There is a movie that I have been meaning to watch but have been unable to find for rent, streaming, or purchase anywhere until recently. I was very intrigued by this movie, so I was happy when the film was finally available on Netflix. The title of the movie is Book Club, and it stars Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen as a group of friends who have been together for 30 years and have a monthly book club together.
While all the women are in their later years, they all have different stories. Vivian (Jane Fonda) is a successful businesswoman who owns hotels and refuses to give up her independence, which is the reason why she has not settled down. Sharon (Candice Bergen) is a divorced federal judge who has not remarried since splitting up from her husband fifteen years ago. Carol (Mary Steenburgen) is married and frustrated that something is missing in her marriage. Diane (Diane Keaton), on the other hand, is recently widowed and is being convinced by her daughters (one of whom is played by Alicia Silverstone) to sell her home and move closer to them (and effectively taking her away from her own set of friends).
During the course of the movie, each character experiences a personal journey as they tackle their latest book club topic: the 50 Shades of Grey series. Vivian runs into her “one that got away,” Arthur (played by Don Johnson), and starts reconnecting with him. Sharon starts dating again. Carol tries to bond with her husband in several different ways. Diane travels to Arizona to see if she can move there and meets/falls for a charming pilot (played by Andy Garcia).
I really enjoyed watching this movie. I love that they can give the story of older women justice by showing them as real people with varied personalities. I think that we live in a generation where most movies are about younger people being the lead characters and for stories to be mostly about younger people’s stories and struggles. It is great to see that someone has made a point to emphasize that just because you are older you do not fade into the background. You still have a life; you still have stories that you can share, and you can still be a leading character in your story. Having these characters portrayed by such an amazing cast is an added bonus.
I have seen some movies recently that did not have the kind of romance and spark that I was expecting from them, so I was happy that while this is not a romantic movie, the scenes where Vivian and Arthur were together as well as the scenes between Diane and her pilot was sweet and romantic. The feels were definitely there. I certainly did not expect to be swooning while I watched Andy Garcia and Don Johnson romance their leading ladies, but I did end up doing that!
I got so invested in each character’s story that I was rooting for them to find the happiness that they deserved. I am glad that they all got that in the end and that they were able to have a movie like this to show that there is room for stories like this in movies. I would love to see more movies like this. Movies like this made me realize that there has not been much room for stories of the older generations. This movie made me see that stories like this is something that the world needs to make room for.
Book Club is an entertaining film to watch if you are not too youth-obsessed when it comes to movies. It is a good film about friendship, romance, and the personal journey of a group of women that I think you would enjoy.
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