On DVD: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 Slacks On Features

One of the reasons my editors like to keep me around is the fact that I will, quite literally, watch anything once. If you show it in a theater or hand it to me on DVD, odds are I'll find a few hours to watch it. It's kind of what I do. So when something like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 comes along, they know who to send it to. So what does a childless, thirtysomething-year-old man think of it? You know, it's not bad. Not bad at all.

For the audience it's intended for, this movie is everything it should be. It's a sweet, relatively wholesome tale about friendship, relationships, and a number of smaller, tertiary issues ranging from issues of self-esteem to pre-marital sex to pregnancy. Despite the initial advertising, which seemed to present a somewhat racy, more sexually liberated film, the truth is that the mature issues are handled ... rather maturely. By the time everything was said and done, the film was filled with a number of life lessons and great, albeit somewhat common, wisdom -- the kind of things every parent wants their daughter to hear.

That said, if you're not the parent of a tweener or teenage girl, or a woman who loves teen films, there probably isn't much here for you. As cute and amiable as it was, it isn't the kind of thing that really translates well to adults. It's predictable, occasionally underwritten, and it somewhat simplifies complicated human relationships. That said, the charisma and chemistry of the cast are undeniable; they make the film very easy to sit through, especially if you're doing so because of a daughter or significant other.

Sadly, the disc only offers the smallest hints at how this chemistry came about. From what materials are available, it's evident that these four girls have really bonded over the making of two films and have used that friendship to fuel their performances. But this is never explained or explored to its full effect. A commentary with the four would have been a great extra for those girls who fall in love with them, and some on-set stuff or extras involving them would have worked quite well. There was quite a big deal made about the foursome going to Greece, and yet there's no guided tour with the Traveling Pants girls? No?

What little is there, however, will definitely entertain fans for another 20 minutes or so. There's a gag reel with a couple of cute moments -- but nothing truly memorable -- that includes mostly just flubbed lines, which are saved by the overpowering charms of the cast members as they try to rebound from silly mistakes. There are a couple of additional scenes, one of which is actually fairly substantive. Unfortunately, these are introduced in M. Night Shyamalan-style by the director, who seems a wee-bit uncomfortable on camera herself. Director commentary is always the way to go with these.

Lastly, there's a short, interesting featurette about how the filmmakers came about adding the final scene. This was possibly the most captivating opportunity to think about what exactly occurred in the movie: there was a "fate" moment in which three guys who bonded over the first film, and then chose to see the world together, ended up running into the girls who inspired them to do it (while they were on their journey). Ultimately, these guys influenced the end of the second film. It's a nice story and a pleasant way to end your Traveling Pants 2 DVD experience.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 is available from Warner Bros. Home Video.

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