How about that. A sequel to "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" with all four of the original stars. You might think that, with all the television success Blake Lively, America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel have had, they would have gotten a little too big for these britches. Luckily for the fans of the first film, these "Pants" are still a good fit for the feisty foursome.

"The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" is a sweet, sentimental and occasionally funny movie about female bonding. The four friends are still linked by the same one-size-fits-all pair of magical jeans they pass around like a note in the back of the classroom. It only takes a few minutes of seeing the talented cast on screen, however, to know that the real magic is in the sisterhood, not the pants. It's the actresses and their chemistry that make the movie work..

Keeping that charming togetherness in play is not easy -- director Sanaa Hamri does a great job despite the fact her characters have been scattered to the four winds. Tibby (Tamblyn of "Joan of Arcadia") is a film student at NYU. Bridget (Lively of "Gossip Girl") is spending the summer on an archeological dig in Turkey. Carmen (Ferrera of "Ugly Betty") is involved with a theater company in Vermont. And Lena (Bledel of "Gilmore Girls") looks to get her mind off a lost love with some summer art classes at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Each of the friends provides a thread that weaves through the soft texture of the film. There are moments when the thread is dark. And there are times when it is not. But the threads are never boring because of the skill of this cast.

The movie is at its best when the threads come together. What is nice about Elizabeth Chandler's screenplay is that the friends act like friends. They can be supportive. Then they become self-centered and moody. Like friendships in life, these aren't always the picture perfect relationships.

"Traveling Pants 2" is a throwback in terms of the challenges each friend faces. Lena's awkwardness around a nude model, Tibby's shutdown over a pregnancy scare and the love triangle Tibby finds herself in all seem like plotlines lifted from the 1960 movie "Where the Boys Are." This light touch is a contrast to the more adult themes of the majority of current films aimed at teens.

The film is best when it plays it safe. The storyline about Bridget's search for the truth about her mother's death seems forced and at times fake. But even that thread can't distract from the overall warmth and simple joy of this movie made better by a cast that is a perfect fit.

B

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Director: Sanaa Hamri.

Cast: Blake Lively, America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel

Running time: 1 hr., 54 min.

Rating: PG-13 for mature material and sensuality

Location: Opened Wednesday at theaters everywhere