"Book Club" Movie Cliff Notes
Pearl of the Film: Friends Forever
Since first seeing the trailer, I put the new "Book Club" movie on my must see list. I accepted Paramount's invitation to see an advanced screening with a bunch of mom friends. We laughed the entire movie and you need to gather up your Book Club, mom friends, girl squad, your mothers, grandmas, and go see this Chick Flick while it's in theaters.
Here are my "BOOK CLUB" Cliff Notes:
1. IT'S FUNNY AF - It's entertaining, light, delightful and hilariously funny. Overall it is a sit back, relax and laugh along kind of film.
2. 4 REMARKABLE WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE - It stars 4 incredible women of a certain age. They are masters at their craft with Jane Fonda as a sexy pioneering female entrepreneur, Diane Keaton as a widow, Candace Bergen as a federal judge and jilted divorcee and Mary Steenbergen as a housewife. This cast is the answer to decades of begging Hollywood to craft stories for women and not to ignore women of a certain age. We must pay homage so Hollywood makes more movies for this demographic.
3. FRIENDSHIP - This Girl Squad is going on 40 YEARS of FRIENDSHIP. They've been through it all, play off each other perfectly, don't take each other's crap and call it like it is. They are stuck in their ways and need each other to boost them forward. Think of how you riff with your bestie times 4. Which of your girlfriends love you through every state of life? Friendships are always worthy of celebration.
4. GOOD HABITS - Their Book Club has monthly meetups going on 40 years. This reinforces why consistency is vital to anything's survival and how friendship, literature and copious amounts of wine feed the soul. Books keep your mind stimulated and my Grandpa always said to keep my mind active and engaged. These ladies use their books as a conversation entry point to stay connected.
5. BAD-ISH HABITS - They really really really love their WINE and consume it like pros. I was hungover just watching them. BYOBottle to any screening you attend.
6. CHRISTIAN GREY - Perhaps the best tribute to 50 Shades of Grey comes from this movie. It shows just how truly inspiring the trilogy is and that love, humor and sensuality is always simmering. It may just need a little spark or dose of Christian to re-kindle. ;)
7. The MEN - Not only are the girls FAB but the MEN - Andy Garcia, Don Johnson, Craig T Johnson, Richard Dreyfuss and the Inconceivable guy from A Princess Bride will surprise ya in snarky, sexy and endearing ways. They wrestle with where they are as much as the ladies, except Andy, who is dreamy, a little harsh and doesn't have a care in the world.
8. The DAUGHTERS - Diane Keaton's daughters need a major time out but they mirror the sandwich generation and they dynamic shifts that happen when we begin to see our parents as old.
9. AGING - These women are financially fine but wrestle with the challenges of their age. Watching Diane Keaton is always charming and seeing her among the truly elderly during a trip to the mall is one of the funniest and eye opening scenes. Watching Candace Bergen adapt to online dating is priceless. Mary faces challenges in her long term marriage after the romance dwindles and goes route with complacency, familiarity and comfort. Jane's still got the spark and her hot body but is deathly afraid of truly loving another.
10. LOVE NEVER DIES - One thing's for certain is these women will not be left to die. Love for yourself, your friends and family may change, warp and be put on a shelf for a while, but it never ever dies, it just evolves during each chapter of life. You can learn to love again, if you have the courage to do so.
These ladies still have so much life to live in their next chapter and you'll be taking notes.
ABOUT BOOK CLUB: PG-13
Diane (Diane Keaton) is recently widowed after 40 years of marriage, Vivian (Jane Fonda) enjoys her men with no strings attached, Sharon (Candice Bergen) is still working through her decades-old divorce, and Carol's (Mary Steenburgen) marriage is in a slump after 35 years. The lives of these four lifelong friends are turned upside down after reading the infamous "50 Shades of Grey," catapulting them into a series of outrageous life choices.
(c) 2018 Cynthia R. Litman, Esq., PLLC. All Rights Reserved.
DISCLOSURE: I received 10 comped tickets to see an advance screening of the movie but no other compensation was paid. All opinions are purely my own.