Book Club - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Book Club

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
I know it may seem weird to the millennial and post millennial generation, but book clubs used to be a huge thing back in the day. Although, lets be honest, there really never was very much READING going on in those book clubs. Usually a book club was an excuse for (mainly) women to get together, drink wine, and grumble about their love lives to their friends. Books were the reason for getting together, but very rarely did more than one or two people ACTUALLY read said books (I listened in on my mother’s book club, and this description is pretty stinking accurate, but for book clubs that ACTUALLY read the books, don’t worry, I’m not pigeonholing you all int this category). So what could be more fun than a movie about a book club filled with aging women? Well, having them read “50 Shades of Grey” and see how it affects their lives!

Oh boy. Well, you’ll be happy to know that “50 Shades of Grey” really is as much a part of this movie as actual books are to most book clubs. 4 aging friends, Diane (Diane Keaton), Vivian (Jane Fonda), Sharon (Candice Bergen), and Carol (Mary Steenburgen) get together each week to discuss their book club readings (looks like they’re one of the ones that ACTUALLY reads the book). However, things take a change for the interesting when vivacious Vivian decides that her pick for book of the month will be none other than the infamous “50 Shades of Grey”. The other 3 women balk at the idea of reading such tawdry fare, but reluctantly agree and start digging into the salacious book.

The novel itself is nothing but a catalyst in their lives, being that the 4 women’s love live is rather stale at the moment. Vivian is a self secluded hotel owner who refuses to have a romance with ANYONE (she loves to protect her emotions), Diane has just suffered the death of her husband a year or so ago, Sharon is a federal judge who walled off her love life some 18 years ago when she divorced her husband Tom (Ed Begley Jr.), and poor Carol is frustrated as her retired husband seems to have lost all interest in her. As the the women dig into the fantasy life of “50 Shades of Grey”, each one gains the confidence to start something new in their life. Vivian rekindles an old romance with an old flame (Don Johnson), Carol pushes her husband with a few “more than subtle” attempts at regaining the spark in their marriage, Diane starts a whirlwind romance with airline pilot Mitchell (Andy Garcia), and Sharon actually gets up the courage to go out on a few blind dates herself.

As I said, the book is simply a jumping board for the rest of the film. It’s a push for a group of 4 female friends who have just become stale and dead in their relationships (or lack thereof). Each of the women gains a sort of confidence and spark that they thought they had lost, and tentatively start to reach out and explore what life has to offer them. It’s silly, sweet, and totally ridiculous at the same time. Kind of a like a “coming of age” story, Book Club is a new rebirth coming of age for these elderly women. It has a great cast (and a great sub cast with people like Don Johnson, Ed Begley Jr., Richard Dreyfuss, Wallace Shawn, Alicia Silverstone, and Craig T. Nelson), but it is hampered by a script that really does no one any favors. The actors/actresses are never stretched, and half of the characters are almost completely unlikable. The film struggles to find a balance between rom-com and dramedy, instead mashing the two genres together with the force and grave of a 600 lb gorilla.

Of the four, Steenburgen and Keaton do the best. Both are able to portray a certain sense of vulnerability and likability to their characters. Diane and Carol both were more the demure house wives than anything, but the two have a genuine sense of kindness and soul to them. Fonda and Bergen do what they do best (portray their characters as battle axes), but they seem to be asleep at the wheel, phoning in an already stale script with an even more stale performance. At it’s heart, Book Club is a coming of age story for four friends, but it plays out in a rather clichéd manner that is more akin to the cheaper rom-com category, making the end result a rather bland watch.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for sex-related material throughout, and for language.




Video:

[/FLOAT_LEFTShot digitally, Book Club is a lightly soft, highly brightened film that feels like it was taken right out of the pages of a better homes and gardens edition, or from the Hallmark Channel’s videos. The film is shot with a distinct glow to it, giving it a sun drenched appearance that reeks of exuberant happiness and cheer. If you notice there is some definite air brushing to the actors and actresses face, almost trying to de-age (or at least cover up some of the ravages of time) the faces. A move which tends to rob the image of clarity and fine detailing. Still, thee backdrops and backgrounds are well detailed, and the colors do pop off the screen with ease. Blacks are solid, but sometimes show a milky look that keeps it from being reference material.





Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD M track that Paramount has presented on the disc is a bit flat and front heavy, and one that feels like it is slightly out of balance as well. The dialog seems to be recorded at a lower volume than the rest of the track, which leaves the VERY front heavy mix feeling like the air has been let out of it. Raising the volume can compensate for some of it, and the track livens up a bit at those higher volume levels, but the background effects also get boosted then, making you want to turn DOWN the volume during some of the more score heavy moments. There’s some mid range LFE to the track, but nothing that will ever make you wake up and notice, with the surrounds being nearly 100% absent except for some portions of the score (Tom Petty singing being one of the only times I actually noticed the surrounds giving off much energy at all). It’s a competent track, but a bit flat and dull compared to many of the same genre.






Extras:

• Deleted & Extended Scenes
• It All Started with a Book – The journey from script to screen
• Casting Book Club – Working with Hollywood icons
• Location, Location, Location – Visit the set with filmmakers
• A New Chapter – The cast discuss themes of friendship and romance
• Living in the Moment – Creating the film's theme song

Final Score: ​

Book Club is much like The Jane Austen Book Club, in that it is a lighter look at books through the curious eyes of it’s readers. E.L. James’s infamous trilogy is used as a springboard for these 4 women to explore their own love lives, rather than actually mire them deeper in the ridiculous fantasies of “50 Shades of Grey”. It sometimes works, and sometimes doesn’t, but it’s a palatable watch. Especially for those of us who grew up with the the actors and actresses in a MUCH younger time period for them. The script is a bit wonky, but Paramount’s Blu-ray is a solid go at a home video package, giving us decent video and audio, and a mid range array of extras. While I wouldn’t rant and rave about the film, it still works as a decent rental, but not much more than that.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen
Directed by: Bill Holderman
Written by: Bill Holderman, Erin Simms
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish,
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 103 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: August 28th, 2018

Image

• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Rental

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will skip it..

 

[Todd Anderson]

Years ago I started a "Bookless Club."

Does that count?

I think this flick is an absolute pass for me.