The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

Finding a pair of pants that fits me feels miraculous enough, but finding out they would also fit three of my best friends would be unbelievable. Yet that's the basis behind the story of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

In high school, four life-long friends happened upon some old faded jeans at the thrift store that inexplicably fit each of them perfectly, despite their very different figures. During their first summer apart, the girls each took a turn at wearing the pants for a week before passing them on to the next in line.

Now in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, the girls have graduated and parted ways in pursuit of post secondary education. But with vacation season just around the corner, the foursome, Lena (Alexis Bledel), Carmen (America Ferrera), Bridget (Blake Lively) and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) have planned a reunion.

Unfortunately, the long separation has created some strain on the seams of their relationship and rather than mending it over the summer, each of the girls has plans of her own after the get-together. Meeting in their secret location, they agree to pass around the pants once again, but do it without the same sense of closeness they used to share.

Bridget is off to Turkey to participate in an archeological dig. But unearthing her family's past proves to be a bigger challenge when she discovers a stash of hidden handwritten letters addressed to her from her estranged grandmother (Blythe Danner). Tibby's stint at NYU came to a less than stellar conclusion and now she has the summer to write a script in order to pass a class. Lena signs up for a session of figure drawing lessons after breaking up with a fisherman (Michael Rady) she met while visiting Greece. Even Carmen takes the holiday time to engage in some behind the scenes work with a Vermont theater group despite her family's plans to move and the impending birth of a new sibling.

As the pants make their way around the world over the course of the next few weeks, their presence in the film is almost non-existent, as is the communication between the girls. Undelivered emails, unanswered voicemails and a general lack of contact begin to fray the fabric of their friendship even further as they each face different setbacks or disappointments. However, when Lena's sister Effie (Lucy Hale) accidentally misplaces the britches, the four girls come together to hunt them down.

Like the first film, this story includes some depictions of premarital relations, one of which results in a pregnancy scare for a girl and her boyfriend. Passionate kissing and discussions about sexual activity are also included along with the portrayal of a nude male model in an art class (no nudity is seen.) Profanities and terms of Deity make their way into the script as well.

Yet despite the girls' approaching adulthood and expanding horizons, Carmen, Tibby, Lena and Bridget soon realize the value of their shared childhood. When the challenges of life become overwhelming, this sisterhood offers its members a safe and comfortable place to come home to--kind of like a well-worn pair of jeans.