"Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" Review
August 10, 2008 by Jane Boursaw
| Movie: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 * Official Site * Trailer | In Theaters: August 8, 2008 |
| Runtime: 117 minutes | Directed by: Sanaa Hamri |
| MPAA Rating: PG-13 for mature material and sensuality |  Gecko Rating: |
The girls are back, and the magical pair of jeans is still part of their lives. They’ve graduated from high school, gone through their first year of college, and are figuring out their summer plans.
Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) is studying film in New York City and working in a video store. She’s been seeing the same guy, Brian McBrian (Leonardo Nam), for a while, but something is keeping her from taking things to the next level.
More after the jump…
Lena (Alexis Bledel) broke things off with her first love, Kostos (Michael Rady), and she’s studying art at the Rhode Island School of Design. A free-spirited fellow art student (Jesse Williams), forces her to think hard about her future.
Bridget (Blake Lively) heads for an archeological dig in Turkey, but her mother’s death years earlier still weighs heavily on her. And Carmen (America Ferrera) accepts an invitation to work backstage at a theater in Vermont. At home, her mom is expecting a new baby, leaving Carmen feeling displaced and alone.
The four lifelong friends have never had any trouble communicating before, but things are different now. They’re finding their own way in the world, and while the pants are still traveling between them, their magic seems to have faded with time. Or has it?
I loved the first movie, and it’s great seeing the girls back together. But things seem really dramatic this time around. Much of the plot involves the girls fighting, yelling and crying. About half-way through, you’re just wanting these girls to lighten up and get over themselves. And since they’re all big stars in their own right now, I could just envision the negotiations their agents must have done, to ensure they all had equal storylines.
Also, because of the sexual content, it’s really not appropriate for girls younger than 14, though it depends on the maturity of the girl. I took my 11-year-old daughter, and she proclaimed it better than the first movie. Also, if your daughter is old enough, it’s a good discussion starter about safe sex and the importance of sticking by friends through the tough times.
As a side note, the guy who plays Blake Lively’s dad is Ernie Lively, her real-life dad. He’s been working in the film and TV industry for 30-some years. I also enjoyed seeing Blythe Danner as Bridget’s grandmother, although her talents were sorely underused.
NOTE TO PARENTS:
Sex/ Nudity: Lots of sex-related material here, including a 19-year-old having sex for the first time with her boyfriend (her bare shoulders and his bare chest are shown); the condom breaks and they have a pregnancy scare; discussion about a secondary character getting a girl pregnant; passionate kissing between couples.
Violence/Gore: Discussion about a character’s mom committing suicide years earlier. Plenty of emotional turmoil with all the characters.
Profanity: Language is mild, including “suck” and “hell”
Images: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2008
I’m very upset with this movie, I saw the first movie with my daughter who was 10 at the time then she wanted to go see the second one. I watched it with her and I wasn’t very happy with some of it including one of the girls painting a naked man and the idea of another girl having sex and the condom breaking. I was horrified by this and was very unhappy to have my daughter exposed to this. When I wouldn’t let her finish the movie she was very unhappy because all her friends had seen it but it was just not appropriate for girl that have seen the first movie. I don’t know why they had to put all that stuff in it.