Sisters travel into college

It's nearly four years later, and in "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," an amalgam of the final three books of the series, we're presented another wholesome look at true friendship. The post-freshman wanderings of these super-tight yet totally different friends picks up just as they left off: same Fed Ex-ed pants, different locales.

And despite new angst and varied geography -- Yale, Rhode Island School of Design, Brown, NYU -- the young women can rely on each other throughout. It is to director Sanaa Hamri's credit that the sequel manages to keep things innocent, with just enough tension or romance to keep us hanging on every last word, sigh, kiss and tear.

Still a bit socially shaky, Carmen (a glowing America Ferrera), is now a tad more confident, and immersed in her studies at Yale. Upon learning that her best friends will be scattered for the summer, she reluctantly joins a classmate at a theater festival in Vermont. Still raw from the loss of her mother, Bridget (an infectiously free-spirited Blake Lively) runs as far as she can from her sorrows and joins an archaeological dig in Turkey. Ever-shy but still enchanting Lena (the luminous Alexis Bledel) takes a figure-drawing class and finds herself front and center with the model's front and center (a charming Jesse Williams). Back in Manhattan, jaded Tibby (a biting Amber Tamblyn) dishes up attitude at a video store while completing a screenplay.

Once again, the performances are superb and engaging. And while two of the boyfriends return -- albeit to newer, more self-assured mates -- each gal makes her journey into the real world a heartfelt passage. The only source of genuine grown-up wisdom: Bridget's estranged grandma (the razor sharp and still sexy Blythe Danner) who reminds Bridget, "Cars are easy; it's people you need a manual for."

Although each leading lady has definitely matured, none has drastically changed. All are thrust into new situations, with their own challenges and chances for romance. At times overwrought with melodrama and near wince-worthy, the story flows seamlessly between the far-flung locales, contrasting the various struggles and triumphs, no matter how trifling.

The lone, sane voice of reason (an earnest Leonardo Nam from the first film) takes the very down-to-earth form of Tibby's guy Brian, who pleads with her to give him -- and everybody -- a chance: "Not everyone who loves you is going to leave you," he promises.

Lena, soft and a bit too trusting, seems calmer and more thoughtful. Confused by multiple men paying attention to her, she appears amusingly ruffled, but smart enough to enjoy it. When all three friends join her for a Greek island escape, the stunning backdrops further increase the overall romantic aura.

As the fab four are never more than a phone call or train ride away from rescuing one another from either romance gone bad or life's regularly embarrassing folly, this soothing, hopeful story reassures us all: It takes more than geographic distance to shatter such a strong bond. And since we know them from the first film, it is a delight to spend time with them again, as they face new adventures, fall in love, and slowly break away as independent adults.

No violence and no special effects: only the human interaction provides emotional drama, and that's plenty. Everyone deserves a "Summer of '42."