It’s so rare to see women over 60 on screen that the initiative deserves credit… but that doesn’t make the film any good.
Lazy, mediocre, useless, etc., there is no shortage of adjectives to qualify this second work, which marks the return of the quartet of friends made up of Vivian (Jane Fonda), Diane (Diane Keaton) and Sharon (Candice Bergen). and Carol (Mary Steenburgen).
Inspired by Paolo Coehlo’s The Alchemist, this Book Club: The Next Chapter begins with a montage of the four friends’ pandemic conversations via Zoom – one of the rare moments inspired by this production – for the sequel to Vivian and Arthur’s (Don Johnson) upcoming wedding. And if the quartet dreams of going to Italy, more specifically to Tuscany, why shouldn’t they also pay for a trip across the Atlantic?
I’ll spare you the lengthy synopsis of their barely believable adventures – stolen suitcases, museum visits, helicopter rescue, unexpected encounters, etc. – To tell you the gist: the Prosecco flows freely and we are treated to quick images of Rome, Venice and Tuscany, accompanied by scenes of fitting wedding dresses – a kind of “bridesmaids” under sedatives.
The systematic invisibility of actresses in Hollywood begins at the age of 40. While men their age are still saving the world, women are too old – let me remind you that Robert Downey Jr., aka Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes, is 58 and that Tom Cruise, aka Top Gun and Ethan Hunt, will be celebrating his 60th birthday and that sex symbol Brad Pitt will be 59 at the end of the year. On the other hand, it is impossible for women to claim anything, especially not being romantic partners, and they are then—when they get roles—systematically relegated to an often dour, (grand)motherly function. Then women over the age of 50 are simply considered expired goods.
For this reason alone, the two “Book Clubs” can only be rented. Because Jane Fonda is 85 years old, Diane Keaton and Candice Bergen are 77, and Mary Steenburgen is the youngest of the group at 70. Yes, let’s salute them together, let’s salute them, admire the dialogues inspired by cleverness (yes, in Hollywood, women’s sexuality seems to depend on their fertility) and the unspoilt passion of these iconic women are peppered for their profession. But let’s get back to the quality and interest of the feature film.
Rating: 2 out of 5