Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants : A Movie Review
"Theres a little bit of loser in all of us...being happy isn't having everything in your life be perfect maybe its about stringing together all the little things..." a simple statement taken from the movie yet it represents the reality of our lives, this had echoed my mind since the moment I saw the film. Who would think that this simple piece of teen chick lit would engrave such huge mark on how I live my life. I never expected that this movie would make my eye sore from crying in the middle of the night. I love the way the movie presented how teenage life is and I've seen so many movies that had the same subject but nothing had quite revealed it the way that they did which makes it more interesting.The movie tells us about the life changing experiences of Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bridget who had been friends for over the years and had always been there for each other through thick and thin but during the summer they have to spent it apart from each other for the very first time which leads us to the twist in the story. During their stroll they found a pair of jeans that happened to fit each one of them perfectly, regardless of size and shape. Believing that it was an act of magical fate they decided that these jeans will keep them together during their summer where each one will wear the pants for a week before mailing them on like a chain letter to the next one.
In a less skilled hands, the idea of a magical pants could have lead to a fairy tale vignettes but it didn't and it was wisely decided on how to inter cut the four stories so that the connection between these four girls is equally divided. You'll never be able to miss any detail regarding how each one of them spent their summer which saves the movie from becoming a thinly connected anthology film.
It all begins with Lena (Alexis Bledel) the shy, reserved one that's facing her first voyage abroad. She is supposed to spend time with her grandparents but instead she spend it with a Greek Romeo (while wearing the pants) Kostas (Michael Rady) who happens to be from a family that Lena's grandparents are feuding with...now, she has to cross boundaries to get want she truly wants. Lena's story is the more object fairy tale of the four girls. Even the cinematography depicts Greece as an azure blue and sun kissed never-land. Bledel handles the "meet cute moments with adept charisma which added "kilig" factor in the story. Compared to the real life tones of the Sisterhood's other tales, however, Lena's story rarely rises above teen girl fantasy, even with the ultimate opening of Lena's confidence and sensuality.
Meanwhile, Carmen (America Ferrera) is off to spend the summer with her mostly absent father(Bradley Whitford). Upon arrival, he drops a bombshell on Carmen by announcing his plans to remarry. Since her parents' divorce, Carmen has always felt her father is ashamed of her. The cowardly way of his announcement and the persnickety attitude of Carmen's soon to be step-mom (played by Nancy Travis) do little to reassure her. Some of Carmen's insecurities stem from the same territory as Ferrera's acting debut in REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES. Thanks to the immediate empathy Ferrera generates, these insecurities can be seen as universal ones more than a retread of other movies. For me, this is the most painful part of the story. Carmen's situation made me realize how lucky I am that my parents are still happily living together. I could not image myself being in Carmen's position..it would probably wrecked the whole part of me.
The pants don't seem to bring Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) much luck, either. Stuck at home with a summer job from hell, Tibby rebels against "human existence at its lamest" by making a documentary about it. Around the same time the pants finally make it to Tibby, she encounters a deeply precocious 12 year old named Bailey (Jenna Boyd). This little version of Tibby becomes an assistant on Tibby's video essay. Bailey sees things in a much deeper way than Tibby's cynicism allows. There is a reason for this, one that plays on Tibby's heart strings as well as our own. Here Sisterhood displays its sentimentality in one big lump. Tamblyn's grounded portrayal keeps these scenes from sinking the film into too much sap. This is the second portion of the story that really tormented and inflicted me the most.
The fourth member of the sisterhood is Bridget (newcomer Blake Lively). Bridget is a take charge kind of girl. Others would say she is simple minded to the point of recklessness. Since her mother died, Bridget has been groping for acceptance from her father and any boy that crosses her eye. Away at soccer camp in Mexico, Bridget goes after the
forbidden fruit of Eric (Mike Vogel), a slightly older counselor. The pants arrive in time to get Bridget what she wants, but is it what she needed? On the surface, her enthusiasm seems like another tanned, sports bra wearing Barbie but beware of first impressions because beneath her showy behavior lies a bomb of desperation waiting to explode.It truly is a fascinating movie, you'll definitely laugh and cry your hearts out. Trust me, you don't want to miss this movie. Better ready a box of tissue and a water cause definitely at the end, you'll see yourself crying take it from me!
posted by cLawdz at 1:44 PM
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