--- title: "Sex and the City: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/sex-and-the-city/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/sex-and-the-city" critics_score: 49 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Sex and the City (2008): what the critics said Critics' score 49 from 14 reviews: 3 positive, 6 mixed, 5 negative. The reviews are mixed to negative, with praise clustering around the familiar friendships and the pleasures of seeing the cast together again. Several critics find the women’s shared scenes more convincing than the central romance, and Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon receive particular praise for their emotional work. Even some less enthusiastic reviews acknowledge the reunion’s appeal to established fans, alongside moments of humour and enjoyment in the costumes. The recurring complaints concern length, thin storytelling and the sense of a television episode stretched beyond its natural size. Critics also question the emphasis on shopping and men, though the disagreement is unusually wide: the Los Angeles Times finds a mature, funny portrayal of complicated middle-aged women, while The Guardian dismisses the writing and performances as crude and mechanical. Fashion itself divides opinion, supplying visual pleasure for some and evidence of dispiriting materialism for others. ## Los Angeles Times — Carina Chocano Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 30 May 2008. The critic finds the film emotionally realistic, mature, and consistently funny, praising its willingness to explore serious themes while remaining a comedy. She especially highlights its nuanced embrace of middle-aged women as funny, independent, complicated, and sexual. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-sex30-2008may30-story.html) ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2008. The critic finds the film a satisfying, heartfelt continuation for fans, though its storytelling and treatment of male characters disappoint. They single out the cast’s intimacy, especially Parker and Nixon’s performances in the darker scenes. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/sex-city-movie-review/) ## The AV Club — Genevieve Koski Rating B-. 29 May 2008. Koski finds it an enjoyable, fan-focused continuation that feels more like an oversized TV episode than a fully realized film. She praises its snappy dialogue, good-natured humor, and visual fun, while criticizing its unwieldy pacing and focus on Carrie. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/sex-and-the-city-1798204366) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page was blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No specific praise or complaint is available from the page content. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sex-and-the-city-2008) ## Radio Times — Stella Papamichael Rating 3/5. The review finds the friendships more resonant than the central love story, despite too much attention to fashion. It praises Sarah Jessica Parker’s infectious whimsy and the ups and downs between friends. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-agbajy/sex-and-the-city-the-movie/) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 3/5. 27 May 2008. The three-star rating suggests a mixed verdict. The visible description praises the original show’s improvement over time and appeal beyond gossip. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/sex-and-the-city-1) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 2/4. 29 May 2008. Gonzalez sharply criticizes the film’s materialism and its reductive portrayal of women. He praises Miranda’s more grounded storyline and the emotional work it gives Cynthia Nixon. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/sex-and-the-city/) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 2/5. 30 May 2008. The critic finds the film sentimental, overlong, and too insular to win over newcomers, though fans may enjoy revisiting the characters. They complain that it is short on laughs and has barely enough story for a feature-length film. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/sex-and-the-city-the-movie-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Michael Rechtshaffen Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2008. The critic finds the film overlong and less sharp than the series, unlikely to expand its audience beyond devoted fans. The four leads’ performances and the costumes are singled out as pleasures. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/sex-city-movie-review-125779/) ## Variety — Brian Lowry Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2008. Lowry finds the film half-hearted, overlong, and too much like an episode stretched to feature length, though the reunion offers pleasures for fans. He praises the smaller moments, especially the women’s scenes together and Charlotte standing up for a friend. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2008/film/reviews/sex-and-the-city-6-1200522435/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 29 May 2008. Lane finds the film a joyless, insulting fantasy that reduces its characters to consumerism and the pursuit of men. He particularly condemns its lavish focus on designer clothes and possessions, alongside its dismissal of working motherhood. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/06/09/carrie) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 5/100 (inferred from the text). 20 September 2008. Kermode delivers a scathing verdict, arguing that the film is a cynical, lifeless cash-in. He particularly criticizes the crude script and the cast’s mechanical performances, saying the clothes do the acting. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/sep/21/dvdreviews.comedy) ## Eye for Film — Chris Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 30 May 2008. The critic finds it an enjoyable, pleasant diversion but ultimately superficial and not a particularly good film. Jennifer Hudson’s charismatic performance is singled out for praise, while the characters’ dependence on men draws criticism. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/sex-and-the-city-film-review-by-chris) ## /Film — Zach Lawrence Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 1 June 2008. Lawrence finds the film neither bad nor good, describing it as an overlong episode that leaves him unsure whether he liked it. He singles out Samantha as the funniest and most entertaining part. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/499418/sex-and-the-city-review-a-mans-perspective/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/sex-and-the-city.md