I sat down to watch The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants a few days ago, not expecting much of it and fully intending to work on blog stuff while the film played. But it turned out to be a nice surprise… that even has a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes! In the end, I forgot all about working on other things and concentrated fully on the film. Here’s what I thought.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants trailer
Here’s a quick description if you don’t feel like watching the video:
Bridget, Lena, Tibby and Carmen are four friends who have known each other since birth, as their mothers all met while they were pregnant with them.
The girls are all very different, but they form a close-knit clan. They spend the summer apart for the first time in 16 years, and decide to stay in contact by sharing a pair of magic jeans they find in a thrift store. The pants fit them all perfectly despite their different shapes and sizes.
My opinion
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was a captivating watch! The initial description of the film is simple and, in my opinion, it tends to make you think you’ll be watching a rather ordinary story riddled with clichés. And while there were a few, the overall result was a refreshingly realistic portrayal of young Western women.
They don’t spend their time talking about boys, clothes, parties, make up or how fat/thin they are. Instead, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is full of scenes of girls playing sports, girls making art, girls travelling on their own… These young women are active and proactive, and over the course of the film you see them grow up before your very eyes.
Carmen, Lena, Bridget and Tibby are faced with many obstacles over the course of their young lives, such as divorce, depression and chronic illness. They stick together through thick and thin and provide welcome support for each other, while still standing alone and being independent over their summer apart. One particular sleepover scene – complete with takeaway pizza – reminded me of my teenage years, where your friends are like your family.
The film does not escape a few stereotypical scenes. One of the girls cries her heart out while staring at the ocean and is also a part of a damsel-in-distress scenario where a handsome stranger saves her life. However, the film’s other strengths made up for it elsewhere. The film is well produced, there are many beautiful, lifelike images, and lots of touching, imperfect relationships to sink your teeth into. I also appreciated the inclusion of coming-of-age rites of passage that show that becoming an adult is not always fun or easy.
Have you seen The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? Did you like it?
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