Great cast overcomes 'Sisterhood' shortcomings

I was the oldest person in the movie house and the only male in the audience. But this film – based on the popular novels by Ann Brashares and aimed at adolescent females – offers a lot for anyone who likes a good story. Overall I have some misgivings – it’s too long and sometimes goes a bit too far into the “made for TV” realm – but the scenes that work, work well. And the ensemble cast is a treasure trove of actresses to keep your eyes on.

“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” reminds me of the 1988 film “Mystic Pizza.” I picked actress Lilli Taylor as the up and coming star of that film, and she’s done some great work since then. The other first-time performance in “Mystic Pizza” was by Julia Roberts. I missed the boat there by a long way. I still stand by the conviction, though, and think Taylor is a great actress. Roberts is a movie star.

We’ll not pick anyone in “The Sisterhood” as the next big thing. All of the leading ladies do fine work, and while I have a favorite, they all hold their own. Important for an ensemble film, they support each other in every scene. That’s a feat which big-name movie stars are not usually capable of achieving.

The intriguing item of clothing in the title – the pants – is not utilized as much in the film as it apparently is in the novel.

The setup is this: Four girls, best friends, are shopping one day. While they are of four entirely different body sizes and shapes, they find a pair of jeans that somehow fits them all perfectly.

Each of the girls is heading in a different direction for summer, and they decide to send the pants to one another for a week at a time. They’re convinced the pants are magic and will bring them good luck. What they don’t fully understand is it’s their friendship that’s magic; the pants are a talisman.

Carmen (America Ferrera) goes to visit her estranged father and finds out, to her surprise, that he’s getting remarried.

Bridget (Blake Lively) is in Mexico at a soccer camp where she falls for one of the young coaches.

Lena (Alexis Bledel) is visiting her grandparents in Greece. She meets a guy who her family forbids her to see. It’s a longstanding Hatfields and McCoys sort of thing.

Finally, there’s Tibby (Amber Tamblyn). She’s the most cynical of the foursome and stays home to work at a thinly disguised Wal-Mart takeoff.

She’s trying to film a documentary. After getting frustrated with it, she refers to the work as a “suckumentary.”

A younger girl, Bailey (Jenna Boyd), becomes her assistant. It’s their relationship I found to be the most compelling. Their situation is not typical Hollywood fare, and director Ken Kwapis, to his credit, doesn’t sugarcoat it. It’s painful. But it’s also very real.

The teenage years are hard. Remember? Trying to convey those feelings onscreen – without resorting to histrionics – is not an easy task.

The quartet in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” – and young Jenna Boyd – do great jobs every step of the way. It’s their performances that made me forgive the film’s length and “made for TV” feel.

I hope all of the ladies involved become as famous, and as well paid, as Julia Roberts.

It should be Amber Tamblyn.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.

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