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America Ferrera turns in a terrific performance as Carmen

After a year marked by Mean Girls and Saved, it's also refreshing to see teen girls be nice and caring to one another. While a few of their lines are pure cheese and sound way too wise or sophisticated for 16-year-olds, their genuine celebrate-the-good-times, cry-with-you-through-the-bad friendships almost make that OK. And this quartet of young actresses is impressive, especially Tamblyn and Ferrera. I can't wait to see more from these talented, strong women.

Diehard fans of the book this movie is based upon (Ann Brashares' New York Times bestseller)—and I saw evidence of its cult-like following in the four girls sporting their own matching, journaled-upon jeans and sisterhood T-shirts in the lobby of the theater—should know there are a few changes here. Lena's sister, Effie; Tibby's crush, Tucker Rowe; and Tibby's beloved guinea pig, Mimi, are MIA. Lena's storyline is the most different, with romance blossoming much quicker and sooner than in the book. And with a few added scenes, the girls' stories unfortunately wrap up much neater in the movie. One of the things I loved about the book is that there was some resolution, yet a fair amount of messiness by the end. That's real life. I wish the movie would have allowed for more of those loose ends.

Bridget (Blake Lively) is off to Mexico for soccer camp

The most disappointing departure from the book comes after one of the girls has her first sexual encounter. In the book, there are realistic emotional consequences for this choice. In the movie, her regrets take a different turn and are resolved way too quickly. Still, parents could use this plot line as a great conversation starter with their teens.

Overall, The Sisterhood is somewhat reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz—four friends on a quest to find something specific only to realize that anything resembling an answer is to be found in the journey itself, in their friendships, and in themselves. And while the Sisters don't travel together, it's the pants that link them physically to one another. This testament to the power of friendship and community is one of the key strengths of the story.

We fallen human beings need one another, and even in our independence-is-everything society, these girls have that truth down cold. Throughout this coming-of-age tale, the girls wrestle with who they are, who they're becoming, what their place is in the world. How wise they are to realize we can't really find those answers on our own, that we're all inexorably woven into the fabric of each other's lives.

Talk About It

1. Which of the four main characters do you resonate with most? Why?
   
   
2. Some of the characters are a study in contrasts. Lena, who's lived a sheltered life, is afraid to love. Bailey and Kostos, who have known great pain, are very open to love and life. Why do you think those with the harder road in life are more open? Where do you fall on that continuum?
   
   
3. Throughout the movie we see the profound effect friends have on our lives. Who makes up your sisterhood or brotherhood? How do these people shape who you are?
   
   
4. One of the characters wonders aloud if life isn't so much about the big, sweeping circumstance but rather about stringing together a bunch of small pleasures. Do you agree or disagree with that idea?

The Family Corner

There are a couple of brief scenes of the characters in their undies (while trying on the jeans), and one of Lena swimming in her bra and underwear. There's also a storyline of teen sexuality, though we only see fully-clothed kissing and then a later reference to things that went much further than that.

Photos © Copyright Warner Bros.

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