Written by Jennifer
March 28, 2009
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants really demands two ratings—one for junior high aged girls, and one for adults.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants really demands two ratings—one for junior high aged girls, and one for adults. For the teens and tweens, I'd give the movie 6 slices. It's well done and worthwhile, but not life changing. For adults, I'd go with 4 slices. It's cute and watchable, but essentially unmemorable. I guess I'll split the difference and give it a qualified 5.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants reminded me more of an After School Special or Wonderworks production than a feature film, but I'm glad to see that somebody is still trying to provide literate entertainment for young people. The Sisterhood is the story of four lifelong girlfriends who find a magical pair of jeans in a secondhand store. Inexplicably, the pants fit all four girls perfectly, so they decide to share them, even if it means mailing them back and forth. For the first time in their lives, they will all be separated for the summer, but the pants keep them in constant contact.
While apart, the girls have very different adventures, and each learns a great deal about herself. A charming summer romance in Greece brings Lena (Alexis Bledel) out of her shell, but Bridget (Blake Lively) uses sex to fill an emotional void in her not-so-charming summer fling. After a lot of hair tossing, strutting, and blatant flirting, Bridget finally lures her soccer coach out to the beach for a night of passion on the sand. She gets what she wants, but still feels empty and confused when it's over. Deep down she's still mourning her mother's death, and it can't help that she goes all the way with a guy who looks like Sam Rockwell in a blond hobbit wig. Ewww! That said, it is kind of refreshing to see the actions of a teenage sexpot portrayed realistically. As much as she tries to objectify herself, Bridget actually is a real person under that perfect body and blond hair.
Meanwhile, Carmen (America Ferrera) is spending the summer with her father in South Carolina. She plans lots of quality time with him, only to discover that he's planning to marry a woman she didn't know existed. I wanted to like Carmen, and her story should be compelling, but I still found it exaggerated and melodramatic. Her insensitive father and his perky WASPish fiancee (Nancy Travis) are one-dimensional stereotypes, and poor Carmen is forever making an issue of how Puerto Rican she is and how large her behind is. No one at her dad's house can possibly understand what it's like to speak Spanish or have curves, so Carmen throws a rock through the window and heads home to her mom. It's nice that she tries to iron things out with her dad, and I see where they were going with her biracial heritage and body issues, but they really hit you over the head with it all.
Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) is the only member of the sisterhood to spend the summer at home. She gets a job at a WalMart-like store, and befriends a young girl named Bailey (Jenna Boyd). These unlikely friends spend most of their their free time making documentaries together. This was the most interesting story for me, partly because I have a soft spot for Jenna Boyd. She has such onscreen presence for a child actor, and Bailey is a funny little pistol. To top it off, they give her leukemia, and it just about rips your heart out. Tibby is the most jaded of the girls, and the relationship with Bailey teaches her to be more compassionate. Their story lends emotional weight to the otherwise typical teenage drama.
Most importantly, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants shows girls rallying around one another and supporting each other in spite of the distance between them. It is this message of friendship that redeems the movie, and makes up for the some of the not-so-interesting storylines. With any luck, it will make young girls appreciate the value of unconditional love and bring sisterhood into style.
