‘Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants 2′ Enchants Young Women Everywhere
‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2’ brings to life the close bond of friendship between friends. Before you start thinking that everything is great with these girls and they get everything handed to them - think again. In the movie the girls must face the same problems and complications that many of us are forced to face in our own live bringing the movie to a more realistic level.
This is the sequel to the ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pant’ based on the novels by Anne Brashares. In the movie four best friends share a remarkable pair of blue jeans that seem to fit each girl despite their difference in appearance and somehow helps them to accomplish what they need. Whether the jeans actually perform miracles or simply boost the wearer’s self-confidence is a moot point; for teenage girls, the latter is akin to the former.
Screenwriter Elizabeth Chandler, who also penned the first “Sisterhood” installment, wisely hews close to the formula that made the previous movie a success, and director Sanaa Hamri (“Something New”) keeps things moving at a good clip. This is an ensemble piece, but the young stars are each entrusted with a complete, largely individual story arc, a challenge they handle with various degrees of success.
Watching the adventures unfold you see the film belong to that rare breed: movies whose sole focus is a largely realistic iteration of evolving, empowering female friendships. That’s not to say there aren’t boys on the scene; in fact, there are plenty of exceptionally cute, smart, kind guys to be had—in the life drawing class, onstage in Vermont and even in Manhattan’s West Village.
But while the romances are great fun to watch, they never take over the movie, even in their most dramatic, angst-ridden moments. And while there’s an element of fantasy to much of the movie, serious issues, including teen pregnancy and mental illness, lurk beneath the surface.