Last night I watched The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. (Full disclosure: I haven’t read the book.) (Fuller disclosure: I’ve seen maybe two episodes of The Gilmore Girls, which probably comes as a shock to some people, seeing as how I write books set at Yale.) I’m going to leave aside for a moment that there isn’t a Wal*Mart within fifty miles of Bethesda, Maryland, and talk instead about the lightbulb moment on character likeability I expereinced while watching it.
First of all, I learned that a lot of times, it doesn’t have anything to do with the character. For instance, Sailor Boy and I really like the show Joan of Arcadia, which starred Amber Tamblyn, who plays Tibby in Sisterhood. (I have also said elsewhere that I think Amber Tamblyn would play an excellent Amy, were there to be a movie of Secret Society Girl.) So I was predisposed to like Tibby, especially since I found her character so like Joan. (At one point, I turned to SB and said, “this is kind of like a really long episode of JoA, isn’t it?) So yeah, she was a little rebel-without-a-causey, and I thought the snob attitude was a bit offputting (especially since most of the people she supposedly interviewed also don’t live anywhere near Bethesda Maryland, which is a really, really ritzy suburb of D.C.) but I liked her anyway.
I also like the show Ugly Betty, which stars America Ferrera, who plays Carmen in Sisterhood. I find Ferrera to be one of the most charming young actresses around. I like seeing her on screen. I like her voice. I like her presence. I just like watching her. So I was predisposed to like Carmen’s character, and that was BEFORE she proceeded to have the most sympathetic storyline in the whole movie and Josh Lyman started being a total asshole to her. (I also like Brad Whitford.) She’s SO pretty. I mean, they obviously can’t hide how cute she is in Betty, and so have to make up for it by dressing her in ridiculously unfashionable clothes (come on, just because she’s “ugly” doesn’t mean she’s blind!), but here she gets to be really cute.
As I mentioned previously, I don’t watch The Gilmore Girls, so I’m not very familiar with Alexis Bledel. I had a really rough time getting behind the character of Lena in general, and I suspect it’s due in equal parts to how little I empathized with her situation (come on, a fifty year old feud about fish? If someone had murdered someone, I’d understand all the animosity…) and how little I liked Bledel’s portrayal. I’m not really tempted to give GG another try, even though I hear that there’s this whole secret society plotline once Rory goes off to Yale. Question: does she always talk like that?
Finally, we have Bridget, played by Blake Lively. Now, I was not a fan of Lively’s character in Accepted. Nothing against the actress. And again, nothing against the actress here, but wow, did I not like Bridget. I felt a bit sorry for her at the end, but mainly I think she was the architect of her own unhappiness. However, I really liked Lively’s portrayal and hope I get to see her do a character I actually like one of these days.
Predisposition counts for a lot — if you are expecting to like a character because of previous work, you’re probably more likely to do so, and vice versa. And sometimes, no matter how much you are told to like a character, if something about the voice is off to your ears, you won’t. And at the same time, if the voice is right, you may hate to love a character. Hmmmm…
December 21st, 2006 at 10:18 am
I’ve seen every episode of Gilmore Girls and when I saw Sisterhood, I assumed I would love Bledel in the film. I wasn’t taken by Bledel in the movie as I am in TGG. I thought America stole the film was brilliant. You may want to rent season 5 of TGG because that’s where the secret society action happens.
December 21st, 2006 at 10:53 am
You definitely need to read the book because they made a lot of changes. Specifically, they changed some things with Bridget and Leena’s characters. In the book, it’s less clear that Bridget actually slept with the guy. And Leena’s travel in Greece (in the book) is boooooooooooooring. They really kicked up the storyline for the movie. Carmen’s storyline is by far the strongest in both the movie and the book. Her voice is in first person (if I remember correctly) in the book and the others are in third. She’s sort of the narrator of their history and how the pants came into existence, which I think really ties the story together. The Tibby storyline is a lot sadder in the book and her change is more prominent, at least it was to me.
Has anyone read the follow-up book? I haven’t and can’t seem to want to, although I did enjoy Traveling Pants.
December 21st, 2006 at 10:55 am
so did you like the movie or not?
December 21st, 2006 at 10:58 am
I’ve read the whole series, and the movie totally did not work for me. Yes, America was perfect as Carmen, but otherwise the movie left me cold. And I went in there expecting to love it.
December 21st, 2006 at 11:04 am
I totally agree that predisposition counts. I’m a GILMORE GIRLS addict, and Lena’s part of STP was my favorite. I didn’t care for JoA, and I didn’t care for Tibby, either. *SHRUG* I guess it’s like how I can’t watch anything with a certain Oscar winning actress in it, cause she’s a friend’s ex and I know just how nasty she is in real life . . . my personal dislike colours the whole film.
December 21st, 2006 at 11:07 am
I’ve read all 3 books of the TP series, and number 2 & 3 made me cry. Each book is told in first person of one of the girls. I didn’t feel the movie gave the emotional pull as the book, but it was interesting to watch the differences and similarities.
