by Christian Grullon, Contributing Writer
It is possible to make heartfelt and emotionally moving films without much of a big story. Book Club: The Next Chapter, the sequel to its 2018 predecessor, Book Club, proves that today. The sequel has the best friends, Diane (Diane Keaton), Vivian (Jane Fonda), Carol (Mary Steenburgen), and Sharon (Candice Bergen), taking a vacation to Italy as they take another step in their friendship and lives.
The Next Chapter is very warm, and it shows the wonderful benefits of having good friends. However, it lingers on longer than it should, with no major conflict set up. Director Bill Holderman does warm our hearts with comedy and the characters enjoying each other’s company, but the pacing is slow. I’m sure Holderman wanted to slow things down to build up to the happy ending in the last scene, but it would’ve been nice if the pacing was a little faster.
These friends have things going on despite the initial pandemic lockdown. Sharon is retired, Vivian and Arthur (Don Johnson) get engaged, Diane and Mitchell (Andy García) are strong, but she takes her late husband’s ashes with her, and Carol is taking care of Bruce (Craig T. Nelson), who is recovering from an angioplasty. Through the circumstances in their lives, the four friends keep up their book club discussions on Zoom. Thanks to inspiration from The Alchemist, they decide to go to Italy, something they’ve always wanted to do before life happened.
Book Club: The Next Chapter comes up very short on the plot; it is too long, despite its wonderful views of Italy and its landscape. Holderman and his co-writer, Erin Simms, let the characters do their thing and go how they please. Of course, not everything needs to be rushed, it’s important to build a story, but when a film is long with little setup, it is very easy to get bored.
Conflict and anger are nonexistent in this film; clearly Holderman wanted to make the movie as lighthearted as possible. The conflict would have made the film more interesting and shown a more realistic picture of friendships. Vivian questions whether she should get married, Carol is concerned about Bruce’s health and tries to control everything. It seems like the purpose of the trip was to get away from the daily stresses of life, let things go, and simply live life.
The story has little to no presence whatsoever, but the movie keeps the friendship heartwarming. Bergen shows some great humor, but the film could have done a better job with more comedic tones. The four friends make you want to join them on their trip; after all, who wouldn’t want to go on a nice vacation with their best friends?
Book Club: The Next Chapter has a fantastic location with beautiful landscapes and culture. The cast is really good, and goes wherever the character takes them, even with the circumstances they are dealing with. They even find humor is each other’s mishaps, and encourage each other when things don’t seem right. However, the plot drags out, and there’s no story to really hang your hat on. The writing isn’t good enough to keep up for the nearly two-hour movie. Holderman does keep it light, but not having any drama sells the film short.
Score: 5/10
Book Club: The Next Chapter is currently playing in theaters
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