SEX IN THE CITY

Three years and a few botox injections later, the gals of Sex in the City return to reprise their roles as the sluts we've grown to love; Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha. Although the movie is about 2 1/2 hours long, you barely even notice that the time has passed because this movie takes you on such an emotional ride that it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Just as in real life one may find themselves in sticky situations of heartbreak, laughter, love and regret, Sex in the City lures you into fantasies of Vera Wang and Fashion shows then SNAP you're back to the world of disappointment and disbelief from your grueling reality.

You're thoughts will race, your heart may pound, you're gut will drop, you might find yourself covered in goosebumps and you may even shed a tear watching this film - but trust me when I say this - you will feel something.

Forget the rumors you've heard about Miranda turning gay, Samantha getting engaged or Carrie bumping into Aiden. Those are all ploys to get you to see the movie, but by all means you should see the movie!

Although these gals are still the same hot mess we've grown to love (or get annoyed by), I'd have to say there still are quite a few surprises, even for the avid Sex in the City viewer. And if you aren't a Sex in the City watcher, you still won't be out of the loop because there is a brief introduction of the characters and their former clips of the show in the beginning of the film to keep you up to speed.

While Miranda and Charlotte pretty much stay the same, their challenges and hopes come to surface in the movie.

Charlotte (Kristin Davis) finds that she may have one good egg left in that body of hers, while Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) can't seem to find the time or libido to keep her marriage bed busy.

But the real shocker is Carrie and Samantha.

As shown in the trailer Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) does become a bride to

Mr. Big (Chris Noth), and being the fashion icon of the series of course she gets the wedding fantasy of her dreams by being enlisted as the "40 Year Old Bride" in a designer wedding gown spread in Vogue magazine. The challenge she faces, of course, is the same old road she's been down before with Mr. Big - cold feet.

While Big is definitely ready to spend the rest of his life with Carrie, he still struggles with the pressures of a big wedding and the embarrassment of his former two failed marriages. Instead of offering her a ring, he gives her a closet the size of my living room - which while that shows their relationship has definitely grown, it is still missing a little bit of that thing all us sappy gals love - romance.

But to my surprise co-dependent Carrie finally grows some balls and grows up a little with the help of her new assistant Louise from St. Louis (Jennifer Hudson), a young woman who rents designer purses and came to New York wide eyed and hopeful for love.

Saucy Samantha (Kim Catrall) tones it down a bit and actually becomes domesticated. But when the long working hours of boyfriend Smith Jarrod (Jason Lewis) and the steamy new neighbor of Samantha (who's sex life is the equivalent of Samantha's pre-Smith days) tempts and tortures her - she turns to two distractions; food and a furry new friend who has a bad case of the humps.

Think Samantha in canine form.

Having adopted a pooch and a with a poochy middle of her own, Samantha flies back and forth from Hollywood to New York to consult the guidance of her ever supportive gal pals.

Other than that, the girls are pretty much the same.

Miranda's still a cynical bitch, Charlotte still lives in a prissy fairytale land, Samantha's still a sex addict and Carrie's still got a bad shopping habit.

I mean, let''s face it. When you buy Louis Vuitton bags and $500 Manolo Blahnik shoes but can only afford to eat Cup O' Noodles and have duck tape holding your cell phone together - you know you've got a problem.

So one may wonder did the film live up to the reputation it's show had for so long?

With my stomach in knots from empathy and stitch in my side from laughing so hard, I'd have to say absofuckinglutely. Yeah, so what if it's a chick flick? There are some cornball parts but we all know Sex in the City has it's cheesy moments anyway.

While the show Sex in the City was definitely a treat, Sex in the City the Movie was the icing on the cake.

I give it four martini's straight up!

Overall rating: Four stars (out of four)

- Mia Carlin