THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS

Four girls in high school.

They buy a pair of "magical jeans" that fits each of their very different bodies, and it is shipped around from girl to girl during their summer apart. It ties the girls and their stories together, and it creates The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.

Five stories: One for each girl; one for their friendship.

The stories are not particularly original, nor are they particularly interesting for any other reason, unless you are interested in the problems of teen-aged girls.

The Puerto Rican girl's father left her mother for an Anglo-Saxon blond; the long-haired, athletic, blond's mother died and the father is remote; the stay-at-home's father is nowhere to be seen; and the shy girl on vacation in sensual Greece's grandfather hates her boyfriend's grandfather. Is there a pattern here?

The five stories are well-acted, attractively photographed and told in a consistent, coherent, plausible way, with characters that seem like real people.

If you are interested in the stories (love affairs, problems with parents, problems with illness, problems with friends, friendship with friends), then you may very likely like this film. If not, then it is just not for you.

The special features on the DVD are good, although there is no full commentary with the director. There is an interview with Ann Brashares, the author of the book and its sequels. She seems like a sympathetic person. The cast members are shown talking over selected scenes. I liked seeing the people who are giving the commentary; it's a better idea than just having the usual, pure voice-over. It gives a nice feeling for who the actors are and how they reacted to the filming of the movie.