That said, Carrie was much more likable in the movie than she had become by the end of the series. I still didn't love her, and she still was selfish in many ways, but she did show some concern for someone other than herself a couple of times. (Though she also spent a portion of the movie moping in bed as if she had an actual illness, which is hard for me to forgive. If you have to be spoon-fed by someone, you should have a better reason than Carrie's; for fear of spoiling anything, that's all I'll say.)

And Samantha (Kim Cattrall)? Well, Samantha somehow became my favorite character in the movie. I still loved Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), who was always the smartest and most cynical of the foursome and thus my favorite throughout the six seasons of the series. But somehow sex-crazed Samantha snuck up on me in this movie and really won me over. Good for Cattrall for showing the producers how smart they were to hold out for her and give her the money she sought to be in the film.

Another big problem of the SATC movie has to do with that 2 1/2-hour length. It's WAY too long, especially considering how little the plot moves. And they added a lot of needless elements, and even Jennifer Hudson's character -- a real highlight in the movie, by the way -- feels tacked on, coming into the film at least an hour in. Her character made a difference and developed a dear friendship with Carrie, but it felt rushed considering how much time was given to less important things like, I don't know, a faux fashion show in Carrie's closet.

There is also the stumbling block of trying to retain the essence of the half-hour show while also looking like a big, mainstream movie. This worked better in some ways than others. They stuck to their origins with the four women at the core of the series also being the core of the movie (with the exception of Kristin Davis's Charlotte, who was relegated to a less-than-supporting role here), but they also tried to give it a rom-com storyline wherein the only thing that matters is these women's relationships. I mean, sure, it's called Sex and the City, but the crux of the show was never that these ladies had to be coupled or they would DIE! But that seems to be, for at least a large chunk of the movie, how some of them feel. That's straight from the pages of "How to write a romantic-comedy," not from the usual Sex and the City playbook.

That all said, there were glorious moments. Funny, perfect SATC moments that made me remember why I'd grown to love this show so much all those years ago. Charlotte has an especially funny line -- surprising considering how boring she is for most the film. And Samantha has even more and better zingers than usual.

Ultimately, though, it will disappoint the most fervent fans of the series, because it's not as much as a season on TV, but it's trying to be more. It's overly long and bloated, but still doesn't have as much as you'll want. Sort of like ice cream: It won't ever really satisfy your needs, but you'll still feel sick to your stomach after eating a gigantic bowl of it. It's not really the movie's fault, though: That's the burden of turning a hit series into a movie -- it can't be everything to everyone, so most people will walk away a little disappointed. I cried and laughed and would be happy to watch it again, but I'm still firmly in the camp of "a little disappointed."

That doesn't mean I'm not holding out for that Arrested Development movie, though. Heck, I'd even head to the multiplex on opening day to see a film version of Friends.

Because, yeah, it's probably impossible to recapture all of the magic of a TV series on the big screen, but even a little glimpse of that magic is worth it to those of us who once upon a time made weekly appointment television with the ladies of SATC.