December 21st, 2006 at 11:36 am
I think you’re going to have a hard time convincing me to watch TGG. I haven’t liked either of the episodes I’ve seen, and I’ve never liked Bledel.
Marley, it’s funny that you mention those specific changes, because SB was like, “so, did she sleep with him?” and I thought the Greece storyline in the movie was so boring and cliched that I spent those scenes getting up to get snacks, etc… so I can’t imagine them being more so in the book.
Yes, anonymous, I did like the film. I think I’m more interested in reading the books now.
I guess it’s like Season 2 of Veronica Mars, I could NOT stand the whole storyline where Logan dated the other blonde girl, because every time that actress came on screen, I wanted to stuff cotton balls in my ears.
December 21st, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Hmmm. I was just talking about likeability yesterday, since that seems to be the problem agents have with my book–that they don’t like the MC too well. Kinda hard to fix, that.
I haven’t seen Amber Tamblyn before, but from her photos on IMDB she does seem to fit Amy. Interesting too, for that part, that her middle name is Rose…
December 21st, 2006 at 3:06 pm
I loved JoA (though I missed that final episode where Wentworth Miller was the devil (or was he God??). I cannot stand TGG. Lorelei drives me batty.
Sisterhood was one of the books I didn’t finish this year. I read the first chapter and decided I didn’t care about the characters enough to continue.
Am almost finished with SSG and man! I can’t believe I waited this long to read it!!!
Happy Holidays!!!
December 21st, 2006 at 3:34 pm
Hi Diana…just blogging around and wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!
December 21st, 2006 at 5:04 pm
I’m with you on a couple of the actresses (Bledel and Fererra) and I think you’re right about predispositions… I think it happens with books, too… That is, if you already like an author’s voice, you’re going to give her characters the benefit of the doubt from the start…
Re: America Ferrera… Have you seen the film REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES? If not, you should rent it. I think it was her first film. Great little movie.
I thought Bledel was brilliant casting in the first few seasons of GG’s (which I do watch, but am really getting sick of). I thought it was brilliant because she was such an excellent match with Lauren whatshernose, oh, Graham. But as the seasons have progressed and the character has supposedly matured, Bledel’s lack of acting ability has become more obvious. What I love (not) is how she pulls away from her boyfriend on the show every time they embrace. That girl is not comfortable on screen. And it looks like she hates the actor who plays her boyfriend. I wondered, at first, if it was on purpose… maybe we were supposed to get the subtext that she’s not that into him… And then I went, “Subtext? On Gilmore Girls??? Who are you kidding???” and then she told him she loves him and I realized she just can’t act.
December 21st, 2006 at 7:29 pm
Gotta chime in, but there’s SO much to say, I might ramble.
First, forgive me but it’s not The Gilmore Girls, just Gilmore Girls. I don’t know why I feel the need to point that out, but I do. I love the show, but agree it’s gone downhill of late and I think the reason is that the girls are no longer poor. One major source of conflict has left their lives as they’ve both settled down with men who are wealthy, and well, it’s problem for me.
Next, I really enjoyed both the Traveling Pants movie and the books (I’ve read all three).
There is a MAJOR change in the Lena storyline from book to movie (and I actually talked about this with Debra Martin Chase, the movie’s producer) because in the book, Lena’s conflict is all internal. She’s this amazingly beautiful girl with low self esteem who holds herself back from liking Costos even though her grandparents are pushing him on her (in the book, the two families are very close.)
But internal conflict doesn’t translate to the screen well. Since we couldnt’ go inside Lena’s head to hear all the reasons she’s not with Costos, they had to give an external reason for it. Enter the old family rivalry plot.
I liked the book’s take on it better but understand that it wouldn’t work on film.
I really loved all the actresses in the movie, but one of the reasons (according to the producer) that the movie didn’t do well at the box office was because there wasn’t a big name. Freaky Friday had Jaimie Lee Curtis; Princess Diaries had Julie Andrews. There wasn’t a draw for an adult audience with this, so it didn’t draw as well as they’d like.
And the first person narration is just for the prologue in the books and it alternates between the girls (I can’t remember which girl does which book, but I assume the last one will do book 4). After that, they are third person for the chapters depending on whose storyline they’re in.
December 21st, 2006 at 7:59 pm
Thank you for weighing in, Ally! I’ve fixed the title — I know it drives me crazy when people call my book THE Secret Society Girl. I read a review once which compared every point of my book to the show, and they called my book that. (The review made me laugh though, because it talked about points that I’d “ripped off” this show I’d never seen.)
I understand why they changed the motivation in the movie — it wouldn’t have worked on film — but I must say that I probably wouldn’t sympathize with that motivation in a book, either. Amazingly beautiful girls who think they’re ugly bug me.
Maureen, I have seen RWHC — once, a long time ago, I didn’t realize Ugly Betty was the same actress for quite a while.
