinfeld.

Oh Come All Ye Faithful: “Carrie wonders where things are going with Mr. Big after meeting his mother (Marian Seldes).”

Season One concludes on a moderately dramatic note, as the Carrie/Big situation adds more of a serious tone. As usual, her pals compensate with semi-wacky shenanigans. This turns into a fairly effective finish to the year.

SEASON TWO:

Take Me Out to the Ballgame: “Carrie dates a 'new Yankee' after her break-up with Big.”

It seems pretty obvious Carrie won’t get over Big anytime soon, but “Ballgame” explores her post-Big life pretty well. It stretches baseball terms and analogies a little too whimsically, but it still comes with reasonable entertainment value.

They Shoot Single People, Don’t They?: “Carrie thinks she likes being single. Meanwhile, Miranda fakes an orgasm”.

Given the show’s title, we know not much will come from the characters’ attempts to enjoy single life. Some good moments result – and a brief appearance from pre-fame Bradley Cooper.

Twenty-Something Girls vs. Thirty-Something Women: “Carrie and the girls deal with age disparities in the Hamptons.”

As a horribly superficial 50-something man, I fully appreciate the appeal of 20-something women… to a degree. As great as they can look, what in the world would I talk about to any of them? What I have in common with their fathers?

“Women” looks at this from the female POV and it finds mostly clever and amusing ways to pursue the topic. While I could live without the incessant Big-related melodrama, the show works – especially because it’s fun to see Charlotte act the fool for once.

Ex and the City: “Mr. Big tells Carrie that he and Natasha (Bridget Moynahan) are engaged; and Samantha meets Mr. Too Big (John Enos III).”

As one with more than a few exes in my past, I can say this: yes, exes can remain friends… if things never got that serious. Past a certain point, it becomes tough, if not impossible.

“Ex” explores this topic pretty well. It throws out enough comedy – mainly via Samantha’s escapades – to lighten the tone while it also hits home nicely.

SEASON THREE:

Easy Come Easy Go: “After a shocking revelation, Carrie and Big fall into old habits, leading to a night of passion.”

I have to admit I kind of wish we could go through some Big-free spans, though that might become a dream that never reaches fruition. That said, Carrie’s new beau annoys me, so maybe a Big return would be a good thing.

In any case, “Go” offers a fairly involving tale, though it seems a little less invigorating than the episodes from Seasons One and Two. We do find some interesting guest actors, though, with Bobby Cannavale, Kyle MacLachlan and Frances Sternhagen in tow.

All or Nothing: “Aidan (John Corbett) finally says those three words, leaving Carrie guilt-ridden about her affair with Big.

Carrie should feel no guilt due to how intensely irritating Aidan is. I might wish for some Big-free time, but not if that means more Aidan. “All” manages pretty good momentum, at least.

Running With Scissors: “Carrie's affair with Big puts a strain on her relationship with Aidan -- prompting her to seek out advice from the one person she knows will lay down the law: Miranda.”

With every new episode, we come closer to Aidan’s eventual departure, and that excites me. I like the bits where Samantha meets her male counterpart, and Miranda’s confrontation with a dude in a sandwich costume seem oddly amusing. The scenes that deal with Charlotte’s wedding seem tedious, however.

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: “As Miranda tries to find a date for Charlotte's wedding, she decides to tell a little white lie.”

Aidan’s still here - ugh. Issues related to the wedding work pretty well, though, especially when Miranda enjoys an unusually goofy story line in which she pretends to work as a flight attendant to land a date. Despite Aidan’s presence, “Tell” mostly works well.

SEASON FOUR:

The Agony and the 'Ex'-tacy: “Miranda's single life becomes a joke while Carrie's birthday party is a bust.”

Kudos to Kyle MacLachlan for the willingness to take on such a sexually flawed character. The part about Samantha’s sexual fascination for a religious figure seems bumbling, but the rest of the show works fairly well – even if Carrie’s birthday party failure becomes painful to watch.

The Good Fight: “Carrie finds herself more cramped than cozy when Aidan moves in with her.”

Oh no – Aidan’s back. Crap.

In addition to that problem, “Fight” tends to feel a bit more soap opera than usual. Not that it becomes a bad episode, but it lacks the easygoing charm that suits the series best.

Change of a Dress: “Samantha's relationship with Richard (James Remar) has her considering monogamy.”

Carrie agreed to marry Aidan? Bad.

Carrie doubting this choice? Good.

