Book Club: The Next Chapter movie review (2023) – Roger Ebert

4 good, achieved, attractive feminine actors play 4 buddies who take a bachelorette journey to Italy on this dumb, boring, dud of a waste of their time and ours. I’ll wager the actors had much more enjoyable once they have been simply hanging out between scenes than anybody will in watching the film. In a single transient scene, the characters go to a few of Italy’s magnificent historic Roman statues, and all of the script provides them to say are center school-level dick jokes. What these characters do to these basic artistic endeavors is what the script does to the ladies who play them. Each deserve a lot, significantly better. And boy, so will we. 

Like Smurfs, every character will get only one attribute. The male characters all get the identical one: unconditional adoration of the fabulous creature to whom they’re fortunate sufficient to have the ability to commit their full time and a focus as a result of they don’t have any different pursuits, needs, obligations, or, certainly, causes to exist besides to be Good Boyfriend (PB). It’s a dumbed-down, glammed-up “Golden Ladies.”

As soon as once more, Jane Fonda performs the free-spirited, sex-positive lodge govt, Blanche, I imply Samantha, I imply Vivian. Her PB is Arthur (Don Johnson). Candice Bergen is the now-retired decide. Diane Keaton is the, oh, I do not know, they simply had Diane Keaton play her dithery fallback persona, the one who loves vast belts, crinolines, and polka dots. Her PB is Mitchell (Andy Garcia), the person she met within the final film. Mary Steenburgen is Carol. She is fortunately married to Bruce (Craig T. Nelson), however he’s recovering from a coronary heart assault, and she or he is nervous and maybe over-protective. 

Oh, boy, pandemic humor! Should you assume meaning pictures of Zoom calls with individuals making an attempt to know the mute button and switch off the filter, you’re proper. Should you assume that is recent or humorous, you may get pleasure from this film. Perhaps. There are additionally ineffective pandemic-era actions like a brand new pet and a brand new musical instrument supposed to be charming or humorous. They’re neither. The final film’s cute elevator pitch was, “A bunch of outdated however attractive women learn 50 Shades of Grey.” They jettison the idea of an precise ebook membership this time, however apparently, all of them learn Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. As an alternative of snickering jokes about bondage, there are woo-woo references to future.

Viv’s PB impulsively proposes to her, and the lady who by no means needed to get married out of the blue finds herself engaged. The buddies determine to have a good time with a visit to Italy earlier than the marriage. Should you assume this implies a shot of them strolling towards us in slow-motion like a cutesy model of “The Proper Stuff” and the handfuls, probably lots of, of films which have imitated that shot ever since, you’re proper. Should you assume that is lovable, you may get pleasure from this movie. Perhaps.

In one of many world’s most stunning international locations with a few of the world’s most legendary historic artwork and structure, the ladies rise up to every kind of foolish hijinks that would simply as simply occur at residence. A mis-sent picture is perhaps misinterpreted! Oh, no! They get thrown in jail. They get thrown in jail once more! Similar sheriff (Giancarlo Giannini, slumming)! How humorous is that? Not!