Who directs this teen drama is Ken Kwapis, known for the TV series "Grounded for Life" and "Malcolm", and for the films "He's Just Not That Into You" and "License to Wed". Scripted by Delia Ephron (Nora's sister and co-writer of Message for You) and Elizabeth Chandler, the film does exactly what it promises: an almost televised version of prosaic youth situations. Four womb friends are spending the summer apart for the first time in seventeen years. While Lena (Alexis Bledel) will visit her grandparents in Greece, Carmen (America Ferrera) plans to spend the entire summer with her father for the first time since the divorce. Bridget (Blake Lively), on the other hand, will go to a girls-only soccer camp in Mexico and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) will remain in her hometown working in a supermarket chain and recording her documentary. On the eve of the separation, they discover in a store a pair of jeans that in a strange way fits all of them, with their different physical types. Fascinated by the possible magic, the four friends decide to form a brotherhood around the pair of pants and share it during the holidays. Each, then, would be entitled to a week with the jeans in the hope that good things would happen when they used it. It does not take long for this period to take a course very different from what they imagined and that will lead them to take actions that will strengthen their faith and friendship.
The script, just like in the book, ends up interspersing each individual sub-plot in an interesting way without letting the film get lost or making one of the side stories less interesting. As soon as one of the stories starts to get boring, it is cut to a new point in the adventure of another of the friends. This editing, although conventional and a predictable solution for the script, gives energy to the film and makes its duration above average not a negative point. The film starts off absolutely disastrous by showing a totally mushy story of friendship in adolescence, but soon gains quality when knowing how to dose clichés with fun scenes in the right measure. Both Ken Kwapis and the writers are measured, direct and succinct. There lies the strength of the film, which miraculously escapes the histrionic stereotypes for teenagers. Without aiming to give moral lessons, the film only follows the rhythm of four lives still in formation and their natural confusions.
On these trips, the girls discover some values, like that of first love, the lack that a mother makes in the formation of a girl, friendship and family. The main cast, formed by young and talented actresses, helps to enhance the production. The argument, simple and banal, is developed in a sensitive way, making Quatro Amigas and a Traveling Jeans exciting in the right measure, passing away cheap sentimentality most of the time. Without underestimating its target audience, the production works as a clever portrait of women's afflictions during their most confused period. Summer marks, for the protagonists, a time of radical transformations and the film manages to honestly pass on these conflicting feelings to the viewer. Jeans - which, mysteriously, fits all - are a metaphor for the self-confidence shared by all. When wearing the piece, these friends feel each other's support and manage to overcome some decisive obstacles in their training.
Although the fact that friends, so different in character and taste, is inseparable, is forced to create four distinct worlds and four unequally interesting stories. The truth is that two of the four stories (Lena's and Bridget's) are far less interesting. Lena is a closed girl who will evidently find love and in the background we still have the story of rival families and forbidden love, in the best Romeo and Juliet style. Bridget, on the other hand, limits herself to trying to win over another boy and when she succeeds, she starts to feel empty and goes into a semi-depressive state for trying to fill the space that her mother had left, but having failed despite trying not to remember her so much during the holidays. These two plots are limited to getting a new boyfriend or not (although there is a bad existentialist disguise in all of this). Certainly, the most interesting stories are those of Tibby, who seems not to care much about things, but who finds the girl Bailey, who has leukemia, an important life lesson and an unexpected friendship, and Carmen, who has to get used to your father's new family. These two stories are more complex and demanded much more from their interpreters, who responded well at all times.
Delia Ephron and Elizabeth Chandler write a direct script and are very pleasing. Behind a silly script and a teenage film, he brings dramas worthy of great people. It is clear the target audience that director Ken Kwapis aims to reach. From the casting of the cast (two of the protagonists came out of famous young American TV series and another would become the biggest Latin hit in the United States last season) to the soundtrack, everything is there to please teens. I am not surprised, however, that a portion of the adult audience is charmed by the amusing characters. Unfortunately, towards the end the solutions become too obvious, as well as irritatingly despicable (like the dog that Bridget's boyfriend - Blake Lively - feels - arrives and hands him jeans in the middle of the street, almost magically), in a attempt to satisfy its obvious target audience: teenage girls. Or else Lena's already predictable ending with Kostas. It is true that the intentions were good, but the film is so manipulative that it cannot be ignored as a negative part. On the other hand, Ohn Bailey's photography explores the beauty of Greece, the beach in Mexico and mixes the many daytime scenes with some night scenes. Cliff Eidelman does sensational work on the soundtrack, knowing how to provoke smiles and especially tears in the most opportune situations.
Terminal illness, loss of a parent, forbidden romance and absent parents after divorce are difficulties that a young person can face and have been facing in recent years. In the current generation, for example, problems are increasingly common. Despite the treatment given to the film, the seriousness of the subjects remains and it is precisely this certain dosage of lightness and drama that makes this a captivating film. All this with pants as a metaphor for self-confidence shared by all friends. They are all relevant topics and increasingly current or possible to occur, especially with teenagers. Knowing how to move without inducing the viewer is one of the merits of Ken Kwapis, who delivers to the public as a portrait of the concerns and afflictions of girls in their most troubled period throughout life. Although it is a film about women and it may appear only for women, especially teenagers, due to its pertinent and current themes, it ends up reaching the largest number of people possible, generating in the viewer a strong and sincere identification with at least one of the girls. However, all the messages and lessons that Quatro Amigas tries to convey have already been posted so many times, in better, worse, or even the same ways, that it is also difficult to ignore the film's lack of courage to go one step further. The film creates an air of self-importance in trying to deal with issues such as death and separation, but the solutions are, as already mentioned, obvious or magical, that it is impossible not to undercut your intentions.
The cast is great and handpicked. Coming from or later to become hits on American TV shows whose target audience are the same as the feature, Amber Tamblyn, who has already been nominated for a Golden Globe and Emmy for her work on the Joan of Arcadia series is excellent on the scene, as well as Alexis Bledel, the eternal Rory Gimore of the Gilmore Girls series who lends her beauty and talent to compose Lena. America Ferrera is fun and capable in dramatic scenes to perfection. She would soon do the series Ugly Betty, and Blake Lively would also soon emerge for success as the Serena of "Gossip Girl". In the support cast we have Michael Rady as Kostas, Mike Vogel as Eric and the great Jenna Boyd as Bailey, as the ones that stand out the most. A curiosity is Ernie Lively, Blake Lively's real father, who also plays his father in the feature.
The film shows significant changes in the lives of four young people at a difficult stage in their lives, facing new friendships, new loves, accepting facts from the present and the past and learning to move on, being sure of one thing: they will always have each other there whatever. Composed of several beautiful and touching scenes, which move and give us great life lessons and teach us to value other things and understand others more. It comes very close to the level of other classics of the genre and for those who liked the film, you cannot miss the fantastic "Stand By Me" and "Now And Then".
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants not a movie for girls only. Because it addresses these issues present in everyday life and in the formation of anyone so sincerely, it is difficult not to identify with the questions and situations that the protagonists go through. The characters are so different from each other and so well constructed that this identification happens naturally, involving the viewer, regardless of age or sex. The work is of these films that are based on the script, albeit with its limitations. The most notable is perhaps not to please all types of audiences, but those who are able to see the delicacy and innocence of the plot, such striking characteristics of youth, will have fun and exciting moments.
0 out of 0 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink