Book Club (2018)

[baumer]

The one we've all been waiting for this weekend

[LonePirate]

Book Club is a leisurely paced film that offers plenty of rom com style laughs precisely targeted to amuse the film's primary demographic. Even so, several of the jokes and bits are funny for viewers of all ages. The audience at my viewing loved the film. Candice Bergen had two scenes which generated the most laughs but Keaton and Steenburgen also have some amusing moments with their paramours. Of the four leads, Fonda has the worst material but she is perfectly fine in her role. 

 

Younger audiences probably won't connect to the characters due to the age difference; but mature audiences will lap up the film as it is entertaining and the four leads are likeable characters. There are certainly worse films in the theaters right now. 

 

7/10

 

ETA: I have since watched the film a second time and it holds up well. It is a charming and funny movie. Upping my score to 8/10.

Edited May 29, 2018 by LonePirate

[baumer]

I liked it even more than Lone Pirate did.  He hits on some of the great stuff in the movie and for me, it struck a chord in every way.  I agree that maybe younger viewers won't appreciate all of it, but I do think any age group can still enjoy this film.  It's very well written, superbly acted by all four women and even the guys that show up do a terrific job.  My favourite performance in the entire film is from Andy Garcia, who commands the screen when he's on it.  I really wish he would get more roles because there aren;t many actors like him.  He just lights up the screen every time he is given a chance to, especially in this film.

 

Bergen does have perhaps the funniest scene when her and Richard Dreyfuss have sex in the back seat of a car.  But every one of the four women are given their moment to shine.  Diane Keaton brings some very funny moments with her and Mary STeenbergen might be the most gorgeous 60 year old I've ever seen.  Her and Craig T. Nelson (they worked together in The Proposal as husband and wife) have some fantastic scenes together and the viagara scene is really well done.  Jane Fonda and Don Johnson have a sweet relationship as well.

 

I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone.

 

9/10

[Avatree]

I totally get that its target audience will relate to it. But is that really an acceptable bar for filmmaking? All a film has to do, is to be about a subject that people can relate to?

 

This film was so utterly mediocre, the great cast dragging pretty awful generic material barely above ground. And even though it was a very basic film, it still managed to get itself tangled up since it follows 4 different character "arcs" (they are not arcs).

 

Also the ending really annoyed me because it had about 5 endings, then it finally got to the end, then it kept going and had 4 more endings. Lord of the Rings couldn't get away with this, and that was after 10 hours. At 100 minutes (felt like 1000) this certainly doesn't.

[filmlover]

This is the perfect "mom movie." Completely nice, inoffensive, and amusing in the same way Nancy Meyers movies are (and as an additional plus, probably the best thing to ever be associated with the wretched Fifty Shades series). Nothing groundbreaking or anything, but it's a solid vehicle for its quartet of excellent veteran actresses. B-

[La Binoche]

Horrible. Cliched. Lazy. Lame (those cheap sex jokes and metaphors...the "wet meter" was a particular low point). And that shoddy green screen!

 

Love Keaton. Love Fonda. Like the other two. And I really liked Andy Garcia here. But what a waste of their talents. I do hope it keeps doing well for them at the box office. D-

[Avatree]

3 hours ago, La Binoche said:

And that shoddy green screen!

when Diane Keaton and Andy Garcia go to his retreat and she says something like, "Wow, look at the scenery. it's so beautiful" I laughed way too loudly.

[baumer]

See, I don't go to movies looking for the technical imperfections.  I go to enjoy it.  And with this one, I did.  If you are going into a movie like Book Club and coming out criticizing the green screen, then you might have missed the point of the movie.

[That One Girl]

Fun time.  B

[Cap]

The ladies in my audience were excited; I think I was more excited watching them being excited.  I did laugh really hard at the line at "that contract would never hold up in court." 

Edited May 31, 2018 by captainwondyful

[Avatree]

On ‎24‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 2:25 PM, baumer said:

See, I don't go to movies looking for the technical imperfections.  I go to enjoy it.  And with this one, I did.  If you are going into a movie like Book Club and coming out criticizing the green screen, then you might have missed the point of the movie.

It's more that, if you watch a film and you start noticing dumb technical things then clearly the narrative of the film is not engaging you.

Also it was just a remark, it's not like bad greenscreen makes it a bad film.

It's a bad film because it doesn't make any sense, is way too long, and has awful generic dialogue between characters. The actors are the only thing holding it up and even some of them are not great. There's a reason Andy Garcia steals every single scene he's in, and that's because he is the only actor who understands the material hes been given and has some fun with it, the others look extremely bored. It is a dull, soulless timewaste.

[baumer]

Sorry you didn't like it.

[Catty]

I loved this movie - I haven't laughed this much at the theater in a long time.  I enjoyed all the characters & thought each of them had really great lines (Candice Bergen really had me cracking up) - I usually don't care for Andy Garcia but he was perfect in this.  I enjoyed all the romantic relationships & the complications that arise when you are an older couple.  Just because someone is older doesn't mean they don't have the same feelings they did when they were younger - glad movies are being made that don't just portray older women as asexual grandmas.  I don't think this just appeals to an older audience because my 22 year old daughter enjoyed it as much as I did.  I just have to say I cannot believe how gorgeous Don Johnson still is - that man is unbelievable! 

 

A 

[Blankments]

There's nothing particularly wrong with Book Club. It aims to moderately entertain and it succeeds with its excellent cast in spite of milquetoast direction. Everything in this movie has been seen before, but it's nice to see older comedic actresses working together with a lot of solid chemistry. There's nothing really to complain about, but there's nothing really to compliment either. I guess I liked seeing live-action Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen? Eh. There was an admittedly good Werner Herzog joke but nothing else stands out besides my confusing Andy Garcia for Stanley Tucci. Anyway, Book Club is about as good as you expect to be, which isn't enough for me to remotely recommend, unless you wanna kill a half hour on basic cable someday while waiting for a ride. The definition of serviceable mediocrity. D+