Back when "Sex and the City" was just a fizzy HBO television series, half an hour of Carrie and company never seemed like quite enough.

All the fashion! All the hunky men! All the sex talk! Even all those horrendous puns! The candylicious show always left its fans wanting extra servings.

Five long years after the show's finale, we finally get more. A lot more. And maybe, just maybe, it's a bit much.

The movie version of "Sex and the City" is almost 2 1/2 hours long. And while it's refreshing to have a chick flick go over its standard 90-minute running time, that doesn't mean every twist and drama has to be tied up so nicely at the end, you know?

At first, though, there's a giddy thrill in seeing Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha together again and on a big screen.

The beginning of the movie is a bubbly whirlwind of fun: so many designer outfits, enviable Manhattan apartments, even a Vogue photo shoot.

It's enough to disguise things like how the overacting and mugging that went unnoticed on TV feels cutesy in a movie theater.

Adding to the cute is that everyone is seemingly living happily ever after.

Miranda's still in Brooklyn with Brady and Steve. Charlotte is finally a Supermommy to a quiet but very cute daughter from China. And Samantha is monogamous (!) and living with Smith in L.A.

Yes, it's easy to get "Carried Away" (sorry) in the fairy tale because the actresses know how to sell their characters. They look better than ever, especially Cynthia Nixon, who brings a new softness to Miranda.

These women are proof that aging can be glamorous, classy and sophisticated. Plus, it's commendable that Samantha finally acknowledges and embraces her age.

Things, of course, aren't perfect in Carrieland. And we watch the women deal with the harsh realities of life: betrayal, boredom and loss.

And some of the best moments in the film come when Carrie's in pain. "Sex and the City" may know its fashion, but it also knows how to smartly and realistically portray heartache, too.

Not only is the fashion magnified, but so are the sex scenes. These girls still like to have it, and the movie doesn't hold back on showing them - and others - in the act.

Sure, it can get awkward, but not quite as awkward as Jennifer Hudson's role as Carrie's assistant. Hudson does a fine job as Louise, if a little on the sappy side. She's there to appeal to younger audiences, and she does this with her hopeful take on love. But she's also there to address the show's WASPiness, and the addition of a minority character seems too little too late at this point.

Still, "Sex and the City" is not political. Its purpose is to sweep you away in romantic fantasies and Prada wardrobes. And at this, it's extremely successful.

"Sex and the City." Running time: 2 hours, 28 minutes. Rated: R. 2 1/2 stars.

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