The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (released in the UK as The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants) is a 2005 American film, based on the novel of the same name by Ann Brashares and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was directed by Ken Kwapis and written by Delia Ephron.
The film's production budget was $25 million. At the box office, it brought in a total domestic gross of $39 million.[2] The DVD was released in the United States on October 11, 2005, and features on-camera commentary by Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, and America Ferrera and deleted scenes (discussed by Kwapis).
Cast
Plot synopsis
The movie centers around four(4) teenage girls—Lena Kaligaris, Tabitha "Tibby" Tomko-Rollins, Bridget Vreeland, and Carmen Lowell—who are best friends and have been together all their lives in Bethesda, Maryland, but are about to separate for the summer. Lena is spending the summer in Greece with her grandparents; Tibby is staying at home; Bridget is going to soccer camp; and Carmen is visiting her father in South Carolina. On the eve of their separation, the girls visit a thrift shop and find a pair of pants that magically fits all four of them perfectly, even though they have different measurements. The girls decide to share the pants equally among them over the summer as a way of keeping together when they are apart.
Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen part the next day, and the movie focuses on each girls' journey separately.
Lena Kalligaris
One day in Greece, Lena is sitting at the dock, drawing (while wearing the traveling pants) when she accidentally falls in the water, and the leg of the pants gets caught on something. A young man swims over and sets her free, later introducing himself as Kostas Dounas, a Greek-American like her. A couple of days later, Lena learns from her grandparents that her family and Kostas' family are sworn enemies stemming from an old family feud. Despite this, Kostas continues to pursue Lena, and the two develop feelings for each other. At first, Lena is afraid to let herself love Kostas, but eventually begins to open up, sharing rides on his motorbike through the town and going out in Kostas'grandfather's boat at midnight, to which her grandparents are oblivious.
The climax of the relationship comes one Saturday night close to the end of the summer, right before Kostas is about to leave town to return to Athens University. Kostas and Lena attend a party, and while they are dancing, Kostas tells Lena that he loves her. Before Lena can answer, Lena's family barges in, angrily pulling Lena away. Lena later confronts her grandfather and asks to go see Kostas before he leaves, to which her grandfather agrees, Lena goes to the dock and calls out to Kostas, who gets off his ship. Kostas and Lena share a passionate kiss, and Lena confesses her love for him.
Tibby Rollins
While on the job in Wal-Mart department store, Tibby hears a loud crashing sound, and finds a young girl who has fainted in the deodorant aisle. She frantically calls for help, and the girl is taken away in an ambulance. Later, when Lena from Greece mails the magical Pants to Tibby, they are delivered to the wrong house, and someone comes to Tibby's house to deliver them - coincidentally, Bailey Graffman, the girl who had fainted at Wal-Mart.
Fascinated by Tibby's movie, or "suckumentary", and her movie making, Bailey becomes Tibby's self-appointed assistant. Tibby is annoyed by this at first, but gradually grows to accept Bailey. She later learns from Bailey's neighbor that Bailey has leukemia.
Bailey eventually goes to the hospital with a bad infection. Tibby avoids the hospital for a while, but eventually visits Bailey, bringing the Traveling Pants. She offers them to Bailey and pleads with her to take them so that they can help her. Bailey responds by saying that the pants have already worked their magic on Bailey by bringing her and Tibby together. After Tibby leaves, Tibby receives a phone call, saying that Bailey died.
When Carmen comes back home from South Carolina, Tibby visits her to try and help her with her feelings of being snubbed by her father. Tibby later goes to Bridget's house along with Carmen in order to bring Bridget out of her depression.
Over the course of the movie, Tibby undergoes dramatic changes in outlook due to her time with Bailey.
Bridget Vreeland
Shortly after arriving at soccer camp in Baja, Mexico, Bridget notices one of the coaches, Eric Richman, and inquires about him, to which the surrounding girls respond that flings with the coaches are against the rules. This information does not dissuade Bridget, as she immediately becomes single-minded in achieving what she wants: a relationship with Eric. She flirts with him often—talking to him, showing off for him at soccer games, beating him in races and more.
When Bridget's turn with the Traveling Pants finally comes, she puts them on that night and walks around outside Eric's cabin, leading him to the beach. It is specified in the book that she "messed herself up over him" and leads to ideas of either him dumping her or him going too far with her. After kissing, the event leaves Bridget feeling empty and listless, and she remains that way for the rest of her time at soccer camp, as well as part of her time home. She is lifted from her depression by Carmen and Tibby, who come over to cheer her up after a concerned phone call from Lena. However, Eric lets her know that she's still too young for him although he may want to give a shot when she is 20. And he and Bridget will stay remaining friends. This gives her the closure that she needs.
Carmen Lowell
During the summer Carmen goes to her dad's house in South Carolina. On arrival, she is shocked when her dad immediately introduces her to a new family that he is about to marry into; they are blonde WASPs, unlike Carmen who was raised by her Hispanic mother. During her time there her father and her new family neglect her emotionally, driving her to throw a stone through their dining room window, and catch a bus back to Maryland. At home she tells Tibby about her time with her dad and Tibby convinces her to call her father and finally tell him that she's mad at him. Carmen tells her father and he apologizes. Her summer ends with the four of them returning south where she is an attendant at her father's wedding, where at the reception he makes a public apology for having snubbed her.
Reception
According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "This adaptation of a beloved novel charms with its heartwarming tale of friendship and young adulthood; realistic portrayals of the lives of teenage girls lend the comedy-drama sincerity, and may capture hearts outside the female-centric demographic.". It has a score of 77% based on 125 reviews.[3] Metacritic scored the film as 66/100, with "generally favorable reviews", based on 34 reviews.[4] However, Yahoo! Movies rates the film as a B+ from Yahoo! Users, based on over 23,000 reviews, and a B from 13 different critics.[5] Based on over 13,000 reviews, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants holds a 7.0/10 on IMDb.
On its opening weekend, the film opened #5 at the box office with $9,833,340. [6] As of November 14, 2008, the film has grossed $42,013,878 worldwide. [7]
DVD Release
The DVD was released in the US on October 11, 2005.
Sequel
All four actresses signed on for the sequel and filming started June 2007. The movie, entitled The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 was released on August 6, 2008. The movie is said to be based on a mixture of the second, third and fourth books in the Traveling Pants series, while the time is apparently of Girls in Pants, i.e. after high school graduation before the girls leave for college. It is rated PG-13 for mature material and sensuality unlike the first film which was PG.
TV airings
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants made its TV premiere on ABC Family on Sunday, January 6, 2008 at 7PM/6C. Its sister station, Disney Channel, originally made its premiere on Friday, February 8, 2008, but was preempted. It is one of the two non-Disney related films that have been preempted by Disney Channel before it even premiered, the other being Little Secrets. But in a seminar held on July 11, 2008, it was announced that Disney Channel will start airing The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. In December 2008, Disney Channel in the U.S. opted not to air that film due to limited rejections. Alexis Bledel last made a Disney Channel appearance in 2003, while Amber Tamblyn and Blake Lively have yet to make one. However, Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network continue to air this film until Disney Channel in the U.S. gets another chance to air it by the end of 2009.
References to the Film
At the 2008 Democratic National Convention, then-New York senator Hillary Clinton, referred to a group of her supporters as the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits".
References
External links
