Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a heart-warming tale of friendship and jeans that travel.

Story

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, tells the story of 4 childhood friends who find a pair of pants that inexplicably fit all 4 of them regardless of their size when they are due to spend their first summer apart in 16 years.

When I first heard about the movie, I thought the plot was a little ridiculous. A movie that revolved around pants didn't make a lot of sense to me. However, the movie isn't about the pants, it's a coming of age story about the girls and how they grow and change throughout the summer. They are all dealing with distinct problems. 

Acting 

A film like this needs chemistry within its leads and this movie has it in spades. Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel and America Ferrera act and feel like close friends and it makes their scenes all the more heartwarming. 

Each girl is her own person and when they come together, no one is outshining anyone else. And given the fact that they spend a significant amount of the movie away from each other, each girl has an adequate amount of time to win you over with their performance. The most memorable being America Ferrera's followed by Amber Tamblyn.

Writing/Direction 

What makes this movie good, is the fact that the girls are written like real people rather than movie characters. They have their own personal issues that they have to confront, and the movie shows a pretty realistic look at what those issues are. The hurdles that the girls overcome all make sense given their characterisations. The themes of the movie are very obvious, the most important being the importance of friendship, followed by the importance of family and the search for love.

Sisterhood also deals with some pretty heavy topics such as emotional detachment, dealing with change and some existential crises thrown in for good measure. The movies handle those issues respectfully while also having heart-warming moments that provide levity.

Ken Kwapis, the director splits each girls story evenly as gives them the time that they need to have a full arch which at the end of the movie feels earned and complete. 

CGI/Set Design 

Each of the girls spends their summer in a different place, Lena is Greece with her grandparents, Tibby is staying home in Maryland, Carmen is in South Carolina with her dad and Bridget is in Mexico at soccer camp. Each location has its own distinct look and feel, which serves to differentiate each girl and her struggle.

Score/Soundtrack 

The soundtrack is quintessential early 2000s. From Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield to Simple by Katy Perry. It made me feel a little nostalgic. The soundtrack and score mostly serve in the background and while I sometimes stopped to listen to some of the recognisable songs, both go mostly unnoticed.

Overall Thoughts

Surprisingly, I had never seen this movie before even though I had heard of it so many times. And what I liked about it is that it's heartwarming and comedic but still manages to handle it more serious topics without compromise. The message of friendship and sisterhood (of the travelling pants) is one that leaves you warm and fuzzy on the inside. Now I need to find my own magic pants that constantly fit. (Also I call them jeans so having referred to them as pants has been a bit weird for me)