In the midst of blockbusters and superheroes and space adventures, director Bill Holderman's comparatively small Book Club has carved out a nice little share of the early summer market. Some have been surprised by its box office over-performance, but is it really all that shocking? Contrary to popular belief, the over-60 demographic likes to go to the movies year-round, not just during the crowded Oscar season. Book Club is aimed squarely at one of the few target markets that still regularly goes to the movie theater, so really, this was always going to be a hit. But you didn't come here for a box office report, so you're probably wondering if this little breakout is actually worth the watch. Well, this septuagenarian ensemble comedy does offer plenty of simple pleasures, mainly the result of its cast, which is stacked from top to bottom with modern cinema icons. But considering the shakiness of the material and the scattershot execution, "good" isn't exactly the word I would use here.
In case you didn't know, Book Club is the latest chapter in the cultural saga of Fifty Shades of Grey. Okay, so it isn't a sequel to this year's Fifty Shades Freed, but it's still tackling the unique phenomenon of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele's steamy BDSM relationship. This time around, the story follows four older women- Vivian (Jane Fonda), Diane (Diane Keaton), Sharon (Candice Bergen), and Carol (Mary Steenburgen). As they approach their golden years, each of these women are in the middle of some kind of personal crisis. Vivian has built an empire through her strong will and independent spirit, but her life is thrown into disarray when old flame Arthur (Don Johnson) comes back into the picture. Diane's husband died the previous year, and her worrying kids (Alicia Silverstone and Katie Aselton) are pressuring her to move from Santa Monica to Arizona.
Meanwhile, Sharon is a federal judge who has avoided dating altogether, even if she's a little upset that her ex-husband (Ed Begley, Jr.) is marrying a younger woman. Finally, Carol and her husband (Craig T. Nelson) used to be all over each other, but ever since his retirement, things haven't been the same. But through all of their troubles, these ladies have each other and their beloved book club. For decades, the four women have met to drink white wine and discuss a book. As their own lives seem to be on the decline, Vivian introduces a novel that could spice things up- E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey. Lo and behold, things start to heat up. Vivian's feelings for Arthur begin to intensify, Diane meets a dashing pilot (Andy Garcia), Sharon starts using an online dating service, and Carol develops a scheme to heat things up in the bedroom. But through all their strange and funny misadventures, these four friends learn *insert romantic comedy cliche here.*
The weirdest thing about Book Club may be just the sheer awfulness of the CGI. You're probably wondering how or why there happen to be visual effects in an old-fashioned romantic comedy. But there are so many shots that were clearly shot on a green screen, and it left me baffled time and time again. Did Paramount not have the budget to get some better effects shots? Couldn't they just shoot on location? In some cases, it just seems like the film is overlit, as that's part of the aesthetic charm of these sunny rom-coms. But in other cases, it's very obvious that this was shot on a studio set somewhere in California, with little effort put into making these backdrops look realistic. This is far from the only problem with this deeply silly comedy, but it's maybe the most glaring issue that keeps popping up in my mind time and time again.
Book Club is essentially a tale of two radically different movies. In one respect, it's a mushy and sentimental romantic comedy about women finding love even as they reach their 70s. But it's also a bawdy and raunchy sex comedy, albeit one that fits in the constraints of the PG-13 rating (hint: no actual sex). Both sides of the film's identity have their charms, but they're also incredibly flawed. First, the cast does their absolute best with what they're given. This ensemble is terrific, and it's enormously appealing to just watch these legends go to work for a few hours. Jane Fonda's perfectly timed wit is flawless, Diane Keaton still has such a great screen presence, and Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen have moments to shine in their supporting roles.
Andy Garcia and Don Johnson are also clearly having a good time as the love interests, and there's some genuine sweetness to the film's central romances. But that light-hearted likability eventually devolves into cliche after cliche, especially as the story reaches something of a natural conclusion. Co-writers Holderman and Erin Simms feel the need to end each character's arc with a long-winded monologue, each professing something deep and meaningful about love and life. That would maybe work a little better in another film, but after listening to these actors make sex puns for 90 minutes, it's difficult to buy into the life lessons.
And that, unfortunately, is the fundamental push-and-pull of this movie. It wants to be a Judd Apatow movie, but it also wants to be an old-school, hopelessly treacly rom-com. While the sexual humor in Book Club undeniably produces some great laughs, the sheer volume eventually becomes overwhelming. Every single line is a metaphor or a euphemism or some kind of innuendo, which makes the shift into mushy romance territory all the more jarring. And for every clever moment, there's another scene where it feels like Holderman and the cast just winged it, like he pointed at the actors and said "Okay, just be funny now." There's nothing wrong with scenes where people just sit and talk for hours, but with soft jazz in the background and an excess of cringe-worthy dialogue, there's something off about Book Club's staged action.
