Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 Review

Overall 3.43 of 5 view all 7 reviews

LauraBelle
South Elgin, IL

Obvious In the Beginning, Then Gets Going As It Warms Up

Movie Reviewer, a storyteller, A Big Giant Sap, a believer of fate

Pros

American Ferrera, Great supporting acting talent, Based on book series

Cons

Weak storyline in the beginning

AUG

2008

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 —

I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy or be able to follow along with the story of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, as I've never read any of the book series, and I hadn't seen the first movie. Then I remembered Sex and the City, and thought I hadn't seen any of the series when it was originally airing on HBO, yet went to see the film when it was released back in May and absolutely loved it, prompting me to get caught up on the series by catching the reruns on cable. I hoped for the same thing from Sisterhood, but that wasn't exactly what I got.

Not that the movie didn't provide me a chance to get caught up to the storyline, as it did. It showed us the status of where the four main characters, Carmen, Bridget, Lena, and Tibby had been last time, and showed a quick review of what they'd been up to since, all in college and pursing their individual dreams. They reconnect on summer break with the intention of spending the summer with each other and the shared pair of pants, but find they all have their own things to attend to. Bridget is going on an archaeological dig, Lena is attending a summer art class, Tibby is having to get caught up with schoolwork over the summer, and Carmen decides to go to Vermont to work backstage in a production of Midsummer Night's Dream.

Even if they hadn't provided me with background and a quick "Where are They Now," I still would have caught up pretty quickly, as the movie seems to follow about like that for at least the first half in a very obvious way. It almost seemed pointless to sit and take notes in the theater. But eventually, halfway through, the movie finally began to reach me emotionally. The odd part about that, though, was that it wasn't the main characters that were reaching me. It was the minor characters. I wouldn't have expected that from an unknown like Shohreh Aghdashloo playing the archaeology professor, but I did expect it from Blythe Danner in the part of Bridget's long lost grandmother.

America Ferrera (Carmen) was noticeable as well, but not exactly with her acting skills. She has a certain quality that lights up the screen and automatically draws your eyes to her. She plays a character that is rather plain Jane-ish, but we can't be fooled. She stands out above any of her costars, reminding me somewhat of Jennifer Hudson overshadowing Beyonce in Dreamgirls.

I wouldn't call Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 a top notch movie or my favorite, but I liked it enough to recommend it, just barely. If I only judged on the second half, it would be a 4 star, and if I only judged it on the first half, it would be a 2 star, so I'll split the difference and give it 3 stars.