Film Review – Book Club: The Next Chapter

2018’s “Book Club” was not a film to be casually approached. There had to be absolute certainty when purchasing a ticket, which granted access to a highly bizarre feature about four grown women going through various difficulties in their lives, unified in friendship and sexual response to the ways of the novel “Fifty Shades of Grey.” It was like a Lifetime Channel version of “Porky’s,” but with a stiffer sense of mischief and looser grip on broad behavior. “Book Club” managed to find something of an audience, at least enough to inspire a sequel five years later, with returning writer/director Bill Holderman trying his luck again with “Book Club: The Next Chapter.” The helmer tones down supremely awkward raunchiness this time around, which helps the cause, but he’s still stuck in bigness mode, keeping things distinctly sitcom with four talented actresses trying to perform every line like they were selling used cars. “The Next Chapter” is an improvement in a few ways, but once again, you must understand the viewing experience ahead to really get the most out of it. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com