| Audience: | Middle School |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG-13 for mature material and sensuality. |
| Profanity: | None |
| Nudity/Sex: | Sexual references and non-explicit situations, pregnancy scare, childbirth scene |
| Alcohol/Drugs: | None |
| Violence/Scariness: | Some mild peril, reference to suicide |
| Diversity Issues: | A strength of the movie is its diverse characters and inter-racial friendships and romances |
| Movie Release Date: | August 8, 2008 |
| DVD Release Date: | November 18, 2008 |
When the first five minutes of a film show us a wedding, a graduation, a pregnancy, some kisses, and two grave sites, followed by a reunion scene involving shrieking and hugging, we know we are in for an irresistible saga of friendship through love, loss, risk, and clothes. What older sisters get in Sex and the City
In the first "Traveling Pants" summer, the four BFFs used a magical pair of blue jeans that somehow fit them all perfectly as a sort of proto-Facebook for staying in touch. They sent the pants back and forth, embroidering status updates with mementos from their adventures.
Three years have gone by and now cynical Tibby ("Joan of Arcadia's" Amber Tamblyn), athlete Bridget ("Gossip Girl's" Blake Lively), shy Lena ("Gilmore Girls'" Alexis Bledel), and writer Carmen ("Ugly Betty's" America Ferrara) are all in college, meaning they now have the kind of problems that raise the rating from the PG for the 2005 original to a PG-13.
The pants are about to get some serious mileage. Tibby is in New York, working at a DVD store and trying to finish a screenplay assignment. "Romantic comedy is an oxymoron," she complains. Lena is in Rhode Island, blushing through a figure drawing class and trying to forget her first love, Costas. That nude male model she is drawing has a great...smile. Bridget has gone on an archeological dig in Turkey where a sympathetic scholar (Shohreh Aghdashloo) reminds her that it is not only the bones and artifacts we study but the people and their stories. And Carmen finds herself unexpectedly cast in a Shakespeare production in Vermont while at home her recently re-married mother is about to have a baby. As they face a pregnancy scare, repair an estranged family relationship and struggle with romance, the girls must find new resolve and confidence in themselves and in their connection to each other.
The real love story that is the heart of the movie is the friendship of the girls. They wonder at times if they are still able to communicate but they are always there for each other when needed. Like the first film, the sequel is refreshingly honest about complicated and messy problems and it avoids tidy resolutions. The girls learn that sometimes even with the best of intentions, people -- and life -- let us down but that courage, sincere kindness, and friends can help even when they cannot fix what is wrong. Even more appealing is the girls' endearingly tender support for each other's differences of personality and interests and the matter-of-fact mix of racial and ethnic pairings. The movie makes it clear that, as Eleanor Roosevelt said, no one can make you feel inadequate without your permission and it is one movie that does not imply that a girl has to have a boyfriend to be successful, happy, or complete.
A character in "Steel Magnolias" summarizes the female friendship genre: "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion." The talented young actresses and a quartet of appealing swain make this story's travels between laughter and tears a journey worth taking.
Parents should know that this film includes sexual references and non-explicit situations, frank discussions of birth control, a pregnancy scare, a non-explicit childbirth scene, some mild peril, and a reference to suicide. A strength of the movie is its diverse characters and inter-racial friendships and romances
Family discussion: What do you think will happen to the traveling pants? Why did Carmen have a hard time believing in herself? What scared Tibby most about Brian? What have you done for your friends to provide support?
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Brian, I respect your position and Joni's and that is why I provide the information I do in my reviews -- so that parents like you can make informed decisions about the movies your children see. Your children are lucky to have parents who care; I see so many kids in films that are inappropriate to the point of being abusive. As I have said before in responding to other comments, the young adults I interviewed when writing my book all wished their parents had been more protective. Not one thought they should have been able to see movies that their parents prohibited. So I agree that your daughters will appreciate your rules some day. There are some services that remove objectionable material from movies. You might want to check out Clearplay if you have not already. However, this movie has more than five minutes of material of concern, so it would not be a good candidate for that service.
I just want to say how much I appreciate the polite discourse about this movie. Obviously parents disagree with each other and with Nell's review, but how refreshing it is to see respectfully worded comments and responses. The underlying assumption seems to be that if you are reading the review and posts at all, you are a parent who cares about what your kids watch--surely we can find some common ground there! Thanks, everyone.
Thank you, Laura! It means a lot to me to create a place where people can express their disagreements with both candor and respect and I feel very lucky that people on this site realize that all of us share the common goal of doing what is best to teach our children about the world in a way that keeps them feeling both safe and curious. I am very glad you wrote and hope you will return often to let us know what you think about the movies you see.
who is the grave of the 12 year old
Hi, Susie -- if you saw the first film you know that it is Bailey, the character played by Jenna Boyd. Thanks for writing!
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