LIKES:
Decent Pace: -The movie is one of those with little thinking, just a girl adventure in Italy and trying to live life to the fullest.
-That allows for an entertaining and engaging pace that I really enjoyed, and helped blunt some of the emotional moments lost to me.
-And with that fun and the other factors this movie is just a simple film to watch, which sometimes is all you need in a movie, and one that makes revisiting the film possible in the future.
Italian Covers of Famous Songs -I'm a man who likes to see music applied to the movies, and I was not disappointed by this film's track and selections.
-For one thing, it's a nice blend of songs that have a wide variety to enjoy from romantic ballads to the upbeat dance numbers you just got to remember from various decades.
-Not enough, then how about good utilization to add some great transitions and atmosphere to several moments that often fit just the right tone.
-Still not enough? No, worries, because they even have it in Italian which is poetic, fun, and in my case helping play a personal game of name that tune.
-It all works to the theme of the movie and the destination and I loved that piece and how it brought a little culture and continuation to the movie.
Sweet -The movie is another chronicle of life that I personally enjoyed and appreciated. It covers a lot of good morals, but the big component is... it's very sweet.
-One part comes to the friendship of the movie and seeing just how much they are there for each other, and just how good a friendship can be.
-I enjoyed seeing those touching moments come out, seeing them just be there like a sisterhood and have each other's backs, which for a softy like me is something I enjoy.
-And the whole finale is a sugary sweet finish that these movies are famous for, that I believe many will enjoy in that a simplistic and fun ending still holds some merit.
The Acting Is Good For the Movie -This movie certainly strays from the theatrics and the mannerisms that award shows thrive on.
-Instead, the movie is all about being fun, and the movie has a great cast to accomplish much.
-The extras and secondary characters are great. Their time is mostly worth it, they often have to say very little to do a good job with their comedy and roles.
-But the leading ladies deserve the nod for what they accomplished in this movie and the simple fun they had for everyone to be pulled into the movie by some degree.
-Keaton is wonderful as the neurotic and flakey character, cautious, but innocent, and so fun to watch and balance the other more verbose characters. She's got the klutz humor down very well.
-Fonda is well, Fonda, aggressive, sexual, and sarcastic, mixed with a little more emotion that was fun to balance out, and help unite the adventuring squad together.
-Bergen is my favorite of the bunch. She's funny, sarcastic, and just blunt that works so well with the others. I liked her character direction, and like Murphy Brown, it works to have that edge that was very fun and enjoyable as she unleashed her rough views on them.
-And Steenburgen was cute, fun, and the Italian accent worked well for her, giving us the most of the sincere drama and feelings that tied more of the groups tales together in that sweet way.
The Comedy -It's a diverse array of cards to play that may not be the most expansive, but works for the nature of the movie.
-I already mentioned sarcasm was a staple, with Bergen and Fonda being the leaders of this , with two twists that work well.
-Keaton and Steenburgen are the clumsy, awkward, embarrassing types of humor. It's cute, innocent and fun, working to make you blush a bit from the accidents, but laugh at the relatable antics.
-Other characters fuel the dialog, which though simple, really does work in the grand scheme of things and made for a balanced experience that was just low key and easy to follow.
The Ambience -And the movie really soars in helping bring the Italian landscape and the beautiful country that it is.
-Italy is so glorious and though it's not being there, it really was like being there in a sense of what they explored in the montages.
-The museums, the dining establishments and schools, the beautiful landscapes, and several other landmarks that were used well for the story.
-The camera work is gorgeous, the lighting natural, and it helps feel like you are on vacation in the country with them, at least to the limited degree you can find it.
DISLIKES:
Rather pointless -What I mean by this is the tale starts out one way and then rise to use a thinly veiled plot to twist it up and get little out of it.
-I'm fine with the attempts and the character study, but after all the buildup, I kind of came out of the movie finding very few points to much of the antics.
-The trouble, the attempts at character progression, and maybe even the big timeline just made this so blah that the movie felt a tad more of a waste than others.
-Is it the worst? No. However, I would have loved to see a little more development to complete this journey.
Predictable -It's a movie with a lot of leading, leeway, and foreshadowing that makes you know where the ending is going.
