'Traveling Pants' is weak in seams

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS -- ** -- Alexis Bledel, America Ferrara, Amber Tamblyn; rated PG (profanity, vulgarity, brief drugs); Carmike 12 and Ritz 15 Theaters; Century Theatres 16; Cinemark Jordan Landing Theaters; Megaplex 12 at the Gateway; Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons.

"The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" doesn't exactly go out of its way to reach beyond its obvious target demographic of young women. That single-mindedness is one of its greatest strengths -- but it's also one of its biggest weaknesses.

This adaptation of Ann Brashares' best-selling novel appears to be pretty faithful to the source material, so much so that the film runs on much too long at two full hours. Yet it also feels curiously unfinished, and few if any of its numerous plots and subplots are wrapped up satisfactorily. Which might be forgivable if the material weren't so familiar, if it didn't feel like a movie made for the Lifetime cable network.

Still, there's no denying the appeal of its talented young cast.

This "sisterhood" includes four best friends -- shy Lena (Alexis Bledel); fiery, full-figured Carmen (America Ferrara), sarcastic Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) and adventurous Bridget (newcomer Blake Lively). And the pants are a pair of second-hand jeans that magically fit all four of them, despite their varying shapes and sizes.

So they agree to have "joint custody" of the pants, since they'll be spending the summer apart. Lena gets them first, as she visits her grandparents in Greece and entertains the possibility of a romance with a local fisherman (Michael Rady).

Carmen is down south with her estranged father (Bradley Whitford), who surprises her with the news that he's going to remarry.

She's not alone in disappointment, as Tibby is stuck at home working at a discount store, where she's trying to make a documentary about her co-workers.

And Bridget, who's in Baja, Calif., for a soccer camp, is going all out in her pursuit of one of the instructors (Mike Vogel).

The turns that each of these stories take are hardly surprising, and most of co-screenwriters Elizabeth Chandler and Delia Ephron's attempts at humor fall flat. So it's fortunate that director Ken Kwapis has this cast. Tamblyn (TV's Joan of Arcadia") and Ferrara ("Real Women Have Curves") are both fresh faces and have an appealing edginess to their performances. But the talent of the adult supporting cast, which includes Whitford, Nancy Travis and Rachel Ticotin, is wasted.

"The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" is rated PG for scattered use of profanity (mostly mild, religiously based), some suggestive talk and references, some slapstick and some brief drug references and content. Running time: 120 minutes.

E-mail: jeff@desnews.com

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