Book Club is not
one of the coolest movies to see. In fact, I feel the script was somewhat
cagey, avoiding anything that could have turned out creepy. The veteran
actresses had their work cut out for them in bringing this not-so-lively script
to life, and I have to admit that they did. Writer and director Bill
Holderman’s decision not to swing hard on this script wasn't the best for me.
He could have added some unexpected creepiness for the comedy, which I feel
would have worked. Instead, he kept the movie clean and simple, and the veteran
actresses had to do the heavy lifting to make it good enough to watch.
All praise goes
to the ladies who took the bull by the horns in this movie. They all looked
stunning and moved about confidently onscreen. They’ve been in the business
long enough to know what works and what doesn’t, and they gave us all the right
elements to make the movie fun to watch in the end.
Book Club is a
nice movie with an amazing cast of four cool ladies. The oldest at the time of
release was Jane Fonda (80), who plays Vivian, a woman who runs her own
company. She’s rich, successful, and has sex with whomever she wants. The
downside is she’s afraid of commitment. Alongside Fonda, we have Diane Keaton
(72), who plays Diane, a widow whose husband died a year before. She’s left to
navigate life on her own, with two grown daughters who have families of their
own. Diane has allowed her daughters to control her life. Then there’s Candice
Bergen (72), who plays Sharon, a federal judge who is divorced and has stayed
away from all sexual relationships for eighteen years. Last but not least is
Mary Steenburgen (65), who plays Carol. She’s the only one still married, and
she and her husband are going through a rough patch sexually.
The four women,
whose ages in the movie are not mentioned (or maybe I missed it), have bonded
over the years and formed a book club. Things change in their lives when the
book they’re assigned to read is Fifty Shades of Grey. The BDSM-themed book
awakens something inside all of them. At this point, I liked how the movie
didn’t become overwhelmingly creepy, but I did expect some creepiness. I
thought that was a comedic door waiting to be opened, which, like I said
earlier, the director didn’t dare venture through. Although something was
awakened in them, it wasn’t to go do some weird sexual thing—it was more about
breaking free from their slumps and doing something daring.
The acting from
the four ladies is magnificent, and for more than five decades, these women
have been onscreen giving us fantastic performances one after another. Their
performances here are worth all the praise. The movie was a huge box office
hit, making over $104 million on a $14 million budget.
I like the way
the movie coasts to the end and makes you want to be daring in life now—and to
continue being daring even as you reach the ripe, graceful age of the ladies.
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