A Guide to Exactly How Sarah Jessica Parker Does It in Every Chick Flick

In this week's new chick flick I Don't Know How She Does It, Sarah Jessica Parker -- she who had sex in the city, a bastion of modern female fabulosity and our generation's go-to, couture-sheathed screen heroine in heels -- attempts to solve the plight of the 21st century woman once more as Kate Reddy, a wife, mother of two, and financial analyst for a high-powered investment firm trying desperately to juggle "it all." How many times do co-workers and colleagues ask her how she "does it?" A lot. That's how much she's doing. But it's not the first time SJP's put her plucky feminine know-how to use in the movies to solve the routine problems of the modern woman.

Ed Wood (1994) (Not a chick flick, but still -- see how she does it! Groan...)

Character: Dolores Fuller

Challenge to Overcome: Boyfriend doesn't keep his word, is holding her back from her career, wears her angora sweaters.

How Does She Do It? Dumps his ass.

Life Without Dick (2002)

Character: Colleen Gibson

Challenge to Overcome: Her boyfriend (whose name is Dick, get it?) is cheating on her.

How Does She Do It? Accidentally-on-purpose shoots him with his own gun. Problem solved!

The Family Stone (2005)

Character: Meredith Morton, an uptight exec

Challenge to Overcome: Being stuck with her boyfriend's family for the holidays.

How Does She Do It? By having a near-total meltdown, falling for another man, then picking up the pieces.

Failure to Launch (2006)

Character: Paula, an expert who specializes in hooking live-at-home men into fake relationships in order to make them move out of their parents' houses.

Challenge to Overcome: Tripp (Matthew McConaughey), a well-adjusted live-at-homer who resists her "therapy."

How Does She Do It? By falling in love with her emotionally-crippled charge.

Smart People (2008)

Character: Dr. Janet Hartigan, who falls for her former college professor (Dennis Quaid)

Challenge to Overcome: He's a self-involved asshole, and she's pregnant.

How Does She Do It? Leaves him without telling him the news, waits for him to come to his senses and reunites with him to co-parent twin babies.

Sex and the City (2008)

Character: Carrie Bradshaw, New York columnist extraordinaire

Challenge to Overcome: Left at the altar when Mr. Big gets cold feet.

How Does She Do It? Takes her honeymoon to Mexico anyway with her three closest girlfriends before Big realizes the way to a woman's heart is through a giant Manolo-filled shoe closet.

Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009)

Character: Meryl Morgan, successful Manhattan real estate agent

Challenge to Overcome: Marriage to Paul (Hugh Grant) is in shambles due to mutual infidelity and workaholism

How Does She Do It? Reconnects with equally douchey husband while forced into hiding in a small town in the country, where surviving bears and a hitman reignites their love. Ugh.

Sex and the City 2 (2010)

Character: Carrie Preston (nee Bradshaw)

Challenge to Overcome: Marriage to Big is now too boring! Mustn't... cheat.. with Aidan... in Abu Dhabi!

How Does She Do It? She cheats on Big, but then feels bad about it. They make up when Big buys her a new diamond ring. Wait, what?!



Comments

  • Charles says:

    How does she do it? She uses a triple combo hand-on-hip, tilt-of-head, sardonic crooked grin move. There. I just saved you dredging through several clips of some truly awful movies. You're welcome.

  • bib fortuna says:

    I curse the aliens in Mars Attacks! for not de-nose-enating her instead of decapitating her. Would have helped her career.

  • casting couch says:

    By the title, I thought this article was going to be about the stallion mounting her from behind "How does she do it?".