I know it won’t happen, but the notion gives me hives as bad as it does Carrie. At least she reconsiders this, and that helps make this a generally good episode.

I Heart NY: “Mr. Big makes a move that leaves Carrie considering what might have been.”

S4 comes to an end with suitably important developments. In most series, Miranda’s baby would act as the major shift but here we get Big’s move west as the largest element. Like much of S4, “Heart” veers more dramatic than earlier years, but enough comedy occurs to leaven the load and turn this into an effective show.

SEASON FIVE:

Anchors Away: “Carrie decides that her one true love must be New York City.”

After the major events of “Heart”, “Away” lightens the mood – mostly. It still gets into a bit of melodrama, mainly in the ways it follows the topics from S4, but it manages more comedy. The show balances these two pretty well and moves along character components in a positive manner.

Plus One Is the Loneliest Number: “Carrie's book-launch party becomes a major New York event.”

With a guest spot from Amy Sedaris, more comedy than usual seems probable. However, Sedaris plays too small a role to bring this to fruition.

That said, “One” comes with an easy-going vibe and some good laughs, and the guy Carrie meets seems like the best match for her so far, even if they don’t formally connect n this episode. This turns into a better than average show.

The Big Journey: “Carrie's much-anticipated weekend with Big ends in a surprising reversal of roles.”

Given the disappointment they encounter, the train trek brings a lot of ironic fun. Charlotte’s indulgence with lumpy lawyer Harry Goldblatt (Evan Handler) feels contrived – opposites attract! – but the show still works, and a guest spot from Molly Shannon helps. I like the expansion of Big’s role as well, for “Journey” gives him a conscience not previously revealed.

I Love a Charade: “The girls head to the Hamptons for a memorable wedding.”

A guest spot from Nathan Lane enlivens “Charade”, as he plays a gay man who pretends to be straight. The actual Hampton scenes fare a bit less well, though at least we find hot topless women, so there’s that.

SEASON SIX:

To Market, To Market: “Carrie believes her 'stock' has risen thanks to a hot date with new flame Jack Berger (Ron Livingston).”

Although Season Five boasted a mere eight episodes, Season Six goes crazy. It split into two parts and spanned 20 shows.

We kick off with various character developments – except for Samantha, who remains horny and single as ever. It moves along themes pretty well, though if I never see another shot of Handler shirtless, it’ll be too soon.

Great Sexpectations: “Despite steamy public foreplay with Berger, Carrie discovers it's a lot colder between the sheets.”

The episode feels decent but unexceptional. We find a particularly acceptable show but not one that excels, even if Miranda’s TiVo obsession amuses.

Boy, Interrupted: “Carrie rekindles an old flame, and while it’s definitely hot, it’s just a little too heavy. Meanwhile, Charlotte enjoys the sport of dating, but only as a spectator.”

Hey – Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell appears here! As a major Spice Girls fan, that becomes a bonus.

It seems weird to see David Duchovny as Carrie’s high school boyfriend, as he’s five years older. Of course, it’s a TV show, so I shouldn’t regard age so explicitly, but it still feels odd.

That theme doesn’t really seem great, but I like Samantha’s shenanigans at the exclusive pool. I could live without the cliché antics of the characters’ gay pals, though.

One: “Carrie has an unexpected rendezvous in the exotic world of art. Meanwhile, Samantha goes to great lengths to preserve her youthful appearance “down there.””

The main addition here comes from Mikhail Baryshnikov as Aleksandr, as he becomes Carrie’s new love interest – and indeed her final new love interest of the series. At least as seen here, the relationship doesn’t get off to a good start, as the two seem far too contrived and “meet cute”.

“One” plays it more serious than usual in other ways. It feels unsurprising that the series would turn more dramatic as it pushes to the end, but “One” makes these moments less convincing than I’d prefer.

Footnote: the performance artist seen here looks an awful lot like Jennifer Aniston – so much that I assumed it was her. However, when I searched online, I found no confirmation of this – and since Aniston said in 2008 that she didn’t like Sex and the City, I guess it wasn’t her. Which seems like a shame, as this would’ve been a cool cameo.

Let There Be Light: “Carrie struggles to 'keep it light' after spending the night with Aleksandr.”

My City-obsessed friend hates Aleksandr, but she also loves Aidan, so I question her judgment. I kind of get her attitude, though, as Aleksandr seems like a contrived TV invention more than a real character.

Like most episodes, “Light” mixes comedy and melodrama. Some of this seems leaden but enough of it works to make this a decent episode.