-Is it the worst? Again, not really, but... it also is a tad bland when the ending finishes the way it does.
-The predictability fortunately leads to a fun adventure that is not diluted, but for quality of movie, again you aren't doing yourself any favors with the plot of this movie.
-The movie also has too many conveniences factors to help smooth out the pot holes in the story, and they could be a tad annoying the further you get into the film when they aren't' used as well or planned out.
Corny Dialogue Moments -The movie has lessons to teach, and they are good.
-The dialog at times though feels corny and forced, approaching levels of a soap opera that I can't say did the movie any favors in my opinion.
-Don't get me wrong, I had fun with much of the moments and found some very good parts where the dialog is tight, fun, and drives the point home.
-But... there are plenty where something seems to lack energy, enthusiasm, and investment into the moment. Almost like these scenes were not their favorite and they just did what they had to to get by.
-I'll say these moments were a mix for me, some bad, some okay, but the inconsistency is a bit annoying when the talent is so good.
The Set Up For A Sequel -It's a movie that they can certainly do in the future, and it could be good given that this adventure moves.
-However, the sequel starts setting up about halfway through the movie and starts getting a tad bigger than I think they needed to do.
-This movie series could have fun with the next adventure, but I can't determine what I really thought about the last moments sneaking in to promise something more.
The VERDICT: The second chapter in the Book Club's adventures is one I enjoyed more due to the pacing of the film and the new playground for the women to enjoy their antics in. I loved the pace, the comedy and the fun they had with the legendary cast just really making these characters stand out and shine. You want this sort of Golden Girls meets Father of the Bride atmosphere, well you got it. It's cute. It's got breathtaking shots. And it is one of those movies of feeling like on some level you are vacationing and getting some story with it. However, like the first movie, the tale is okay and really geared towards certain audience members. Cheesy dialog meets much of the moral lessons, and the predictable plot only goes so far for reviews to say this movie works for a theater visit. Book Club Two is a very simple movie that is fun, as the trailers state, but sadly the movie doesn't do enough in terms of other components to be the most unique or dynamic movie. It's great for a group outing, but otherwise, it's best left for home viewing in my opinion.
My scores are:
Comedy: 6.0 Movie Overall: 5.0.
Decent Pace: -The movie is one of those with little thinking, just a girl adventure in Italy and trying to live life to the fullest.
-That allows for an entertaining and engaging pace that I really enjoyed, and helped blunt some of the emotional moments lost to me.
-And with that fun and the other factors this movie is just a simple film to watch, which sometimes is all you need in a movie, and one that makes revisiting the film possible in the future.
Italian Covers of Famous Songs -I'm a man who likes to see music applied to the movies, and I was not disappointed by this film's track and selections.
-For one thing, it's a nice blend of songs that have a wide variety to enjoy from romantic ballads to the upbeat dance numbers you just got to remember from various decades.
-Not enough, then how about good utilization to add some great transitions and atmosphere to several moments that often fit just the right tone.
-Still not enough? No, worries, because they even have it in Italian which is poetic, fun, and in my case helping play a personal game of name that tune.
-It all works to the theme of the movie and the destination and I loved that piece and how it brought a little culture and continuation to the movie.
Sweet -The movie is another chronicle of life that I personally enjoyed and appreciated. It covers a lot of good morals, but the big component is... it's very sweet.
-One part comes to the friendship of the movie and seeing just how much they are there for each other, and just how good a friendship can be.
-I enjoyed seeing those touching moments come out, seeing them just be there like a sisterhood and have each other's backs, which for a softy like me is something I enjoy.
-And the whole finale is a sugary sweet finish that these movies are famous for, that I believe many will enjoy in that a simplistic and fun ending still holds some merit.
The Acting Is Good For the Movie -This movie certainly strays from the theatrics and the mannerisms that award shows thrive on.
-Instead, the movie is all about being fun, and the movie has a great cast to accomplish much.
-The extras and secondary characters are great. Their time is mostly worth it, they often have to say very little to do a good job with their comedy and roles.
-But the leading ladies deserve the nod for what they accomplished in this movie and the simple fun they had for everyone to be pulled into the movie by some degree.
-Keaton is wonderful as the neurotic and flakey character, cautious, but innocent, and so fun to watch and balance the other more verbose characters. She's got the klutz humor down very well.
