The girls are back in town.

The “Sex and the City” movie certainly delivers, returning Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York and Samantha Jones to audiences everywhere.

The film centers on Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker,) the heart and narrator of the series and her four girlfriends. Bradshaw is now a published author thrice over and has finally landed the man of her dreams, Mr. Big, or John James Preston (Chris Noth) as he is fully identified in the film and is preparing to marry him.

Her three friends have also seemingly found happiness: Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is supposedly content in Brooklyn with her son, Brady and husband, Steve (David Eigenberg); Charlotte (Kristin Davis) still lives on Park Avenue with her husband, Harry (Evan Handler) and adopted daughter Lily; and Samantha (Kim Cattrall) has moved on to Los Angeles with her star client and live-in boyfriend, Jerry “Smith” Jerrod (Jason Lewis.)

Parker and Nixon are the only ones given any true meat of story to work with. Their characters are both forced to deal with relationship dilemmas. Carrie’s difficulties are palpable as Parker subtly portrays, and Nixon truly conveys her character’s dilemma with her well-delivered performance.

The other women’s stories left much to be desired. Samantha finds that she’s bored with monogamy, a story progresses too slowly, doesn’t speak to the character development shown on the series or to Cattrall’s talent. Cattrall is given little to do during the film and her character’s relocation is greatly responsible.

Charlotte is living a truly blissful existence, having everything she ever wanted during the series in the film. She has it all, and fears when it will go wrong, as it had for her friends. Although her story is not as gripping as Carrie’s or Miranda’s, Davis does well with the material she is given.

The girls have grown up. Even Carrie is less narcissistic, although her plotline certainly warrants her much right to be. Miranda is softer, Charlotte wiser, and even Samantha makes responsible, adult decisions.

Jennifer Hudson also stars as Carrie’s newly hired assistant, Louise “from St. Louis,” a pun of Carrie’s which became massively grating. In her first moments in the film, she seems to be too earnest for her own good, explaining to Carrie during her job interview she moved to New York “to find love.” The character eventually grows on the audience, and it is good for a show centered in as diverse of a place as New York to finally add a character of a different race.

There were two gags (a fart joke and a dog’s desire to mount inanimate objects) during the film that were entirely out of place and frankly, disturbing. They would be better suited for an Adam Sandler film rather than “Sex and the City.”

The film was rather gluttonous. The fashion was excessive, but at the same time, understandable; one of the pillars of the series was its commitment to fashion and waves of trendsetting. If the series was going to come to the silver screen, it’s expected and even acceptable that such indications of wealth and high society were littered across the screen. Another example of the gluttony was the length: 2 hours, 22 minutes. Diehard fans will savor every moment; however, during some slower lulls in the film, audiences can’t help but check their watches.

Despite a few weak moments and jarring jokes, “Sex and the City” is a quality film. It gives fans what they’ve been waiting four years to see. And the familiarity is the best part of all. Fans will feel as though they are meeting up with an old friend once more.

Three and a half stars

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