For those just tuning in, The
Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants is a popular young-adult book series written by Ann Brashares
about four friends who bond over a pair of jeans that magically fits all of
them. Being part of the sisterhood involves rotating the pants to the next
person in line on a weekly basis each summer. But apart from their pliability,
the pants don't seem that magical. In 2005's The Sisterhood Of The
Traveling Pants
and this sequel (largely taken from the series' fourth book), they essentially
play the same role as Dumbo's feather, instilling confidence in girls
navigating a world that isn't exactly designed to build them up.
As before, Pants 2 is essentially four films
in one, each starring one of the leads. And for viewers who have already learned
the obvious lessons—believing in themselves, following their hearts, etc.
etc.—the stories have limited interest. Video veteran Sanaa Hamri directs
with smooth competence, and the leads all go pleasantly through their paces,
but there are no surprises.
Well, maybe one. Where
America Ferrera stood out in the first Pants movie, here the best
moments belong to Amber Tamblyn, whose character has become a boho film student
and spends the summer worrying about a pregnancy scare, then about her
inability to maintain a relationship. Tamblyn nicely balances a confidently
funky exterior with an inner life filled with doubt, capturing the moment when
the safety net of childhood disappears for good. In a movie that's largely
about transitions, she seems the most likely to join Ferrera in moving on to
more grown-up roles. The rest of the movie is never less than pleasantly
forgettable, in a boxed-macaroni kind of way. Alexis Bledel's storyline,
concerning the long-term viability of the first film's summer romance, is a bit
of a dud, but Ferrera has fun playing a character discovering acting thanks to
Shakespeare and an eccentric teacher (Kyle MacLachlan, also having fun).
Meanwhile, Gossip Girl's Blake Lively is saddled with a soppy story that reunites
her with an overacting Blythe Danner as her Southern-belle grandmother. The
film ends by closing the door on future sequels, which is probably fine.
Everyone here looks like they've learned their lesson and can now move on.