Splat: “Carrie considers a foreign concept posed by Aleksandr - and watches the life she used to know fly out the window.”

I’m starting to see why my friend doesn’t like Aleksandr, as he seems smug and jerky. I mean, I get why Carrie goes for him, as he’s handsome, sophisticated and exotic, but he feels too much like an arrogant d-bag.

Guest appearances from Wallace Shawn and Kristen Johnson add to the show, as does the return of Candice Bergen. On its own, “Splat” feels inconsistent, but it manages to push us toward the series finale in an efficient manner.

An American Girl In Paris: “Carrie moves to Paris to be with Aleksandr, but finds things not quite as she expected.”

The series concludes with a two-part episode, and that seems like a suitable way to end matters – well, to end until the movie in 2008. Not that I think anyone knew in 2004 that they’d leap to the big screen four years later, though.

Inevitably, “Paris” leads toward major melodrama, as Carrie departs the US and finds herself torn between two lovers. No spoilers, but this ends exactly as one would anticipate.

“Paris” leans heavily toward melodrama, without much comedy on display. I guess that seems logical for a series-ending episode, though I think it seems a bit ridiculous that all four of the leads go through huge, life-changing events all at the same time.

No, it doesn’t surprise that the series winds up with major developments, though I admit I would’ve found something more low-key refreshing. Still, we get a decent sense of resolution – at least until…

…2008’s Sex and the City: The Movie. The film doesn’t flop, but it revolves around little more than fashion and melodrama and occasionally feels like self-parody.

2010’s Sex and the City 2 fares even worse, as it becomes complete self-parody. Even serious fans of the show seem to dislike this inane effort.


The Disc Grades: Picture B/ Audio B-/ Bonus B

Sex and the City appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though erratic, the episodes usually looked pretty good.

Shot on film, sharpness generally appeared positive. Some softness interfered at times, but the shows mainly came across with reasonable to good clarity.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects materialized, and I saw no edge haloes. A few tiny specks popped up along the way, but the episodes mainly lacked source flaws.

Colors opted for a fairly natural sensibility, and they came across pretty well. While the hues didn’t leap off the screen, they seemed reasonably dynamic.

Blacks felt pretty deep and dark, while shadows offered adequate delineation. Again, the shows never excelled in terms of visuals, but they gave us largely appealing elements.

Note that on a handful of occasions, it appeared that the Blu-rays needed to come from a video source and not the original film. This occurred a few times with the Star Trek: Next Generation Blu-rays, as those involved couldn’t always locate the source. This happened very infrequently here, but I thought I should mention it.

Also note that the Blu-rays altered the original aspect ratios of the TV series, as those ran 1.33:1. I’d prefer the original 1.33:1, but the framing felt fine throughout the series.

Given the era in which the series ran, it may have been “protected” for 1.78:1. Plenty of TV shows in the late 1990s/early 2000s knew that 1.78:1 would soon become the standard so they framed in a way to minimize image loss when cropped from 1.33:1 to 1.78:1.

Given the series’ emphasis on characters and comedy, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio of Sex and the City felt fairly low-key. Music showed nice spread around the room, and effects played a modest role.

Street scenes and parties offered the most obvious use of the side and rear channels. These created a decent sense of locations but given the emphasis on comedy and romance here, they didn’t get a lot to do.

Audio quality appeared more than sufficient, as speech seemed natural and concise. Music felt warm and lush.

As noted, effects lacked much to do, but they came across as accurate and without much distortion. The shows offered acceptable audio.

Note that the picture/audio comments above relate solely to the TV episodes. Because I reviewed the two movies separately, please click those links to examine my thoughts on their visuals and sound. (To summarize: I gave the first flick “C-/C+” for picture/audio, while City 2 got “B/B-“.

As we head to extras, Season One comes with Inside Sex and the City, a three-minute, 52-second featurette that offers comments from actors Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, series creator Darren Star and director Susan Seidelman. It acts as a preview for the series, so expect a lot of promo fluff and no real substance.

On Season Two, we get Meet the Cast, an eight-minute, 25-second piece with notes from Parker, Star, Nixon, Davis, Cattrall, and actor Chris Noth. They bring general thoughts about actors and characters, so don't expect much substance.

