Where I Watched It: Peacock
English Audio Description?: Yes
If you’re here, you clearly expect me to spend the next ten minutes of your life making fun of this film. I’m sure the target demo for this isn’t concerned with Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritics, they are showing up for this cast, and because they likely fall into this very specific demographic. It’s easy to laugh at it now, but when i get to be their age, I’m sure I’ll find some comfort in a film where Scarlett Johansson and Reese Witherspoon just walk around France or something. It’s bound to happen.
There is no need for this, but it’s here. The film begins with Diane Keaton narrating and catching us up. They address all the life changes brought on by Covid, surprisingly not killing ANY of the original cast. But, it does leave them with the need to go out and do things, so our ladies, Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen all head to Italy. Why? Really, because they can, and happenstance wishes it. but, Fonda’s beau from the last movie, Don johnson has proposed. Of course, they all have character names, but even the most devoted Book Club fan probably can’t remember a single one.
The rest of the film is a postcard for Italy, showing us the beauty. It’s amazing no film or television series has ever thought of this before. Can we start sending old women to romp around Belgium? Denmark? Literally ANYWHERE else but France or Italy? Even Greece feels unloved unless Nia Vardalos is behind the film.
During the film, I kept thinking, certainly this film will finally pair off Bergen, the only person from the first film to end up alone. She had to deal with dating Wallace Shawn and Richard Dreyfuss in the first film, It’s about time for her to be swept off her feet by an Italian. Spoiler alert, but the writer of this film hates Candice Bergen, and her love life is still oddly single, even after flying around the world. Her three friends are all madly in love, but she’s just there. The great Candice Bergen just stands there. hell, make her a lesbian and give her a girlfriend or something, but it’s so bizarre that for two films about finding love, she has found none.
I won’t spoil the rest, but it’s just so odd. yes, Andy Garcia and Craig T. Nelson return. Of course they do. This film feels like why no one made a First Wives Club sequel. It wassn’t necessary. you could, for a cash grab, but why? Can’t we write new material? These are some of the most talented and brilliant actors of their generation, and they’re wrapping up their careers by doing films like this and 80 For Brady. I gave Brady a B-, mainly because the film did have at least an attempt at a plot. Just as a point of reference for the grade below.
The audio description is fine, as it helps navigate the characters speaking Italian who we would normally get subtitles. There are also some specific things regarding clothing that are important, as well as we should get our worth out of this Italy premise by describing this Italian beauty everyone goes Olive Garden over.
if you made it this far, i didn’t hate it. It’s a giant marshmallow of nothing, but I didn’t hate it. If you’re the target demo, why do you care what a critic thinks? Admit you’ll watch it anyway, and this will probably get some AARP nominations at the end of the year.
Final Grade: C+