I’ve been searching for the perfect descriptor for movies like Book Club: The Next Chapter. These films are not going for transcendence like the Godfather, but they’re also not hot garbage either: someone actually gives a bit of a damn. Since I use a 5 star rating, it dawned on me that good versions of movies like The Next Chapter are “gentle 3’s:” movies that your mom will put on Sunday night, ready to drift off into a pleasant, quiet night’s sleep.
This Gentle 3 starts by picking up on our four ladies doing book club during the pandemic. In one of their first post Covid meetups, Vivian (Jane Fonda) announces she just got engaged. Carol (Mary Steenburgen), desperate to get out and do something like The Alchemist (their current book) says, decides that this is the perfect time to go to Italy and give Viv a Bachelorette Party. At first Viv, Diane (Diane Keaton) and Sharon (Candice Bergen) are reluctant on account of things like pet cats and general old age, but Carol rallies her friends, and the 4 depart on the trip of a lifetime.
In my lifetime watching relaxing movies, Book Club: The Next Chapter is by far the gentlest one I’ve seen. The movie sets up some legitimate scary situations four old women might encounter on a Trip to Italy, but all of them are played for laughs or very quickly resolved. That’s because Mary Steenburgen, Candice Bergen, Jane Fonda, and Diane Keaton themselves wanted to enjoy the two month shoot in Florence, Venice, and Rome they somehow convinced the studio to give them. What follows is basically a glorified travelogue, as we get majestic shots of these magical places with 4 amazing actors just having a ball. And when Diane Keaton and Jane Fonda are staring at a gorgeous Venice night having a candid conversation about their future, they can’t help but be interesting. For the fashion heads out there, there’s a lovely dress montage and gorgeous costume design in general (don’t let the plot get in the way), and of course there’s wine, wine and more wine to be had while elegant older men drop by and swoon these ladies off their feet. Book Club: The Next Chapter is harmless fantasy, but at least it reminds people of some of the gorgeous places in the world, and how fun they can be to visit with your friends.
So instead of watching that boring lameoid Rick Steves suck the living life out of every great travel location on the planet, watching Mary Steenburgen, Candice Bergen, Jane Fonda, and Diane Keaton be great actors showcasing the best of what Italy has to offer. They’re way better travel companions. Seriously, WAY better. That’s right Rick Steves. I don’t know what you did to deserve your magical luck, but I can do your job better than you, and I’m coming for it all, bringing my friends along for the ride.