The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
—Overview
—Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections
It’s a long story, but I ended up at the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants on THE last night possible in Richmond as part of a fundraiser. And so I went, rather unwillingly. The idea of sitting through a youth age book about coming of age turned into a movie is somewhere between root canal and broken bone on my pain tolerance level. But, regardless of my opinion to the contrary, the film was deeper than I might have imagined. Without further ado, here are my thoughts…
The Sisterhood is formed by three teenagers on the eve of their first summer apart. Each “sister� seems to represent a different perspective on adolescence, and possibly adulthood. Lena (Alex Bedel) is the shy, unassuming one; Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) is the rebellious, cynical one; Carmen (America Ferrera) is the boldly opinionated and self-sufficient one; and Bridget (Blake Lively) is the rambunctious, romance-crazy one.
Faced with the impossible task of missing each other, the pants that magically fit each of them one day serve as the tie that binds them and the movie’s four tangential plotlines together. Lena departs for her parents’ native Greece, falls in love with a college student against the wishes of her grandparents, and strikes out independently. Tibby receives the pants while working a boring 9-to-5 job at a Walmart-knock off and meets a young cancer-stricken girl named Bailey (Jenna Boyd) who helps her work on her Suckumentary film and learn about life. Carmen arrives at the home of her estranged father in the middle of planning his wedding to another woman, and encounters more family heartbreak than she can handle. And finally, Bridget pursues a college counselor at her soccer camp until she loses her virginity and any piece of mind she might have had before.
At least two of the girls have lost a parent to death or divorce, and all four of them are ‘coping’ with their teenage angst by hiding behind masks. Regardless of whether the masks are meekness, cynicism, self-sufficiency or sexual promiscuity, the masks are broken down by the events of the summer. The more remarkable portion of the movie is that when the masks fall away, it is the friendship that the girls share which brings them back into reality and allows them to move on. Rather than simply feeling like a traveling revival, the movie shows that friendship can allow drastic change to occur and folks can still ‘resurrect’ themselves in community. Isn’t that what the church should be?
While each girl bravely moves past the obstacle presented to them, Tibby’s loss, Carmen’s separation, and Bridget’s regret are represented realistically and not merely brushed over for cinematic pleasantry (some may be bothered by the wrapping up of Bridget’s story). The truth is that we all make decisions that have consequences, good and bad, and we have to deal with them. Who will stand with us to face them and dance with our joy when we find success? Real friends with love and grace are the answer I find—a traveling family over the ups and downs of the road we walk—no one should walk alone.
—Overview
—Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections
—Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections
It’s a long story, but I ended up at the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants on THE last night possible in Richmond as part of a fundraiser. And so I went, rather unwillingly. The idea of sitting through a youth age book about coming of age turned into a movie is somewhere between root canal and broken bone on my pain tolerance level. But, regardless of my opinion to the contrary, the film was deeper than I might have imagined. Without further ado, here are my thoughts… The Sisterhood is formed by three teenagers on the eve of their first summer apart. Each “sister� seems to represent a different perspective on adolescence, and possibly adulthood. Lena (Alex Bedel) is the shy, unassuming one; Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) is the rebellious, cynical one; Carmen (America Ferrera) is the boldly opinionated and self-sufficient one; and Bridget (Blake Lively) is the rambunctious, romance-crazy one.Faced with the impossible task of missing each other, the pants that magically fit each of them one day serve as the tie that binds them and the movie’s four tangential plotlines together. Lena departs for her parents’ native Greece, falls in love with a college student against the wishes of her grandparents, and strikes out independently. Tibby receives the pants while working a boring 9-to-5 job at a Walmart-knock off and meets a young cancer-stricken girl named Bailey (Jenna Boyd) who helps her work on her Suckumentary film and learn about life. Carmen arrives at the home of her estranged father in the middle of planning his wedding to another woman, and encounters more family heartbreak than she can handle. And finally, Bridget pursues a college counselor at her soccer camp until she loses her virginity and any piece of mind she might have had before.
At least two of the girls have lost a parent to death or divorce, and all four of them are ‘coping’ with their teenage angst by hiding behind masks. Regardless of whether the masks are meekness, cynicism, self-sufficiency or sexual promiscuity, the masks are broken down by the events of the summer. The more remarkable portion of the movie is that when the masks fall away, it is the friendship that the girls share which brings them back into reality and allows them to move on. Rather than simply feeling like a traveling revival, the movie shows that friendship can allow drastic change to occur and folks can still ‘resurrect’ themselves in community. Isn’t that what the church should be?While each girl bravely moves past the obstacle presented to them, Tibby’s loss, Carmen’s separation, and Bridget’s regret are represented realistically and not merely brushed over for cinematic pleasantry (some may be bothered by the wrapping up of Bridget’s story). The truth is that we all make decisions that have consequences, good and bad, and we have to deal with them. Who will stand with us to face them and dance with our joy when we find success? Real friends with love and grace are the answer I find—a traveling family over the ups and downs of the road we walk—no one should walk alone.
—Overview
—Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections
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