I don’t normally review movies, but since this one was about a book club…
I had really wanted to see this when it was in the movie theaters, and I almost went. But I have misophonia (I can’t block out extraneous noises) and chewing and crinkling wrappers and people moving around, getting up, etc. I just don’t end up being able to relax in a theater. So I waited until The Book Club came out on DVD and was at Redbox.
The Book Club was a cute film about four friends who have known each other since college and have met once a month for the last 40 years for book club. Jane Fonda’s character was very influenced by Eric Jong’s Fear of Flying and has not needed a man in her life, but she is very promiscuous. She owns a luxury hotel in Santa Monica and 40 years ago, she said goodbye to Arthur (Don Johnson), who reappears in her life and they have a wild romance. Mary Steenburgen’s character owns a restaurant and has been married to Craig T. Nelson’s character; they used to be unable to keep their hands off each other, but lately their marriage is having issues. Candace Bergen’s character is a federal judge, she has been divorced for 18 years and has not needed or wanted a man in her life. Diane Keaton’s character’s husband died a year ago and her daughters are trying to get her to move closer to them in Scottsdale, Arizona; she meets a man on a flight to visit them.
Their book club read Fifty Shades of Grey and it has an impact on all four women’s lives.
This was a cute movie. I liked the idea that women in their 60s could still be sexually active and desirable. I loved the women’s friendship. They were all different, but had maintained a friendship for 40 years. I think this movie would be great for women in their 40s and above. I love all four of these actresses and I loved seeing them together.
I have been part of three separate book clubs and none of them lasted longer than two years, so for this one to last 40 years was pretty cool. I think the key was that there was only four of them. I think one of the reasons why the book clubs I was part of disbanded was because there were so many women with so many opinions. In one case, what started out as a group of women who had all liked Gone Girl and wanted to read thrillers and meet to discuss them, ended up turning into a book club that read self-help nonfiction books; it was not my thing and I dropped out. Another book just kept adding members every month and some would drop off, eventually no one knew who was in or who was out and no one stepped up to host (I had hosted three times in a 12 month period and I was done hosting). The third book club broke up, honestly, because there was one woman who was very opinionated and had a very strong personality and made it uncomfortable for anyone else to give an opinion. Now I enjoy my time on bookstagram. I love picking what books I want to read and I can always find others who have read the same book and are happy to discuss it.
Although it might be cliche, drinking wine was a big part of all three of the book clubs I was part of and it was a big part of this movie.
biblioreviews 