Book Club: The Next Chapter

IN A NUTSHELL: The sequel was directed by Bill Holderman, who also produced the film and wrote the story with Erin Simms. This is Bill Holderman’s directorial debut. Congrats! It’s about four friends who began a Book Club in the first movie, sharing their lives’ ups and downs. In this edition of their adventures together, they travel to Italy and have more shenanigans. THINGS I LIKED: The aging cast looks fantastic and includes 4 Academy Award winners, 2 Oscar nominees, and fan favorites over the years. You’ll love seeing Diante Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Andy Garcia, Do Johnson, Alicia Silverstone, Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Begley Jr., Wallace Shawn, and Craig T. Nelson. The humor will mostly appeal to seniors and fans of these leading ladies. Candice Bergen had the funniest lines in the movie, although the worst hairdo.“ The older the vine, the sweeter the fruit”, right? We get to go to Italy in the movie! I’m amazed at how many movies and TV shows Jane Fond has been cranking out lately. The wedding dress shop scene was adorable, especially as each of the women took turns trying on dresses. Who ever said old, single ladies can’t have fun? It’s inspiring to see aging actresses get work in Hollywood, as well as play seniors who aren’t content to sit in rocking chairs during their Golden Years. There’s a fun, snappy soundtrack. While it’s nice to have seen the first movie to better understand each woman’s personality and backstory, this film can easily be enjoyed as a stand-alone feature. THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE: The talented cast deserved a better script, but it’s still fun to see them in anything. While they’re all aging beautifully, it is noticeable to see both Jane Fonda and Candice Bergen walk with a limp on occasion. The jokes are super corny and cheesy. For a movie called “The Book Club”, there isn’t much reading going on. Ha ha It doesn’t ring very realistic, as older women are usually invisible to the world. Instead, handsome men constantly fall all over these seniors in the movie. It’s supposed to be hilarious watching how promiscuous these older women are. It’s not. One of them has an affair while being married. Not funny. I definitely don’t have a sense of humor when it comes to that. TIPS FOR PARENTS: Some profanity. LOTS of talk about intimate relationships. Lots of alcohol. Kids will be completely bored.

For what it’s worth, I enjoyed it more than the first film. My audience filled with the 65+ crowd seemed to enjoy it, and who am I to ruin what is essentially their Avengers: Endgame?

(Mauro Lanari) "Desperate Retired Housewives" + "Sex and the Italian Cities": a rather vulgar sequel with the quartet of elderly enchantresses turned airheads, whose irreverence even strikes the extraneous Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and guided by Coelho's "The Alchemist", the only important book that this time serves as a compass for their existential journey.

Gosto da mensagem que quer passar sobre chegar na terceira idade e ainda ter liberdade para escolher viver os momentos da vida. Mas precisava mesmo ser um filme tão medíocre, com roteiro pra filme adolescente? Tem de tudo, prisão, casamento, piadinhas constrangedoras sobre sexo. Elenco exemplar, mas posto ao ridículo.

Mindless women talking about trivia that no one cares about and an absurd story line resulting in a pathetic waste of time and money. Does anyone want to talk about scandal and 50 year old women at the same time? The first movie was proof that another one should never be made.