BOOK CLUB
Director : Bob Holderman
Year : 2018
Genre : Comedy
Rating : ***1/2
Every so often, a movie will come along that is so utterly dreadful in almost every conceivable way but is made bizarrely great due to the irresistible charisma and charm of it's performers. 'Book Club' is one of those movies. The first time directorial effort of Bob Holderman, the film is infested with terrible dialogue, cringe-worthy set pieces, hilariously poor green screen and Photoshop effects and narrative convolutions that will make your head explode if you think about them too much. And yet, I can't deny that I had a bloody good time watching it thanks to the talents of it's four legendary and, it must be said, game central actresses.
In the film, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen and Jane Fonda star as four life-long friends who re-evaluate their dwindling or non-existent love lives after reading 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' in their monthly book club. Cue scenes of increasing awkwardness as the quartet of sex-starved OAP's attempt to spice things up in the bedroom or wherever their dormant libidos suddenly kick back into action while various acclaimed actors such as Craig T. Nelson, Wallace Shawm, Andy Garcia, Don Johnson and even Richard Dreyfuss take a few moments to participate in the raunchy proceedings.
The idea of watching a film about a group of elderly women getting laid thanks to the influence of E.L James' torturous tome of S&M garbage sounds like my idea of cinematic hell. However, the four women are a great deal of fun to watch and each has their own individual moment to shine thereby elevating the movie above it's pedestrian premise and substandard script - with Bergen's lonely federal judge Sharon standing out for me as the true comedic star of the show. It's charming, it's sporadically funny, it's kind of sweet and at a breezy 103 minutes, it's an ideal way to cool down after a pleasant day in the sun. The poster for 'Book Club' depicts 4 elderly women enjoying 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' over generous glasses of wine. Well, at least the advertising campaign can't be accused of misrepresenting the movie in any way.
In the film, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen and Jane Fonda star as four life-long friends who re-evaluate their dwindling or non-existent love lives after reading 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' in their monthly book club. Cue scenes of increasing awkwardness as the quartet of sex-starved OAP's attempt to spice things up in the bedroom or wherever their dormant libidos suddenly kick back into action while various acclaimed actors such as Craig T. Nelson, Wallace Shawm, Andy Garcia, Don Johnson and even Richard Dreyfuss take a few moments to participate in the raunchy proceedings.
The idea of watching a film about a group of elderly women getting laid thanks to the influence of E.L James' torturous tome of S&M garbage sounds like my idea of cinematic hell. However, the four women are a great deal of fun to watch and each has their own individual moment to shine thereby elevating the movie above it's pedestrian premise and substandard script - with Bergen's lonely federal judge Sharon standing out for me as the true comedic star of the show. It's charming, it's sporadically funny, it's kind of sweet and at a breezy 103 minutes, it's an ideal way to cool down after a pleasant day in the sun. The poster for 'Book Club' depicts 4 elderly women enjoying 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' over generous glasses of wine. Well, at least the advertising campaign can't be accused of misrepresenting the movie in any way.
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