Review by Lauryn Angel
On the surface, Book Club is the story of four long-term friends who meet once a month to discuss a book, and, of course, catch up on what’s going on in each other’s lives. This means chatting about work, relationships, and, of course, sex – or the lack thereof. The ladies have fallen into a routine of sorts, but that routine is shaken up when Vivian (Jane Fonda), the most adventurous of the group, chooses Fifty Shades of Grey for the group’s next book. The other ladies reluctantly agree to read the book, and, cliché as it sounds, it changes their lives. Happily married Carol (Mary Steenburgen) realizes that her relationship with Bruce (Craig T. Nelson) has lost its fire. Fiercely independent divorcee Sharon (Candice Bergen) realizes she is lonely, and may be ready to enter into a new relationship. Recent widow Diane (Diane Keaton) is ready to find new love, but her daughters (played by Alicia Silverstone and Katie Aselton) are ready for her to settle into the role of frail live-in grandmother. Vivian herself grapples with her feelings for a long-lost love (Don Johnson) who resurfaces.
This is not a movie to see for the story, as the story is pretty silly. Instead, it’s the performances that make it worth seeing. These four women are icons, and it’s fun to watch them interact. And when it comes to their individual stories, Candice Bergen’s Sharon steals the show. The movie has quite a few scenes that made me cringe and laugh simultaneously, but the scene in which Sharon (and her cat, Ginsberg) set up her dating profile is the highlight of the movie.
The ultimate message of the film is that the need for companionship, love, and sex doesn’t go away when someone gets older – as much as Diane’s daughter’s would like it to. But that doesn’t mean that only older people will enjoy this movie. Indeed, anyone who feels bogged down by routine can take a page from this book club and take more risks when it comes to relationships.
