It’s fun to see four talented actresses who are icons engage with each other in a story all about sex and have fun with it. But this film feels very episodic. It’s more like a series of situations that feel as if they could be strung together in a series of programs rather than in a feature film. It’s about four best friends who have had their own little book club for ever. They each know each other well and their foibles.
Director Bill Holderman wrote the script with Erin Simms. The idea came to them after they gave their Moms the trilogy “50 Shades of Gray” for Mother’s Day. The Moms’ reaction sparked the screenplay and they were off and running. It took 33 days to shoot, but they joke that between hair, makeup and lunch for the ladies, they only had about 6 minutes a day to shoot! The clothes these actresses wear and their hair and makeup are very cool and classy. They all look amazing.
Were Holderman and Simms intimidated working with these famous ladies? A little, but they’re so clever, funny and smart, there were lots of laughs. And they were totally collaborative. Diane Keaton even dug out clothing from her trailer to make one scene work better!
Holderman and Simms wrote the script with Diane Keaton in mind and that’s her name in the film. Once she signed on, the rest of the cast fell into place. She is the most natural and realistic in her role as the woman whose husband passed away and meets the charming and handsome Mitchell (Andy Garcia) on a plane. He turns out to be a pilot for the airline and an adventurer who takes the reserved Diane under his wing. He opens her world. They’re cute together without it being too much.
Jane Fonda plays the sexy gal who has many partners but no serious relationship. Her hot red hair was a little much, but she’s supposed to look flashy and she does. As Vivian, she is rich and happy with no one special in her life until an old beau walks back on the scene. Fonda asked for Don Johnson to play Arthur because she worked with him before and thinks he’s still handsome and sexy. He’s fits the bill nicely.
Candice Bergen plays Federal Judge Sharon who is not interested at all in getting into any kind of relationship. She’s been divorced for years but, with prompting from her book buddies and the books themselves, she curiously hits dating sites on the internet. She’s funny taking pictures, green mask and all, and uploading it by accident to the dating site. Great takes.
Bergen is also in a spanks scene that most women can certainly relate to. Holderman told us how difficult that one was to shoot, not because of Candice, who had no problem putting on the new-age girdles, but because they lost the location for the shoot and had to scramble to build one out of their own wardrobe production area. Spanked up and ready to go, Sharon meets George (Richard Dreyfus) online and they get into it old school in the back seat of a car on the first date, spanks and all.
Mary Steenbergen is the adorable housewife whose husband, Bruce, (Craig T. Nelson) just retired and is settling into a comfortable but complacent life, which is not exciting for her at all. After reading the books, she tries to light a fire under him with cooking and dance lessons, to no avail. She plays sweet but frustrated, as she keeps trying to get a rise out of him.
As the four women meet to talk about the books, they commiserate, talking about their trials and tribulations. You’ll notice they are always drinking incredible amounts of wine. Holderman says it was all non-alcoholic on set, but that the ladies have made up for it, big time, together since they wrapped.
On set, for one scene, they also ate a lot of ice cream. As they are talking about their love lives, Sharon, (Candice Bergen) is eating it right out of the carton. Vivian (Fonda) joins in, taking the carton away from her friend. Holderman and the cast were aghast at how much ice cream Fonda kept eating during, and between, takes of that scene. Bergen, Keaton and Steenbergen were worried about her getting sick. No problem. She proved she could handle it.
The best reason to see this film is to see these legends act and interact.
There are some very funny, laugh out loud scenes. This film is definitely age appropriate for the older set and for their kids who may have parents going through the same right of passage. Seeing these women dealing with dating, the internet, and sex is amusing. It also shows that life can be satisfying and fun, and that sex can be steamy at any age.
Paramount Pictures 1 hour 36 minutes PG-13 Reviewed May 16, 2018
