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Back Shelf Beauties
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Sisterhood Of Once or twice a year, I find myself sitting in a movie theater where I am the only male. Luckily, a bunch of 14-year old girls and their mothers are more courteous than the typical movie audience, which makes for a pleasant moviegoing experience even when I am watching a Junior Female Friendly Film like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (AKA Steel Magnolias with Training Wheels). This one wouldn't be my first choice for a night out (Unless it would impress a beautiful lady. Then, I'm all for carrying the tissues), but it's surprisingly engaging even for a man's man like me. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is the story of four teen girls in Bethesda, Maryland (DC suburbs Holla!) who have known each other their entire lives and supported one another through good times and bad. Tibby (Amber "Bring Back Joan of Arcadia!" Tamblyn) is the rebellious renegade of the group who is making a documentary about the utter dreadfulness of life, while she spends the summer working at a chain, big box department store that's not supposed to be Wal-Mart (my lawyers are happy I inserted the "not supposed to be" part). Lena (Alexis Bledel) is the prissy, shy, reserved princess who is off to spend her summer in Greece (proving, once again, beautiful people take batter vacations than the rest of us). Bridget (Blake Lively) is the group's heartbroken protector who will be spending the summer at a Mexican soccer camp. Finally, Carmen (America Ferrera) is the girl whose parents got divorced when she was young, so she will be spending the summer with her father in South Carolina. Before separating, the four go to a local thrift shop and find a mystical pair of jeans that somehow fits each of the girls, even though three of them are waifishly, movie star thin and Carmen is normal sized. They make a pact to share the jeans throughout the summer, and write letters to the others explaining the adventures they have in the pants. What amazing, life-altering experiences will each young lady have while wearing the traveling pants? Don't most life altering events happen when you're NOT wearing pants? Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a likable movie I can stomach, while young ladies and their Moms will be ecstatic to share some special moments together they couldn't at a movie like Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Writers Delia Ephron and Elizabeth Chandler (based on the novels by Ann Brashears) present four stories not only unique to women, but universal to anyone who has loved, lost, felt overwhelming pain, enjoyed friendship or needed a helping hand. While all four adventures hint at deeper and more complex details not presented in the film (I guess they are in the book), Ephron and Chandler throw out little details here and there that make the script deeper than a simple, one-dimensional story. Of course, of the four plots, two are more cliché (Lena's summer in Greece comes complete with the hunky foreign guy with a heart of gold and a Roman Holiday motor scooter, while Bridget chases after a pretty boy soccer coach who stands as the embodiment of metrosexual, puppy dog, non-threatening suitor), but Tibby's and Carmen's adventures are touching, full of emotional upheaval and so realistic most will be able to identify. Thankfully, Tamblyn and Ferrera have the acting ability to make the stories work. Ferrera is wonderful as Carmen watches her dream summer turn into a horrible nightmare. Hopefully, she won't always be labeled as "the fat girl" in movie roles because she finds Carmen's inner pain and anger and shows it to us without the typical immaturity and whiny tone of a young actor. Ferrera lets the pain and anger mix, coming out in that way we all wish it wouldn't when we finally confront what it is that has caused it. Meanwhile, Tamblyn is one of the most natural and easygoing actresses I have seen. She delivers Tibby's stinging one-liners with subtlety and shocks us as she delivers the best performance in the most heartbreaking scene in the film (the one you bring the tissues for). Granted, you can see the climax of her story coming from a mile and a half away, but Tamblyn still finds a way to touch us as Tibby confronts the unavoidable ending. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is rated PG, but feels more like a PG-13 to me. It's an emotional movie dealing frankly with subjects young teens confront much more often than an 8-year old. 2 ½ Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2005 - WaffleMovies.com
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