Enlarge Warner Bros. Pictures The sisterhood: Amber Tamblyn, left, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Blake Lively are in college now. SUMMER MOVIE GUIDE By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY The saga of the well-worn jeans on the move continues to be a warm and pleasantly diverting tale.
With the quartet of girls now in their in the beginning year of college, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (* * 1/2 out of four) is more of a coming-of-age story than its 2005 predecessor, tackling more mature subjects. However, for all its moments of believable dialogue and persuasive emotional truths, it also has some fairy-tale scenarios. But that’s almost a textbook exact statement of the meaning of a chick flick, so it doesn’t interfere much with the film’s appeal. And the performances of the four young women, particularly plucky America Ferrera and sardonic Amber Tamblyn, are likable and often charming.
Lifting the story a notch are the additions of serious actresses in key roles, such as Blythe Danner as Bridget’s (Blake Lively) grandmother and Shohreh Aghdashloo as her mentor on some archaeological dig.
Family plays a greater role. Ferrera’s character, Carmen, is coping with her mother having a baby. Tamblyn’s Tibby has her own trauma revolving on every side motherhood, and Lena’s (Alexis Bledel’s) story is expanded to include her junior sister’s feelings of exclusion from the jeans-wearing club.
The girls all are embarking on their chosen paths — filmmaking, art, theater and archaeology — and attending prestigious colleges. The movie alternates betwixt their professional pursuits and the girls’ yearning for romantic connections. In other words, the film has lots of cute guys, another requirement for a satisfying chick flick.
Lena, who attends the Rhode Island School of Design, strikes up a romance with a handsome fellow student (Jesse Williams). Carmen, attending Yale, takes a theater work at jobs in Vermont and meets a young, witty British actor (Tom Wisdom). Tibby, at NYU, takes her friendship by Brian (Leonardo Nam) in a new direction and writes a screenplay. Bridget, on a soccer scholarship to Brown, takes a trip to Turkey, where she stumbles on personal revelations along with relics.
Their friendship feels authentic, but the finale doesn’t ring true. It seems little more than a crazy moped montage with sun-bleached Greek isle Santorini as a backdrop.
Still, watching the sequel is like stumbling on a pair of jeans and realizing they still fit comfortably. (Rated PG-13 for mature material and sensuality. Running time: 1 hour, 51 minutes. Opens today nationwide.)
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