After a four-year hiatus the girls (if you can still call them that) of the popular HBO series "Sex and the City" are back for their silver screen farewell.

We meet Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) and Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) right where the show left them.

Carrie and Big (Chris Noth) remain an item, Charlotte is happily married with and adopted daughter to Harry (Evan Handler), Samantha is busy managing Smith's (Jason Lewis) acting career in California and Miranda and Steve (David Eigenberg) are enjoying bliss in the Bronx raising their young son.

The usually sassy dialogue and sexual plotlines of the show give way quickly to some pretty heavy happenings. Now, I'm not talking "Schindler's List" heavy, but fairly serious compared to what occurred in the 30 minutes on HBO.

There's jilting at the alter, a sexless marriage, infidelity, relationship dissatisfaction, pregnancy paranoia and secrets from friends in scene after scene of the nearly two-and-a-half hour movie.

A trip to Mexico contrasts the characters' usual New York setting, and the girls look good with sand under their feet rather than concrete. If only we could all rush off to a tropical paradise after one of our friends suffers a major tragedy...

While Mexico was a nice change of scenery, not all newcomers complimented the movie. The character Louise, Carrie's personal assistant played by Jennifer Hudson ("Dreamgirls"), could have created another endearing platonic relationship for Carrie, but unfortunately Hudson delivered a stale performance. Perhaps, she should stick to singing or movies where she sings - at least then viewers could be a bit more forgiving of her lack of vivacity.

Some criticism of the movie I have heard is the movie is too materialistic. This is true (the first thing Carrie brings into a new apartment is a pair of shoes, and Louise rents designer purses and screams like a banshee when she finally receives a Louis Vuitton of her own). However, this criticism is ridiculous because anyone who has seen the show knows its highlights are mostly men's physiques and designer shoes.

 At one point in the movie, Carrie says she moved to New York looking for love and labels. Anyone looking for anything other than love and labels in this movie will be disappointed. If you want to learn something, go watch the History Channel. If you're OK viewing a whole scene filmed during New York Fashion Week, then you've bought the correct ticket. 

Despite its glitz and rampant consumerism, most women should be able to see a glint of another woman they know in the characters of Sex and the City. If someone can't smile, laugh or cry at a personality trait or circumstance, she should be able to at least roll her eyes at something familiar. I've always considered myself a Carrie - I'm a writer and I would love it if I could afford just one pair of Manolo Blanik pumps.

My suggestion is, if you enjoyed the show, go out with your three best girlfriends to see the film and leave the men at home. The three men in the theater I went to looked absolutely miserable. If you have a girlfriend who likes to work on cars or go fishing, she probably won't like the movie either.

The bottom line is this movie is for girly girls only - no boys allowed.

Grade B

"Sex and the City" is rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language; it has a running time of 148 minutes.