December 22nd, 2006 at 3:05 am
Actually, Bledel does always talk like that. I always wondered why (I do love her, but she is AWKWARD sometimes) and I found out it’s because her first language is Spanish, not English. Apparently, she goes over all her GG lines with a speech coach. At least, that’s what I’ve read/been told. As for her GG performances, I think she’s great, and she’s got some real chemistry with Lauren Graham, but she’s always been very physically strange. She’s really bad at hugging. There’s always about a foot of air between her and the person she’s supposedly embracing.
Also, when it comes to Hannah (the blond girl in Season 2 of VM)–it’s so funny, because she went to middle school with me, was in the same class as my brother, and was my understudy in a school musical once. And then I watched VM and there she was. RANDOM.
-C.C.
December 22nd, 2006 at 11:37 am
I’ve read all three TP books and loved them. Loved the movie too. I wasn’t bored about Greece in either. Love all 4 characters. I think I appreciate them more because my daughter is just entering adolescence. I think all three books superbly handle all those feelings of uncertaintly and angst and learning about yourself and your place in the world and behaving stupidly even though you know you are behaving stupidly but somehow just can’t stop yourself. I think the series got better with each successive book, and I’m looking forward to #4.
December 22nd, 2006 at 6:17 pm
Diana, Diana, you know someone would have to go on Google.com/maps and check out where the closest Wal-Mart is to Bethesda. I lived in MD, and it’s a very small state, so to say there is no Wal-Mart within 50 miles seemed a tad exaggerated. So, off I went to check the map!
There is a Wal-Mart less than 8 miles away from Bethesda in D.C. There are also several listed in Alexandria and other D.C. suburbs. Just F.Y.I.
As for the film, I only liked the Tibby and America storylines, because they were the most real. The Greece thing was too simply told and too simply resolved.
The soccer player annoyed the heck out of me. Like any guy would actually track down his one-night stand and apologize to her and be friends with her! I thought that was so naive.
In the real world, soccer girl would pine for this guy for months and months until something better came along. The guy? He would forget about her as soon as he stepped on the plane to fly home. Or, if he felt slightly guilty about the whole thing, he would likely keep it to himself. Teen boys are not well-known for their emotional openness.
December 23rd, 2006 at 1:05 am
Kristin, you’re mistaken. I live about ten minutes away from Bethesda and have for two years. Upon moving to DC, I was given Walmart giftcards. I haven’t used them yet because there is NO Walmart ANYWHERE NEAR WHERE I LIVE. The closest Walmart is in Laurel, which is about 45 minutes away BY CAR. The next closest is in ALEXANDRIA VIRGINIA. You’re telling me that Tibby, sans car, somehow takes the hour and a half long metro ride followed by an hour long bus ride with several transfers to go to the Walmart in either Laurel or in another state?
December 23rd, 2006 at 7:57 am
Google says there’s a Wal-Mart in D.C. It also says there is one in Germantown. And, yes, several in Alexandria. I’ll admit, they are not super-duper close…but there are Wal-Marts about.
I agree that it is pretty unrealistic that Tibby went to Wal-Mart without a car. But I could believe her taking the metro to D.C. Especially when the map says it’s only 7 miles from Bethesda. That’s not a very long way to go…?
We are all plagued with Wal-Marts, unfortunately. I am one of the lucky few who lives about 45 minutes from one. But I pretty much live 45 minutes from any shopping-type store beyond a grocery store.
By the way, you can always use your gift card by shopping online. Right now, I think they have 97 cent shipping!
December 23rd, 2006 at 8:53 am
There is no WalMart in DC. I don’t care what Google says. Walmart.com says there isn’t one. And it may be seven miles to Alexandria from SOME part of Bethesda as the crow flies, (which, no, it isn’t…accoding to Walmart.com, the Alexandria Walmart is 16 miles away) but by Metro, it’s about an hour and a half, and by car, it’s more than 30 minutes — saying there is good traffic, which is untrue, on the Beltway (a good 45 to the next closest, in Germantown).
My fiance grew up here. He’s never been to a Walmart until he came to Florida with me. So, yes, I’ll correct my assessment that there’s no Walmart within fifty miles of Bethesda. But there isn’t one within 50 minutes. She’d never work there.
Now, compare to, say, Borders or Barnes and Noble, of which there are about twenty within spitting distance.
December 24th, 2006 at 8:47 am
Here’s where I have to chime in about the Lena character.(I loved Sisterhood BTW)
My father is Greek and he moved us to a smallish fishing village on the mainland of Greece during some of my most impressionable years(11-14.) My rather large family had (and still has) a long standing grudge with another family that dates back to the turn of the 1900s. They totally flipped out when I started hanging around a boy who was a member of this family(just friends, no adolescent hanky panky)because they were still gripping onto this old grudge over a few fricken olive trees on a property line. “Bad blood will out” they told me. Unbelievable.
The fishing grudge in Sisterhood made me smile because it was so close to my own experience.