Sex and the City: the Unrevealed Movie Secrets

Sure, the ladies of Sex and the City live a lavish lifestyle we can only dream about. But before you decide your lifelong goal is to live in a penthouse apartment on Fifth Avenue à la Carrie and Big, note that in reality even these two posh-living partners probably wouldn't be able to afford such a luxurious residence. Seeing isn't exactly believing, as Us Weekly points out in its issue:

For starters, the Mexican resort the gals travel to, in what is supposed to be Carrie and Big's honeymoon, is a far cry from Mexico — all of the scenes were actually filmed in Malibu.

Another faux aspect of the film is Carrie's book Love Letters From Great Men. The letters themselves are real, but good luck finding the book. Turns out, the compilation was created solely for the film.

And did you really think Kim Cattrall would dare pack on a whopping 15 pounds for her role as Samantha? Nope, a body double was used during scenes with close-ups of her belly.

As for shopping dollars spent, prices in the film probably add up to a lot more than you might expect:
* Carrie and Big's luxury Fifth Avenue apartment: $25 million
* Louise's Louis Vuitton Monogram Motard Firebird bag (a gift from Carrie): $5,400
* Carrie's 18-karat gold H.Stern Love keychain (a gift from Louise): $6,800
* Renting a room for five hours at the New York Public Library with a 375-person capacity: $30,000
* Carrie's "vintage" white silk crepe suit from Christian Dior 2008 Cruise Collection: jacket, $3,785; skirt, $2,215
* Carrie's made-to-order Vivienne Westwood wedding gown: $22,760

In the end, it looks like the only people who can actually afford such luxuries aren't the film's characters but the actresses who play them.