On Screen / Linda Cook

Movie review: 'Sisterhood' ages gracefully

By Linda Cook | Friday, August 29, 2008 | () comments

From left, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Blake Lively star in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.” (Warner Bros. Pictures) Buy this Photo

“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2”

3 stars

Running time: Two hours

Rated: PG-13 for sexual situations.

Stars: America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel and Blake Lively

Director: Sanaa Hamri

Packed with emotions and the angst of growing up, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2” fits an older audience than the first movie.

That’s because the four friends are no longer girls — they’re young women. And the struggles they face in their late teens are timeless situations that millions of real young women must deal with.

Based on the wonderful writing of Ann Brashares, the second, and quite possibly final, episode in the story of the friends’ lives begins with a brief flashback to the first film from 2005. Now, three years have passed, and the buddies are earning educations in various ways (not all of them in the classroom).

Carmen (America Ferrera) feels alone. Her mom is having a baby and uprooting them from her home. Carmen feels completely left out of the process, so she decides to head to Vermont to work backstage at a theater festival.

Lena (Alexis Bledel) is taking a course in painting in Rhode Island, while Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) is attending summer school in New York. Bridget (Blake Lively) goes on an archaeological dig in Turkey. Once again, several of them find themselves in the company of nice-looking young men. Lena’s predicament is especially funny because she finds herself drawn to the nude model whom she’s expected to sketch.

The jeans still pass from hand to hand and hip to hip as they are mailed back and forth. But the emphasis isn’t on the magical pants, which, as you may remember, beautifully fit each of the young women despite their different builds.

But the focus isn’t so much on the jeans as it is on the changes in each woman’s life. They all share one problem: It’s sometimes tough to stay in touch when you’re physically removed from your friends.

Each of the pals faces a force from her past as she tries to determine the best course for her future. Some discover hidden talents, others find hidden support from surprising sources and they all discover that they can’t face growing up alone. They’re going to need each other more than ever before, in fact.

For those of us who enjoyed the first movie, it’s so much fun to see the friends reunited. This film will serve tweens and older females especially well because it handles some adult topics in a sensitive, compassionate manner. That means it’s definitely not for the little ones, however.

Go ahead: Wear your favorite pair of jeans and take your best friends. You’ll be sharing a tear or two before you leave the

theater.

Linda Cook reviews movies for the Quad-City Times and KWQC-TV. Contact her at lcook@qctimes.com. Comment on this review at qctimes.com.