Three out of
Five stars
Running time:
119 mins
Watchable sequel that just about succeeds, thanks to its likeable characters and the strong performances, rather than its messy and largely contrived plot.
What's it all about?
Based on the novels by Ann Brashares, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 is the sequel to the charming 2005 hit, starring America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn as best friends Carmen, Bridget, Lena and Tibby.
After their possibly magical pants-based escapades in the first film, the girls find themselves once again embarking on new adventures: Bridget jets off to Turkey on an archaeological dig and ends up reconnecting with her estranged grandmother (Blythe Danner); Carmen heads to Vermont to work as a theatre stagehand and is persuaded to audition for A Winter's Tale; Lena discovers that boyfriend-from-the-first-film Costas (Michael Rady) is married and embarks on a relationship with a male model (Jesse Williams) she meets during life drawing classes; and Tibby gets a job in a video store in New York and endures a relationship crisis after a pregnancy scare.
The Good
The first film was an unexpectedly charming delight, thanks to terrific performances from its four leads and a script that expertly marshalled its various cliches and succeeded in pushing the right buttons. The sequel, however, isn't quite as lucky in the script department, though it just about succeeds thanks to strong performances from all four actresses, most notably America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn.
There's also excellent support from Shohreh Aghdashloo (as the head of the archaeological dig) and Blythe Danner, though Kyle MacLachlan is criminally under-used as the theatre director.
The Bad
The main problem is that the script is literally all over the place – characters will be in New York one moment and in Greece the next. Also, the stories aren't given equal emotional weight, though it does finally pull it together for a satisfying conclusion.
Worth seeing?
Fans will enjoy catching up with the characters but The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 lacks the charm of the first film and the law of diminishing returns for sequels is definitely in effect here.