Across Seasons Three through Six, we get audio commentaries for 18 episodes. All of these involve executive producer/writer Michael Patrick King, and they accompany these episodes:

“Easy Come, Easy Go”, “All or Nothing”, “Running with Scissors”, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, “The Good Fight”, “Change of a Dress”, “I Heart NY”, “Anchors Away”, “Plus One is the Loneliest Number”, “I Love a Charade”, “To Market, to Market”, “Great Sexpectations”, “Boy, Interrupted”, “One”, “Let There Be Light”, “Splat!” and “An American Girl in Paris” Parts 1 and 2.

Across these tracks, King discusses story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, music, photography, costumes, and related domains.

For the most part, King brings us engaging chats. He delivers a nice array of insights, especially in terms of how the series develops and explores the characters.

On the negative side, King lathers on too much praise and self-congratulation, as he often tells us how innovative and creative and unique the series is. Despite that trend, King’s commentaries offer enough useful material to make them worth a listen.

With Season Three, The Writers of Sex and the City fills three minutes, 53 seconds and brings info from Star, King and writers Jenny Bicks and Cindy Chupack. They tell us a little about the screenplay process in this short but reasonably interesting clip.

The Fashion of Sex and the City goes for three minutes, 23 seconds and features designer Vera Wang and costume designers Patricia Field and Rebecca Field. They tell us a little about the characters’ clothes in this moderately useful reel.

Next comes Real New Yorkers, a two-minute, 28-second clip in which host Karen Duffy talks to a mix of alleged “real New Yorkers”. They tell us why they like the show, so expect a lot of fluff.

Season Five offers Behind the Scenes with Patricia Field, a 21-minute, 28-second program that presents comments from the costume designer. She leads us through some of her choices for the series in this informative program – especially for people like me who know zero about fashion.

A bunch of video pieces accompany Season Six, and Museum of TV & Radio Seminar Series delivers a 32-minute, 34-second reel. It features Cattrall, Parker, Nixon, Davis, and King.

They cover characters/story elements as well as how the actors got their roles and other domains connected to the series. Not a lot of revelations emerge, but it seems nice to get the leads together in one place.

Two Farewell Tributes appear. The first goes for 26 minutes, 30 seconds, while the second spans 25 minutes, 55 seconds.

Across these, we hear from Parker, Davis, Cattrall, Nixon, Noth, Star, King, Bicks, Field, author Candace Bushnell, producers Jane Raab and John Melfi, writers Cindy Chupack and Amy B. Harris, actors Anne Meara, Blair Underwood, Amy Sedaris, Mario Cantone, Ron Livingston, Willie Garson, Dabid Eigenberg, Dean Winters, Bobby Cannavale, Evan Handler, Jason Lewis, James Remar, Molly Shannon, and Kyle MacLachlan, and celebrity fans Alanis Morissette, Kathy Griffin, Judy Gold, Heidi Klum, Star Jones, Cheryl Hines, Dave Chappelle, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Ivanka Trump, Narciso Rodriguez, Manolo Blahnik, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Federico Castelluccio, Steve Shcirripa, and Jamie-Lynn Discala.

The “Tributes” offer some series-related insights, but mostly they act as love letters for the series as it concludes. If you don’t expect much from them, you might enjoy them.

A USCAF Writers' Panel Discussion runs 48 minutes, 32 seconds and includes notes from King, Parker, Bicks, Chupack, Harris, and writers Julie Rottenberg, Elisa Zuritsky, and Liz Tuccillo.

As expected, the show covers domains related to the writers and their work. This becomes a frothy chat, one without tons of real insights. Nonetheless, it offers a lively discussion of different areas and seems enjoyable.

Three Alternate Endings appear. These go for 48 seconds, one minute, 10 seconds, and one minute, 22 seconds, respectively.

One of these just restates elements from the “actual ending”, but the other two go down significantly different paths. These appear to exist to throw tabloid snoops off the scent and keep the “actual ending” a secret. They’re interesting to see – especially the ones that veer far from the existing finale.

We also find 10 Deleted Scenes. These occupy a total of 11 minutes, 32 seconds and come from various episodes across the series’ entire run.

Nothing especially valuable appears, but they offer some entertainment. It feels like they could’ve found more than 10 cut sequences over six seasons of the show, though.

A major hit and a cultural sensation, Sex and the City holds up surprisingly well more than two decades after its debut. Even for someone far outside its target audience, I can find charm and wit in this mostly engaging series, though don’t expect much from the flawed feature films. The Blu-rays offer largely positive picture and audio along with a long roster of bonus materials. Fans should enjoy this quality representation of Sex and the City.

Viewer Film Ratings: 3 Stars Number of Votes: 1
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Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Main