Holderman wasn't trying to make high art here, and it rarely feels like Book Club is aspiring to be anything more than what it is. In a way, that's admirable. It's a lightweight sex comedy for the elderly crowd that made me chuckle from time to time, even if every chuckle was matched by a pervasive sense of second-hand embarrassment. The cast is great and the basic conceit is likable, but I can't quite shake the feeling that this movie was haphazardly slapped together without much rhyme or reason. From the CGI to the awkward balance between corniness and bawdiness, Book Club never quite clicks into place. It's passably enjoyable, but relatively free of substance.
THE FINAL GRADE: C+ (5.9/10)
Images: Paramount
In case you didn't know, Book Club is the latest chapter in the cultural saga of Fifty Shades of Grey. Okay, so it isn't a sequel to this year's Fifty Shades Freed, but it's still tackling the unique phenomenon of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele's steamy BDSM relationship. This time around, the story follows four older women- Vivian (Jane Fonda), Diane (Diane Keaton), Sharon (Candice Bergen), and Carol (Mary Steenburgen). As they approach their golden years, each of these women are in the middle of some kind of personal crisis. Vivian has built an empire through her strong will and independent spirit, but her life is thrown into disarray when old flame Arthur (Don Johnson) comes back into the picture. Diane's husband died the previous year, and her worrying kids (Alicia Silverstone and Katie Aselton) are pressuring her to move from Santa Monica to Arizona.
Meanwhile, Sharon is a federal judge who has avoided dating altogether, even if she's a little upset that her ex-husband (Ed Begley, Jr.) is marrying a younger woman. Finally, Carol and her husband (Craig T. Nelson) used to be all over each other, but ever since his retirement, things haven't been the same. But through all of their troubles, these ladies have each other and their beloved book club. For decades, the four women have met to drink white wine and discuss a book. As their own lives seem to be on the decline, Vivian introduces a novel that could spice things up- E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey. Lo and behold, things start to heat up. Vivian's feelings for Arthur begin to intensify, Diane meets a dashing pilot (Andy Garcia), Sharon starts using an online dating service, and Carol develops a scheme to heat things up in the bedroom. But through all their strange and funny misadventures, these four friends learn *insert romantic comedy cliche here.*
The weirdest thing about Book Club may be just the sheer awfulness of the CGI. You're probably wondering how or why there happen to be visual effects in an old-fashioned romantic comedy. But there are so many shots that were clearly shot on a green screen, and it left me baffled time and time again. Did Paramount not have the budget to get some better effects shots? Couldn't they just shoot on location? In some cases, it just seems like the film is overlit, as that's part of the aesthetic charm of these sunny rom-coms. But in other cases, it's very obvious that this was shot on a studio set somewhere in California, with little effort put into making these backdrops look realistic. This is far from the only problem with this deeply silly comedy, but it's maybe the most glaring issue that keeps popping up in my mind time and time again.
Book Club is essentially a tale of two radically different movies. In one respect, it's a mushy and sentimental romantic comedy about women finding love even as they reach their 70s. But it's also a bawdy and raunchy sex comedy, albeit one that fits in the constraints of the PG-13 rating (hint: no actual sex). Both sides of the film's identity have their charms, but they're also incredibly flawed. First, the cast does their absolute best with what they're given. This ensemble is terrific, and it's enormously appealing to just watch these legends go to work for a few hours. Jane Fonda's perfectly timed wit is flawless, Diane Keaton still has such a great screen presence, and Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen have moments to shine in their supporting roles.
Andy Garcia and Don Johnson are also clearly having a good time as the love interests, and there's some genuine sweetness to the film's central romances. But that light-hearted likability eventually devolves into cliche after cliche, especially as the story reaches something of a natural conclusion. Co-writers Holderman and Erin Simms feel the need to end each character's arc with a long-winded monologue, each professing something deep and meaningful about love and life. That would maybe work a little better in another film, but after listening to these actors make sex puns for 90 minutes, it's difficult to buy into the life lessons.
And that, unfortunately, is the fundamental push-and-pull of this movie. It wants to be a Judd Apatow movie, but it also wants to be an old-school, hopelessly treacly rom-com. While the sexual humor in Book Club undeniably produces some great laughs, the sheer volume eventually becomes overwhelming. Every single line is a metaphor or a euphemism or some kind of innuendo, which makes the shift into mushy romance territory all the more jarring. And for every clever moment, there's another scene where it feels like Holderman and the cast just winged it, like he pointed at the actors and said "Okay, just be funny now." There's nothing wrong with scenes where people just sit and talk for hours, but with soft jazz in the background and an excess of cringe-worthy dialogue, there's something off about Book Club's staged action.
Holderman wasn't trying to make high art here, and it rarely feels like Book Club is aspiring to be anything more than what it is. In a way, that's admirable. It's a lightweight sex comedy for the elderly crowd that made me chuckle from time to time, even if every chuckle was matched by a pervasive sense of second-hand embarrassment. The cast is great and the basic conceit is likable, but I can't quite shake the feeling that this movie was haphazardly slapped together without much rhyme or reason. From the CGI to the awkward balance between corniness and bawdiness, Book Club never quite clicks into place. It's passably enjoyable, but relatively free of substance.
THE FINAL GRADE: C+ (5.9/10)
Images: Paramount
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