(L to R) Diane Keaton as Diane, Mary Steenburgen as Carol, Candice Bergen as Sharon, and Jane Fonda as Vivian in ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter,’ a Focus Features launch.
The sequel to 2018’s ‘Book Club,’ which is entitled ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter,’ opens in theaters on May twelfth and is as soon as once more directed and co-written by Bill Holderman.
What is the plot of ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter?’
Four older finest pals, Diane (Diane Keaton), Vivian (Jane Fonda), Sharon (Candice Bergen) and Carol (Mary Steenburgen), take their ebook membership to Italy for the enjoyable women’ journey they by no means had of their youth to have fun Vivian’s upcoming marriage. But when issues go off the rails and secrets and techniques are revealed, their enjoyable trip turns right into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country journey that can change all of their lives endlessly.
“Slightly scandalous. Totally fabulous.”
The extremely anticipated sequel follows our 4 finest pals as they take their ebook membership to Italy for the enjoyable women journey they by no means had. When issues go off the rails… Read the Plot
Who is within the forged of ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter?’
‘Book Club: The Next Chapter’ stars Oscar-winner Diane Keaton (‘Annie Hall,’ ‘The Godfather’) as Diane, Oscar-winner Jane Fonda (‘Klute,’ ’80 For Brady’) as Vivian, Oscar-winner Mary Steenburgen (‘Melvin and Howard,’ ‘Back to the Future Part III’) as Carol, and Oscar-nominee Candice Bergen (‘Gandhi,’ ‘Carnal Knowledge’) as Sharon, in addition to Oscar-nominee Andy Garcia (‘The Godfather Part III’) as Mitchell, Don Johnson (‘Knives Out’) as Arthur, Craig T. Nelson (‘The Incredibles’) as Bruce, and Giancarlo Giannini (‘Man on Fire’).
Initial Thoughts
The result’s a really predictable comedy that’s nonetheless humorous and general entertaining due to the colourful characters and glorious performances from the 4 main actresses.
(L to R) Mary Steenburgen stars as Carol, Candice Bergen as Sharon, Diane Keaton as Diane and Jane Fonda as Vivian in ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter,’ a Focus Features launch.
Credit: Riccardo Ghilardi / © 2023 Fifth Season, LLC.
The Sequel’s Story and Direction
‘Book Club: The Next Chapter’ begins in the course of the COVID lock-down and reveals our characters coping with the pandemic by persevering with their ebook membership by way of Zoom. The pandemic quickly ends and the 4 pals are reunited in particular person, however all their lives have modified. Vivian (Fonda) is now engaged to Arthur (Johnson), Diane (Keaton) is in a critical relationship with Mitchell (Garcia), Sharon (Bergen) has retired from being a Judge, and Carol (Steenburgen) is having points along with her husband (Nelson), whereas her restaurant closes as a result of pandemic.
When Carol is reminded that all of them deliberate to make a journey to Italy collectively again of their youth, she means that they journey there now to have fun Vivian’s upcoming marriage. As one can think about, excessive jinks ensue. While there may be not a whole lot of the precise ebook membership featured in ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter,’ that’s okay, because the character-driven story and the performances of the lead actresses is sufficient to preserve the movie transferring, humorous, and compelling. However, additionally it is very predictable, and there will not be a whole lot of actual surprises within the movie.
For instance, the opening scene really offers away the ending, in the event you can acknowledge which of the lead actresses’ voice is the narrator, and spoiler alert … you positively can! Another predictable second comes when Carol, who’s having points along with her husband coincidentally runs into her previous boyfriend in Rome. Sparks fly as you’ll be able to think about, however in the event you guessed that nothing occurs between them and he or she ultimately makes up along with her husband, you’d in all probability be on to one thing.
So the movie is suffering from extraordinarily predictable moments however to the credit score of director Bill Holderman and the forged, none of that basically issues. The coronary heart of the movie are the relationships between these 4 girls, and the marginally outrageous characters every one in all them has created, which is the place the humor stems from. It’s clear that Holderman realizes that, as he retains the main target totally on the main girls, their characters, and the gorgeous areas of Italy, as nothing else within the movie actually issues in any respect. In that sense, Hollderman has the liberty to permit the opposite characters, conditions, and minor plot factors to go to the wayside as the one factor that’s essential is our 4 predominant characters, their friendship, and their experiences collectively.
