When May 30th finally arrived, the fab four were back in top-form on the big screen. I went to see Sex and the City opening night amid hundreds of other women...an estrogen fest if there ever was one (except for those unlucky boyfriends that got dragged, and some cute gay guys). The communal experience of sharing this long-awaited and much-anticipated film, and the collective sense of love and appreciation for these four special ladies (love 'em or hate 'em, we've all been watching them for years) made the movie that much more heartfelt, as everyone clapped, cheered and gasped concurrently. The entire cast was back in action, even down to Miranda's nanny Magda.

So, let's talk about what happens. Though Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda are still their predictable, edgy selves, each character grows and changes throughout the course of the film. All except for Charlotte are forced to reevaluate their relationships with men (Mr. Big, Smith, and Steve respectively...Harry seems to be the winner here), as well as their own sets of morals, standards, and personal needs. Samantha gorges herself on food so that she doesn't cheat on Smith, whose career is overhwhelming her life in LA, while Miranda lets the sex go out of her marriage (and has bushy pubic hair to prove it!) and imposes a separation with Steve following his infidelity. Carrie's romantic plight is probably the worst of all (though she gets a little help from a superb new character, personal assistant "Louise from St Louis" played by Jennifer Hudson), while Charlotte is terrified that something will go wrong because she actually has everything she ever wanted.

Forgiveness and honesty are running themes; Miranda is angry at Steve for breaking their trust and the rules of their marriage, yet similar apologies and excuses come out of her mouth when she begs Carrie for forgiveness later in the film. Samantha needs to be honest about the person she has become since beginning her five-year relationship with Smith, and she reuses a classic line from an old episode: "I love you, but I love me more." Charlotte is honest with Big about how much he hurt Carrie, who basically has to piece herself back together (and dye her hair!) after he creates a catastrophic disappointment.

As the nearing middle-aged women continue to grow into themselves and commit to the importance of "me," their friendships remain ever-strong (Samantha even spoon-feeds Carrie when she is super depressed, and Carrie gets out of bed to travel down to Brooklyn on New Years Eve for a night of Chinese food with a sad Miranda). Hilarious moments and situations are balanced by intense displays of emotion (sometimes occurring all at once). As expected, designer fashion is prominent; Carrie poses in multiple bridal dresses for Vogue, all of which are designed by big-names, the women sit in the front-row at a fashion show during New York City's Fashion Week, and Carrie gives Louise a Louis Vutton purse for Christmas...yes, fashion is everywhere! And though I don't particularly care for most of it, the fashion didn't hurt the film or distract from the plot.

Honestly, I was crossing my fingers on this one because I was afraid it would fail me, and I'm pleased to announce that it didn't. The storylines were complex enough (and morally ambiguous on all fronts), the acting was believable (well, Charlotte's adopted daughter, Lily, couldn't act, but she was only three and pretty damn cute!), and though the romance was sometimes sickly sweet, nothing was too ridiculously over-the-top. Here's to hoping that the sequel, whenever it comes out, is just as enjoyable.

-Amy Dupcak