Book Club: The Next Chapter (2023)

CinemaSerf

6.0

May 15, 2023

This appears to be a good excuse for four actors, who seem to get on quite well together, to get someone to fund an all expenses paid trip to Italy to make a movie underpinned by the thinnest of plots. That plot sees the group emerging from lockdown when they finally manage to meet for their routine bookclub. It's at this get-together that "Vivian" (Jane Fonda) announces that she - a lifelong opponent of the institution - is to marry "Arthur" (Don Johnson). "Carol" (Mary Steenbergen) comes up with the idea of a hen trip to Italy and after a bit of scepticism from "Diane" (Diane Keanton) and th…

The first question I asked myself after leaving the theater after screening “Book Club: The Next Chapter” was “wait a minute, did this movie even have a script?” The story is so paper-thin that it seems like a long improv session between four of the most charming actresses over 70. The sad (or great?) thing about this is that it doesn’t really matter, because co-writer and director Bill Holderman unapologetically made this movie for a target audience that will gobble it up and leave wanting more. All facing different milestones in their lives, four best friends Diane (Diane Keaton), Vivian…