(L to R) Diane Keaton stars as Diane, Jane Fonda as Vivian, Candice Bergen as Sharon and Mary Steenburgen as Carol in ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter,’ a Focus Features launch. Credit: © 2023 Fifth Season, LLC.
Italy is a Character within the Movie
‘Book Club: The Next Chapter’ shot on location in Italy in among the nation’s most well-known areas, and Hollderman takes full benefit of it. Italy is certainly its personal character within the movie, and cinematographer Andrew Dunn shoots the actresses with lovely vistas and well-known Italian areas behind them just like the Pizza della Rotonda, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. It provides a layer of pleasure to the undertaking, and likewise grounds the movie in a sure actuality, even within the movie’s most ridiculous or predictable moments.
(L to R) Mary Steenburgen stars as Carol, Jane Fonda as Vivian, Diane Keaton as Diane and Candice Bergen as Sharon in ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter,’ a Focus Features launch. Credit: © 2023 Fifth Season, LLC.
Keaton, Fonda, Bergen and Steenburgen
But the movie solely works due to the rigorously created characters carried out by the 4 glorious main actresses. You can inform that all of them actually like working with one another, because it shines by way of their performances and relationships with one another on display. It additionally helps that every actress was completely forged and performs a personality much like their very own onscreen personas.
Diane Keaton performs Diane (that may’t be a coincidence), a neurotic girl nonetheless searching for love, not not like an older model of Annie Hall. Fonda performs Vivian, an older girl making an attempt to carry on to her youth and wonder, which is nearly the identical precise character as she lately performed in ’80 For Brady.’ Bergen performs Sharon, a bawdy profession girls petrified of retirement, paying homage to her basic TV character Murphy Brown. And Steenburgen performs Carol, a free spirited girls, who nonetheless loves her husband, however is searching for some pleasure in her life, which according to characters she’s performed previously in movies like ‘Back to the Future III.’ None of that is meant as a criticism, however somewhat simply to say that the actresses play characters they’re effectively fitted to and due to that, create very memorable performances.
In a movie like this, it’s straightforward for one or two of the lead actresses to get much less display time than the others, however that isn’t the case right here. While in some methods the story is advised from Keaton’s character’s perspective, all the predominant characters have good arcs and every actress is given time to shine. Keaton and Fonda’s characters discover their true voices earlier than the top of the movie, and the 2 actresses share a really good emotional scene collectively. Steenburgen’s Carol has a full arc too, and in some ways her story is the guts of the movie. But Bergen surprisingly has the very best comedic moments and could be very humorous within the movie, particularly when she is squaring off with Giancarlo Giannini.
(L to R) Diane Keaton stars as Diane, Jane Fonda as Vivian, Candice Bergen as Sharon and Mary Steenburgen as Carol in ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter,’ a Focus Features launch. Credit: © 2023 Fifth Season, LLC.
The Men
Speaking of which, Giancarlo Giannini, finest recognized for motion dramas like ‘Man on Fire’ and ‘Casino Royale,’ could be very humorous as an Italian police captain that has it out for Bergen’s Sharon, and in flip her pals. But once more, his “change of coronary heart” within the third act is one other instance of the movie’s predictability. But general, whereas they’ve little or no display time, the male actors are excellent within the movie and assist their feminine counterparts fairly effectively, with out ever drawing the eye away from them.
Andy Garcia, Don Johnson, and Craig T. Nelson all have nice chemistry with their vital others, Keaton, Fonda, and Steenburgen, respectively. While Garcia and Johnson each play “good guys,” Nelson has a bit of extra to do enjoying the “hapless good man,” though once more, his character’s flip ultimately was about as predictable as they arrive.
Final Thoughts
In the top, even the movie’s predictability can’t cease the movie from being enjoyable and entertaining, due to the character-driven story and excellent performances from Keaton, Fonda, Bergen, and Steenburgen, to not point out the gorgeous areas. It is probably not for everybody, however I do know my mother goes to like this movie!
‘Book Club: The Next Chapter’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
(L to R) Diane Keaton stars as Diane, Jane Fonda as Vivian, Candice Bergen as Sharon and Mary Steenburgen as Carol in “Book Club: The Next Chapter,’ a Focus Features launch. Credit: Riccardo Ghilardi / © 2023 Fifth Season, LLC.
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‘Book Club: The Next Chapter’ is produced by Focus Features, Makeready, and Fifth Season. It is about to launch in theaters on May twelfth, 2023.
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