The film is empowering as it drives home the message that age is just a number; age shouldn’t be a restriction on how much fun we’re having.
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Book Club follows the lives of four highly successful women who are way past their prime: Vivian (Jane Fonda), Diane (Diane Keaton), Sharon (Candice Bergen) and Carol (Mary Steenburgen). The ladies have monthly book club discussions and their latest conquest is E.L James’ Fifty Shades of Grey. The book causes the women to re-evaluate their love/sex lives.
The film presents an interesting perspective because of the age demographic of the women. Vivian owns her own hotel without being in a committed relationship, Diane is widowed with two grown daughters, Sharon is a divorced federal Judge who’s been out of the dating game for 18 years and Carol is in a long-term marriage.
The film is rife with innuendo but not raunchy for a film which explicitly references Fifty Shades. The leading actresses do an amazing job despite their age. The most interesting arc in the film is Diane’s story when she gets a second chance at romance. She meets Mitchell (Andy Garcia) on the plane who delivers a charismatic performance and is whisked off to a fairy-tale romance world. Vivian gets a second chance at love when a man from her past (Don Johnson) reappears in her hotel, Sharon tries her hand at online dating after realising her husband is remarrying. Carol attempts to revitalise her sex life with her husband Bruce (Craig T. Nelson), resulting in many many hilarious situations.
The age of the women, if anything, does not stop them from having fun and taking charge of their own lives. The film is empowering as it drives home the message that age is just a number; age shouldn’t be a restriction on how much fun we’re having. The film is rather slow-paced without much excitement but great for a chill night at the cinemas with some humour.
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