Holderman and Simms’ script navigates those moments capably enough. There are some inherent contradictions in what it wants to hold as true, but it’s also honest in that it offers a space for those truths to coexist.

This is a film that wants to have it all, to celebrate the women who take the nontraditional path but still end in a white wedding, to offer a portrait of feminine sexuality of a certain age but remain couched in heterosexual monogamy. To continue the food metaphors, the story itself is so easily digestible that it calls to mind polenta: warm, comforting, not too challenging, a little cheesy. Fonda’s Vivian is a crisp, bubbly prosecco, chef Carol (Steenburgen) a velvety Chianti, perfect for pairing with food, while Diane (Keaton) is a cool, sweet Pinot Grigio. Going with the Italian wine theme - these ladies like to drink a lot of it - Sharon is a dry, full-bodied Montepulciano (she may be sardonic, but she is still sexy). She’s the very necessary hit of acid needed to make this confection palatable, the spritz of lemon on a plate of fritto misto, cutting through the fat. In the first film, the gals got their groove back thanks to “Fifty Shades of Grey.” “The Next Chapter” finds the quartet forging a new path forward with Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist,” looking for signs that ultimately lead them to Italy under the auspices of a bachelorette party for Vivian, who is now engaged to Arthur (Don Johnson).īut once again, Bergen proves to be the MVP as salty, sarcastic retired judge Sharon.

When Vivian (Fonda) grasps her girls in a group hug and declares them her “soul mates,” it’s hard not to be at least a little bit moved by their bond, a lively balance of pleasure-seeking, hapless adventure and a healthy dose of tough love. It will require tossing aside every scrap of disbelief and grabbing onto a glass of prosecco instead, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t also be a touching story about the importance of lifelong friendships. Season 3 of “Succession” went to Tuscany for a wedding, “The White Lotus’” second season checked in for a stay in Sicily, while Toni Collette landed in Rome to become the “Mafia Mamma.” And now the “Book Club” gals - Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen, Diane Keaton and Candice Bergen - take off for a wine-soaked adventure off the page in the fluffy and fantastical “Book Club: The Next Chapter.”ĭirected by Bill Holderman, written by Holderman and Erin Simms, this sequel is even more of a heightened fantasy than its 2018 predecessor.

Thanks to a strong dollar and pandemic-induced wanderlust, it’s not just influencers, old friends and exes filling up their Instagram feeds with gelato and pasta. It seems like everyone’s going to Italy these days.

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