Do Jeito que Elas Querem: O Próximo Capítulo

Book Club was one the surprise hits of the summer of 2018 and was a film I enjoyed a lot more than I expected. It was no classic, but it was a breezy way to spend a few summer hours. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly if you know Hollywood, a sequel was commissioned. The Next Chapter really doesn't have much of the charm of the original and doesn't make a compelling case for existing.

There are a few laughs here and there, but not enough to overcome the mountains of painful double entendres and speeches about friendship. Everyone seems to just be going through the motions and ready to collect their paychecks. But hey, at least there is some stunning Italian scenery to enjoy.

This appears to be a good excuse for four actors, who seem to get on quite well together, to get someone to fund an all expenses paid trip to Italy to make a movie underpinned by the thinnest of plots. That plot sees the group emerging from lockdown when they finally manage to meet for their routine bookclub. It's at this get-together that "Vivian" (Jane Fonda) announces that she - a lifelong opponent of the institution - is to marry "Arthur" (Don Johnson). "Carol" (Mary Steenbergen) comes up with the idea of a hen trip to Italy and after a bit of scepticism from "Diane" (Diane Keanton) and the timely death of the cat of judge "Sharon" (Candice Bergen) they embark on their trip of a lifetime. What now ensues is a rather predictable and lightweight comedy drama that starts off entertainingly enough but runs out of steam quickly and permanently. The last twenty minutes take us into cheesy territory that really did have me looking around the cinema at the ceiling thinking - "oh, just get on with it". There are a few fun contributions from Giancarlo Giannini as the rather dishevelled police chief and a few cameos from Andy Garcia, but for the most part this is just four folks having a jolly time whilst those of us sitting down remember (or discover) just how beautiful Venice is. It's all instantly forgettable stuff, this, but Bergen has her tongue firmly in her cheek and Jane Fonda just seems to look more android the more films she precariously totters through nowadays.

Book Club: The Next Chapter is a film so lazy it almost feels as if it were written by AI instead of living, breathing human beings. It's got plenty of zingers and the cast tries their best to deliver them as best they can, but even the finest thespians in the world can't make this dialogue sound realistic. The story is non-existent as the four lead characters go from tourist spot to tourist spot, drinking wine, telling corny sex jokes, and offering up cliche proverbs about friendship that are so stale and tired that they're gag inducing. The first film was no fine masterpiece, but it at least had a little more substance to it. This is simply a waste of a fine cast, but I hope they enjoyed their trip to Italy.

When an AI script generator is fed "cliches about older women" "Italy tourism brochures" and "text from wine-themed decor items," this is what's spit out. I left 2/3 of the way through so I'm not technically qualified to give a full review... but I had to force myself to stay that long. Jane Fonda was particularly assaulted by the script, but none were spared. Even Italy should fire their agent over this one~ no hackneyed tourist trap was overlooked, no cliche left out. I need 118 more characters for this review to post but the movie was so dull that further criticism is fruit hanging too low. Just. Don't. Do It.

I don't see how this film could be much worse, and it saddens me to watch four of the most talented, dynamic, personable female actors of their generation in this cringeworthy mess. Lame jokes about being old, silly and non-romance (I celebrate any well done late-life love story, but come on!), cliche upon cliche and basically phoned-in performances all around. Sorry to be so negative, but these women deserve better, beginning with a better script. I couldn't bear to watch all the way through, so I will hope that somehow I am wrong and just stopped watching too soon. The first Book Club movie was entertaining, and I thought the characters were interesting and funny, but this one left me cold.