Sex and the City ( *** )

May 29, 2008 6:56 p.m. EST

140 minutes

In theaters May 30, 2008

Rating: R, Comedy-drama

Bond. Dames bond.

That's the essence of the TV phenomenon that was and is Sex and the City, which now makes a relatively graceful jump to the big screen in all its campy and vampy glory.

The movie, Sex and the City, emerges from the hit Emmy-winning TV series of the same name, which was loosely based on the New York Observer columns of Candace Bushnell. It ran from 1998 until 2004 and then beyond in reruns, and could probably be considered the foremother of Desperate Housewives.

And although the movie is certainly aimed directly at fans, it doesn't disenfranchise newcomers.

It's still about the friendship and romances, as well as the fashions and finances, of four modern women in a romanticized New York City, but they're now a bit older -- each in their forties -- with a different set of concerns. And even though some of them have started families, they pretty much comprise their own family, an impression the script reinforces by never -- even when it defies probability -- showing us any of their parents or siblings and virtually never showing any of them at work.

Carrie and Company remain gal pals in designer shoes, but they're also a lot more domestic, more settled, than they used to be: two are now moms or moms-to-be; one is healthy after battling an illness; one might be headed down the aisle. (If you were a fan, you know who's doing what; if not, you'll now find out.)

The film briefly and immediately catches us up on where the characters left off when the series exited. Then it picks up four years later. Which it is out here too.

Essentially, whereas SATC was about the search for love, SATC is about what happens after it's been found. The focus now is not on looking for love, but living with it. Sarah Jessica Parker, also a producer, stars as Carrie Bradshaw, a writer working on her fourth book and no longer cranking out her weekly newspaper column.

Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, and Kim Cattrall return as, respectively, Miranda (now in Brooklyn), Charlotte (still in New York), and Samantha (in Los Angeles), with Jennifer Hudson joining the cast as Carrie's personal assistant. The triggering event: Carrie is finally going to walk down the aisle with the on-again-off-again love of her life, Mr. Big (Chris Noth).

So it's a fairy tale set in glittery Manhattan. But life intrudes. Enough said.

Writer-director Michael Patrick King -- who wrote, produced, and directed for the series and here makes his feature-film debut -- offers a screenplay that spans a year in the lives of the four fab fortysomethings. It's as if he's strung half-a-dozen episodes together, but skillfully interwoven them into one narrative. And he makes sure to include some sly, just-deserts objectifying of men in this high-profile female-driven movie that knows its target audience's concerns.

Although King needs well over two hours for his materialistic romcom -- there is, let's face it, an orgy of product placement -- it never bogs down and ends up justifying what sounds like a bloated running time. But, although the pacing isn't exactly snappy, the mix of light and dark tones holds together nicely.

As for his dialogue, it's confidently arch and witty, and delivered with natural ease by Parker, who wears this role like a second skin. She's ably supported by Cattrall and Nixon, both on target, and the overly mannered Ms. Davis.

I would say that if you loved the TV show, you'll at least like the movie. If you liked the TV show, you'll at least tolerate it. If you absolutely hated the TV show, however, well, don't get your hopes up about this bittersweet comedy even though it's both funny and touching.

It's your loss. In the summer of the muscular superhero, Sex and the City represents a refreshingly femme-driven and fashion-conscious alternative.