Book Club: The Next Chapter Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Book Club: The Next Chapter Blu-ray Movie Review

To have and to hold, for better or worse...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 10, 2023

There are movies that warrant a rent and others that demand a purchase. Films that so captivate cinephiles that, sitting in the theater as the credits roll, they think to themselves, "oh yes, this will be mine." And just like that a flick becomes a part of a beloved collection, taking its place on a hallowed shelf, proudly, for all to see. If you're anything like me, your film collection is you. At some deep, intangible level, it represents who you are. What you value. What entertains you. What moves you. Your collection is sacrosanct. Which brings us to the other movies in your collection. The guilty pleasures. The anomalies. The nostalgic junk that means a great deal to you but means nothing to everyone else. The films that raise eyebrows and make friends mutter, "Navy Seals? Really?" Yes, it's on my shelf. It was the first R-rated movie I was allowed to watch. Make all the jokes you want. It's a bonafide early '90s Charlie Sheen/Michael Biehn classic.

Alas, I'm not here to talk about either of those two kinds of releases. I'm here to wax (anti)poetic about a third category of film. Not one you're likely to add to your personal shelf. No... one you'll grab at the last minute while hurriedly searching the aisles of Target or Wal-Mart, desperate to complete a Mother's Day, birthday or Christmas gift for dear ol' mom or grandma. Gotta spend enough to show how much you care, after all, and a movie is perfect for that $10-20 filler spot in the gift bag. (Next to the pithy-quote mug, scented candle and inspirational book.) Don't act all high and mighty. You've been there. You'll be there again this year, because how many of you actually plan ahead? Enter Book Club: The Next Chapter, a perfect gift add-on for your 50+ year old mother or grandmother. Is it any good? Not really. It's a slog. But it's guaranteed to leave her smiling (perhaps only politely) and saying, "oh, I've wanted to see this. Thank you!"

Note: currently members of both the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America are on strike in an effort to receive fair compensation for their work. Anyone who enjoys the products of their labor (e.g. you and I) owe it to themselves and to the filmmaking community to become familiar with the reasons these artists are striking and the expectations they are presenting to the studios. Actors and writers, not to mention the many other talented artists and crew responsible for the production of a movie, are the backbone of the entertainment we love and discuss at length here, and they deserve the support of filmfans everywhere.

Acclaimed actresses Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen reunite five years later for a sequel to 2018's Book Club. With "Fifty Shades of Grey" a distant memory, the girls turn their attention to Paolo Coelho's "The Alchemist"... which is neither here nor there. The Next Chapter is an excuse to jet our lovely ladies off to Italy for an extended bachelorette party and destination wedding. It seems Vivian became secretly engaged to a man named Arthur (Don Johnson) during the COVID-19 lockdown, and she's finally ready for her besties to meet the new love of her life. All manner of (arguably less than funny) hilarity ensues overseas, with Diane, Vivian, Sharon and Carol landing themselves in all sorts of PG-13 Hangover-esque trouble, from over-shopping to over- drinking, losing themselves to love, harassing a police officer (they mistake for a stripper) and spending a night in jail. Will they make it to the wedding on time? Will our story have a happy ending? Naturally. But there's at least a breezy bit of good-natured fun along the way sure to please those who enjoyed the first film.

Formulaic as formulaic gets, The Next Chapter is an exercise in broad sentiment and cheap laughs. It's clear Keaton, Fonda, Bergen and Steenburgen are having a blast behind the screen, and their chemistry certainly injects some much-needed energy into an otherwise tiresome script. But a prevailing sense of overly manufactured comedy gums up the gears, leading to light chuckles on occasion but little to no big laughs. It's all harmless and hardly worth heavy film criticism. Love what you love. But the retirement-age Sex and the City shenanigans that ensue are never unique or memorable enough to warrant the international sequel we've been given. Aside from a few loose bonding bits, it's also never entirely clear how or why Vivian and company have remained so close over the years. The actresses sell the relationships but the episodic misadventures fail to generate a sense of real connection between any of our four leads, leaving them out in the cold to be defined by the men who come and go in their love lives. It's deeply unsatisfying to watch, and I'm a guy. Maybe I've watched Barbie one too many times but it would be nice to see Diane, Vivian, Sharon and Carol discover something about one another that isn't driven by a boyfriend or fiancé.

But back to your mother or grandmother. Will they care that a late-life fairy tale is so predictable? I doubt it, unless yours is more of a Scorsese mom than mine is. There's an ease to the proceedings that remains as light-hearted as it is lively, and at a merciful hour-and-a-half runtime, The Next Chapter rarely idles or stalls. It's possible there's more here to appreciate. It's obvious I'm not a part of the target demographic. So take that as you take it. My advice? Nab a copy. It's just the right size to slide into a giftbag for someone who will appreciate all it has to offer.

Book Club: The Next Chapter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Gauzy at times (though not as much as its predecessor) and sun-drenched through and through, The Next Chapter's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation accurately captures its filmmakers' intentions. Sadly it doesn't make for much in the way of striking high definition visuals. Edges are clean enough but not exactly consistent or crisp. Texture fidelity is decent but a bit lacking to my eye. Skintones are lifelike but blown out too often. And a few scattered halos creep into wide shots that may distract attentive viewers. Colors are strong too, albeit occasionally to a fault with at-times overbearing burnt-orange hues and heavy shadows that stamp out finer detail. There are a number of scenes that stand out -- particularly once The Next Chapter gets to Vivian's wedding ceremony -- and close-ups are exacting with facial subtleties. But there are too many shrug-worthy scenes that phone it in. It's a pleasant image on the whole, sure. It's just missing the patented pop that might elevate the humdrum genre silliness.

Book Club: The Next Chapter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release of The Next Chapter features a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that, thanks to Vivian and company's jaunt to Italy, delivers a somewhat more immersive experience than its more homebound predecessor. Dialogue is clean and clear, pans are smooth, and the rear speakers provide enough ambient touches to make the various international locales reasonably engaging. The film's music comes on a tad strong at times but it never fails to dive beneath the conversations in the nick of time. There also isn't much in the way of low-end power, although that's hardly a fault of the track. For all the ladies' misadventures, the mix rarely finds its way out of The Next Chapter's front-heavy sitcom stylings.

Book Club: The Next Chapter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Book Club: Back in Session (HD, 6 minutes) - Universal tacks on three small featurettes, all of which could have been combined into one. The first is a behind-the-scenes rundown with the cast, although there's little to be garnered here other than the fact that everyone had a ton of fun getting back together.

• Still Stylish (HD, 5 minutes) - A look at the fashion of The Next Chapter.

• The Women in Italy (HD, 6 minutes) - An on-location featurette.

Book Club: The Next Chapter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You could do a lot better than Book Club: The Next Chapter but you could definitely do a lot worse. Keaton, Fonda, Bergen and Steenburgen have a blast on screen and, truth be told, make the sequel more entertaining than it could ever be otherwise. Universal's Blu-ray release is nothing to write home about either. Thankfully a solid AV presentation makes matters more bearable. It's just a shame a cast of such acclaimed and accomplished actresses didn't warrant a supplemental package full of more revealing and engaging material.