Review of Book Club (2018) by Nidus — 03 Jun 2018

Don't see Book Club!

Worst movie since Unmarried Woman. Four older actresses titter and mug through terrible cloying, unrealistic, patronizing, infuriating script. The book they read and that transforms their 60- to 70-year old lives is 50 Shades. In one iconic scene, Diane Keaton, with gorgeous face work, terrific body, and shiny hair, is sitting in a shopping mall rest area. She's surrounded by other "old" people, all gray and senile, sitting in wheel chairs or slumped down like night of the living dead. This is supposed to be a wake-up call for Diane, who is being courted by an adorable Andy Garcia, a commercial airline pilot. She has to decide if she will go out to dinner with him. You can see her thinking, "Hey, I'm still Annie Hall, a bit clumsy but adorable and playful. I'll be cute till I die, wearing oversized shirts over a gorgeous body. But if I don't go out and have fabulous sex with fabulous Andy, I'll end up as one of these gray dying lumps.".

So, in summary this horrible movie:

A. recognizes successful aging in women only if they are wealthy, well-worked, have lively sexual experiences with handsome older men, and drink expensive wine. B. assumes that wealthy, handsome older guys like pilot Andy Garcia and Don Johnson (the other male actor, who is courting Jane Fonda) will be so attracted to 70-ish women that they will obsessively and creatively pursue them instead of picking up gorgeous young women in bars. C. ignores the actual aging process going on under all those lifts and well-exercised joints, which causes chronic pain, progressive deterioration, and the inevitable losses of friends and loved ones. D. fails to acknowledge the olds who, like many I've met up here, aren't rich and who suffer chronic pain, but remain gallant and funny, while pushing through suffering to help other people, engage in the creative process, or both. E. pretends 50 Shades of Gray is a book.

This movie stinks of elitism and perhaps illustrates one reason why Trump won.