Book Club: The Next Chapter

Four life long friends who missed the opportunity to tour Italy as young women take it upon themselves to seize the moment as pandemic restrictions are lifted. Now it’s up to Vivian, Carol, Sharon, and Diane (Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen, Candice Bergen, and Diane Keaton) to follow their literary hearts for the trip of a lifetime. Written By Bill Holderman and Erin Simms and Directed By Holderman, this mostly tame and situational comedy romp delivers the chuckles in predictable form but gives its stars a chance to shine in a form that feels like an extended sitcom. That is to say, target audiences may get a kick out of this, but don’t expect miracles to be worked here either. To really make a splash, sharper faster writing could have gone a long way to really showcase the comedic power of the ensemble, instead it’s a simple game of set em up and knock em down ten pins, just going through the motions with the gutter bumpers up. Fortunately, running an hour and forty seven minutes in length, welcomes are not overstayed, Book Club: The Next Chapter is rated PG-13.