Product Info

Studio

Focus Features

Director

Bill Holderman

Genre

Comedy

Rated

PG-13

Theatrical Release Date (NA)

May 12, 2023

Film Length

1hr 47min

Purchase From

Book Club: The Next Chapter, is the sequel to the 2018 film Book Club about a group of lifelong friends who are in a book club together. Though the Book Club: The Next Chapter doesn’t focus on books like the first movie did, it’s similar to the original in that it’s well written, funny, and charming, and though it is a storyline that one would expect from this particular genre of movies, it’s definitely a feel-good movie worth seeing.

Playing Catch Up

(l-r) Diane Keaton stars as Diane, Jane Fonda as Vivian, Candice Bergen as Sharon andMary Steenburgen as Carol in BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER, a Focus Featuresrelease.Credit: Riccardo Ghilardi / © 2023 FIFTH SEASON, LLC

With a stellar cast that includes Diane Keaton as Diane, Jane Fonda as Vivian, Candice Burgen as Sharon and Mary Steenburgen as Carol, the movie is a charming story about a group of women who have been friends for over 50 years and picks up not long after the first movie ended by sharing what the women did during quarantine when Covid-19 hit. It shows many of the ups and downs of being quarantined during Covid, as many viewers experienced, which range from losing a dream business and finding acceptance while transitioning into retirement to picking up hobbies such as the piano accordion to the emotional rollercoaster and stress of being quarantined during Covid. However, through it all the best friends stay connected to loved ones the best they can from a distance, including keeping their friendship strong through video chatting. 

In the first movie, the film focuses on the book club itself as a way the women find themselves after reading Fifty Shades of Gray. Though this movie doesn’t center around reading or books, it does emphasize those friendships and the love they share together for each other and for life in general when 70-something-year-old Vivian gets engaged for the first time. The women decide to use it as an excuse to go on a long overdue trip of a lifetime to Italy to have a bachelorette party, and during their adventure the women find love, lust, adventure and healing in ways they couldn’t have imagined.

Having a Grand ol’ Time

(l-r) Mary Steenburgen stars as Carol, Candice Bergen as Sharon, Diane Keaton as Dianeand Jane Fonda as Vivian in BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER, a Focus Featuresrelease.Credit: Riccardo Ghilardi / © 2023 FIFTH SEASON, LLC

The subtle nuances in sexual humor are very well written and will surely get laughter from the most discerning of viewers. Rated PG-13, this movie is great for a broad variety of viewers; however, it’s clearly targeted at a particularly mature audience, featuring not only starring actors, but also many of supporting actors who have had very successful careers spanning many decades, but who became most notable for a wide audience during 1980s and 1990s well-known movies and tv sitcoms (think Murphy Brown and Coach to name a couple we- known shows from that time frame). This strategy is outstanding because of the nostalgia surrounding many of the actors who have been in film and television for the audience for most of their lives, but it takes away from the number of people from younger generations who may enjoy the movie.

Rarely do you see a film with such an impressive cast and supporting actors as you see here. The layers of the characters are wonderful in The Next Chapter, in that they are perfectly imperfect. When Vivan tries to “feel up” an attractive police officer, she and her friends get them all thrown in jail. Then there’s the judge Sharon who knows herself the most of all the women and decides to have a one-night stand with an attractive stranger on a boat and gets caught by the same police officer she verbally thrashed earlier in the movie. There’s Carol who has a sexy cooking session with a former love after yelling at her husband while watching him on a camera at their home when he tries to eat bacon, which the doctors tell him he can’t have. Then there is Diane who has fear most of the movie but makes a few decisions that will change her life forever. One of these decisions is releasing her dead husband’s ashes, and when the urn gets stuck, she drops it and they all freak out… but fortunately it hits the plane and releases the ashes at the last minute.

The friends keep you laughing while also calling each other out on the areas they struggle with while supporting each other as friends will do in life. You see their growth, love for each other and love for life along the way.

Put On Your Dancing Shoes

Andy Garcia stars as Mitchell and Diane Keaton as Diane in BOOK CLUB: THE NEXTCHAPTER, a Focus Features release.Credit: Fabio Zayed / © 2023 FIFTH SEASON, LLC

The soundtrack matches the rest of the movie with music that is older (30+ years in some cases) but also upbeat and fun. Sometimes it is playful and romantic, but the movie certainly puts a new spin on it with one song in particular that stood out, which is the Italian song “You Make My Dreams Come True”. It’s a fun song to begin with but the Italian lyrics add a layer of fun and romance — a kind of energy. 

So while the Book Club: The Next Chapter does fall into a predictable storyline with a particular audience as its target, it breaks the mold by being steps above its competitors because of the amazing cast and writing. People of all ages will appreciate the versatility in its style even though it follows a certain kind of genre of romance, comedy and drama. It sets itself apart by its humorous writing, wonderful delivery, music and cast… and also a few surprises that are kind of fun and break out of the typical style of this genre.  

The Final Chapter

Overall, the Book Club: The Last Chapter targets a mature audience with a predictable storyline for this particular genre and style. However, you will also find that it delivers well and gives a few nice “feel good” surprises and lots of laughter along the way. That is something anyone can walk away from and feel pretty happy about.

An early screening was provided for this review.