A few months ago, my friends and I all heard about a new movie coming out with the unusual name, “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” We al looked at each other and had a little laugh, remembering how much we didn’t like another earlier chick flick, similarly titled, “Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.” As we read about the premise, which involved four lifelong friends who were about to spend the summer apart and opt to ‘share’ a pair of pants they find at a thrift shop, we again shared a little laugh and the ridiculousness of the idea. Of course, this all had to do with one of the lesser talked about differences between men and women. The sharing of clothes. Take my wife for example. She thinks nothing of going over to a friend’s house and looking through her closet to pick out some clothes (either to keep or just borrow), and likewise her friend can come over and raid her closet.

I see this happen and just shake my head slowly. I try to imagine what would happen if I went over to my friend Gary’s house and said, “Hey let me check out your closet and see if there’s a shirt I like. Then you come on over and look in my underwear drawer… I’m sure there’s something that’ll fit you.” See what I mean? It’s just… odd.

That said I expected not to like “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” It had nothing to do with the fact that it is undeniably a chick flick as I’m well-rounded enough to like chick flicks, but just the thought of these girls wearing the pants for a week, and then mailing them to the next friend as a way of keeping in touch just didn’t sound like a very good plot. This is why I stayed far away from the theatre when it opened. Actually even my clothes-swapping wife wasn’t really interested so I was safe.

But then the DVD came out. This is where I usually find that my initial reactions to films based on there descriptions is right or wrong. In this case, I was dead wrong. “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” is actually a delightful little film about friendship, and how important it can be to some people. It is also a wonderful narrative about growing up, because while the film has the central theme of the sharing of a pair of pants, this is really no more than a plot device to tie four separate stories together into one.

What makes the stories work so well is more the wonderful performances by the actresses than the actual screenplay. America Ferrara stars as Carmen, a Puerto Rican girl who wonders why her father left her and her mother. We also have the wonderfully talented Amber Tamblyn (“Joan of Arcadia”) as Tibby, who spends her summer working at a store suspiciously named “Wallman’s.” Her story is one of unrealized dreams, until she finds a new friend in Bailey (Jenna Boyd). Alexis Bleidel also stars as Lena, an extremely who is extremely shy and spends her summer in Greece. Here she learns to come out of her shell a little through the age old formula known as ‘summer love.’ Finally, we have Blake Lively as Bridget, who even after several years has not gotten over the death of her mother.

Judging from my description of the plot, yes again it is obvious this is a chick flick. But where most chick flicks can be formulaic, sappy or trite, “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” actually manages to keep from being overdone in any of those areas. The stories were entertaining yet poignant, and they drew both my wife and I totally into them.

The DVD from Warner Brothers, which is out this week, offers up a beautifully transfer of the film. The colors are rich and vibrant, which are most noticeable in Lena’s story as much of it takes place in Greece. The audio is also well balanced out, with the music and ambient sounds never overshadowing the dialogue.

When you look at the extra features on this disc, it is evident that Warners was definitely marketing this DVD to an audience of young girls. There is a behind the scenes featurettes that is really more of a look at the fun that went on off-screen, while a conversation with the author of the book, Ann Brasheres gives a little mit more of a real behind the scenes look. In the film, Tibby and Bailey end up working on a documentary, and there is a rough cut of their ‘work’ offered up here. You’ll also find some deleted scenes with optional commentary and a chat session with Bleidel, Tamblyn, and Ferrara.

Say what you will about the title, but “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” was a far more enjoyable film than I originally expected it to be.

Directed by: Ken Kwapis
Starring: Amber Tamlyn, Alexis Bleidel, Blake Lively, America Ferrara, Bradley Whitford, Jenna Boyd
Extras: Additional scenes with commentary by Ken Kwapis, Fun on the set: behind-the-scenes gags and laughs, Suckumentary: rough cut of Tibby and Bailey's documentary, Sisters, Secrets, and the Traveling Pants: see and hear the gal pals as they watch selected scenes and talk about them, A conversation with author Ann Brashares, Theatrical trailer
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 10/11/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website

We'll give Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants a B+.