Book Club: The Next Chapter, 2023.
Directed by Bill Holderman.
Starring Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Andy García, Craig T. Nelson, Don Johnson, Giancarlo Giannini, Hugh Quarshie, Adriano De Pasquale, and Vincent Riotta.
SYNOPSIS:
Follows the new journey of four best friends as they take their book club to Italy for the fun girls trip they never had.
While watching Book Club: The Next Chapter, it’s noticeable that outside a few references to Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist and discussions of the fairy tale endings they desire in life, there’s no reading going on here. And for as bizarre as it is for a movie called Book Club to primarily function as a relaxed vacation to Italy between long-time friends that turns into a comedy of errors (where every joke is a lame Italian-based sexual double entendre), and philosophical musings on relationships, fate, and the possibilities that still exist within their lives, I will certainly take it upon sifting through the synopsis of the 2018 first film, which was essentially a sexual reawakening through the Fifty Shades of Gray novels.
From what I can gather, director Bill Holderman (once again directing and co-writing alongside Erin Simms) has replaced those novels as a source for tired sexual humor with Italy (Italian meatballs are used as a euphemism for exactly what you think), where everything is supposedly sexier. The painful attempts at comedy are made more frustrating considering these filmmakers are also interested in exploring the complicated feelings of mortality and time that come with the backend of someone’s life, such as potentially getting married for the first time, finding love once more, reconnecting with old flames, or simply having fun sexually as freely as younger people frequently do.
Perhaps the first film was similar in tone (which sounds reasonable given what the women were reading and trying to accomplish), but these characters feel stuck inside a narrative that is unsure if it wants to treat them and their concerns seriously or use them as an excuse to rattle off cringe sexual one-liners every two minutes. To clarify, this has nothing to do with older women experiencing sexual desire, which is perfectly normal. The problem is how uninspired and how often the jokes go for low-hanging fruit. It’s not just about sexual humor, as a storyline involving the ashes of a deceased husband culminates in over-the-top absurdity.
Nevertheless, Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen return as the tight-knit friend group Diane, Vivian, Sharon, and Carol, who founded a book club 40+ years ago. Throughout the pandemic, they kept their meetings and readings going through Zoom (although not without the typical cheap comedy at the expense of elderly people not always entirely understanding technology). During that time, Vivian (Jane Fonda) and her partner Arthur (Don Johnson) have grown closer, with the former making the surprising choice to settle down and say yes to marriage.
They also decide that they should choose to live life to the fullest, putting together a bucket list vacation to Italy, doubling as a bachelorette party. For a brief while, it’s breezy, charming, and harmless. When the women decide to look at some dicks, the film amusingly cuts to the usual chiseled statues with erect penises. It’s a funny gag once that then goes on for minutes, with more and more sex jokes that would be fine if they had an ounce of cleverness to them and weren’t beaten to the ground. It gets to a point where the filmmakers are less concerned with maintaining camaraderie and chemistry between the women, focused on setting up the next cringe punchline.
It’s all a shame because there are moments in Book Club: The Next Chapter that feels earnest, such as a sequence where everyone gives each other a dose of tough love or moments where they uplift one another to instill bravery to live life and take crazy risks. Whether or not anyone ends up getting married is for viewers to find out, but even its positioning on marriage feels in line with who the characters are whenever the filmmakers are allowing them to show personality beyond overplayed sexual lust. There is also natural joy in watching these legendary actresses enjoy the company of one another, but with such a weak and repetitive screenplay, that fun doesn’t last long.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
