This is will surely be a very fabulous summer for the creators, filmmakers, and stars of the Sex and the City movie. The film is destined to be a huge commercial success, as the series carries a very large, mostly feminine, fan base. Seemingly normal women everywhere have been fanatically counting down the days to the film’s release date, resembling fanboys in their devotion. I think glamourgirls might be a fitting name for these diehard Sex and the City fans. It has been since 2004 that these loyal fans last had a new Sex and the City fix, having to make due off re-runs and DVD box sets to kill the pain of the designer pursed-shaped hole the show’s departure left in their hearts. For these glamourgirls, the Sex and the City movie will surely be a delight, as it contains the spirit, the sparkle, and many of the raunchy laughs that caused them to love the franchise so much to begin with. Unfortunately, while the film is greatly entertaining at times, it is too uneven and poorly paced to truly work as an individual film, instead coming off as several episodes hastily strung together.

Director and screenwriter Michael Patrick King understands that many non-fans, largely in the form of boyfriends and husbands, might find themselves in the audience, and gives a brief synopsis of each character and their past during the opening credits. Soon we see that the girls’ humor is still pretty strong. There are a lot of laughs to be had as the film’s first hour goes by with very few bumps, giving men everywhere hope that they might get out of the film with very little squirming.

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However, as Carrie’s engagement to Mr. Big (Chris Noth) ends, so do many of the film’s best and most entertaining moments. Unfortunately, Sex and the City still has over an hour left in running time. There are still good laughs and memorable moments to be found, but they are much fewer and far between, as the film meanders around its characters inner turmoil, causing many scenes to seem overly long or all together unnecessary. Many of the same crucial plot points, bonding, and jokes could have still been shown even if the film had been thirty minutes shorter.

Oddly enough, while much of the content found in the second half feels worn, the relationship between Carrie and her new assistant Louise (Jennifer Hudson) seems undershown, which is a shame given Hudson’s natural warmth and likeability. At one point, Carrie thanks Louise for helping deal with the fallout of her failed relationship with Big, although we never got too see much of this healing. Instead, Hudson is only in a few scenes, and when Big is brought up, it usually by accident and Carrie just looks sad. Mr. King could have easily taken out some of the redundant scenes devoted to Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) or Samantha’s (Kim Cattrel) troubled relationships and emotional pain, and developed more of Carrie and Louise’s enganging friendship.

Fans of the TV series will most likely not be upset by the film’s often sluggish pace, as they could most likely watch their beloved characters all day long, which I’m sure they have compliments of a season on DVD and some free time. However, for those just trying to earn points with their better halves or curious see what all the excitement is about, will often find many of the Sex and the City’s later moments arduous. If this lastest Sex and the City installment had been divided into thirty minute episodes every several weeks instead smooshed together in a feature length film than many of the slower or unfocused moments wouldn’t seem so chorelike.

It is not surprising that this is Michael Patrick King’s first venture to the big screen after a solid career working on the small screen. Not knowing what to cut and what to leave in is a problem for many first filmmakers. King does demonstrate he still has a great sense of humor, penning many great gags and one-liners for his characters, especially Samantha who once again proves through wit and attitude why she is often the fan favorite.

The Sex and the City movie proves that the girls still know how to make an audience laugh and sometimes cry. Unfortunately, it also shows that the franchise is still best fit for the television in thirty-minute installments, rather than in a one hundred and forty-five minute film.