-Fonda is well, Fonda, aggressive, sexual, and sarcastic, mixed with a little more emotion that was fun to balance out, and help unite the adventuring squad together.
-Bergen is my favorite of the bunch. She's funny, sarcastic, and just blunt that works so well with the others. I liked her character direction, and like Murphy Brown, it works to have that edge that was very fun and enjoyable as she unleashed her rough views on them.
-And Steenburgen was cute, fun, and the Italian accent worked well for her, giving us the most of the sincere drama and feelings that tied more of the groups tales together in that sweet way.
The Comedy -It's a diverse array of cards to play that may not be the most expansive, but works for the nature of the movie.
-I already mentioned sarcasm was a staple, with Bergen and Fonda being the leaders of this , with two twists that work well.
-Keaton and Steenburgen are the clumsy, awkward, embarrassing types of humor. It's cute, innocent and fun, working to make you blush a bit from the accidents, but laugh at the relatable antics.
-Other characters fuel the dialog, which though simple, really does work in the grand scheme of things and made for a balanced experience that was just low key and easy to follow.
The Ambience -And the movie really soars in helping bring the Italian landscape and the beautiful country that it is.
-Italy is so glorious and though it's not being there, it really was like being there in a sense of what they explored in the montages.
-The museums, the dining establishments and schools, the beautiful landscapes, and several other landmarks that were used well for the story.
-The camera work is gorgeous, the lighting natural, and it helps feel like you are on vacation in the country with them, at least to the limited degree you can find it.
DISLIKES:
Rather pointless -What I mean by this is the tale starts out one way and then rise to use a thinly veiled plot to twist it up and get little out of it.
-I'm fine with the attempts and the character study, but after all the buildup, I kind of came out of the movie finding very few points to much of the antics.
-The trouble, the attempts at character progression, and maybe even the big timeline just made this so blah that the movie felt a tad more of a waste than others.
-Is it the worst? No. However, I would have loved to see a little more development to complete this journey.
Predictable -It's a movie with a lot of leading, leeway, and foreshadowing that makes you know where the ending is going.
-Is it the worst? Again, not really, but... it also is a tad bland when the ending finishes the way it does.
-The predictability fortunately leads to a fun adventure that is not diluted, but for quality of movie, again you aren't doing yourself any favors with the plot of this movie.
-The movie also has too many conveniences factors to help smooth out the pot holes in the story, and they could be a tad annoying the further you get into the film when they aren't' used as well or planned out.
Corny Dialogue Moments -The movie has lessons to teach, and they are good.
-The dialog at times though feels corny and forced, approaching levels of a soap opera that I can't say did the movie any favors in my opinion.
-Don't get me wrong, I had fun with much of the moments and found some very good parts where the dialog is tight, fun, and drives the point home.
-But... there are plenty where something seems to lack energy, enthusiasm, and investment into the moment. Almost like these scenes were not their favorite and they just did what they had to to get by.
-I'll say these moments were a mix for me, some bad, some okay, but the inconsistency is a bit annoying when the talent is so good.
The Set Up For A Sequel -It's a movie that they can certainly do in the future, and it could be good given that this adventure moves.
-However, the sequel starts setting up about halfway through the movie and starts getting a tad bigger than I think they needed to do.
-This movie series could have fun with the next adventure, but I can't determine what I really thought about the last moments sneaking in to promise something more.
The VERDICT: The second chapter in the Book Club's adventures is one I enjoyed more due to the pacing of the film and the new playground for the women to enjoy their antics in. I loved the pace, the comedy and the fun they had with the legendary cast just really making these characters stand out and shine. You want this sort of Golden Girls meets Father of the Bride atmosphere, well you got it. It's cute. It's got breathtaking shots. And it is one of those movies of feeling like on some level you are vacationing and getting some story with it. However, like the first movie, the tale is okay and really geared towards certain audience members. Cheesy dialog meets much of the moral lessons, and the predictable plot only goes so far for reviews to say this movie works for a theater visit. Book Club Two is a very simple movie that is fun, as the trailers state, but sadly the movie doesn't do enough in terms of other components to be the most unique or dynamic movie. It's great for a group outing, but otherwise, it's best left for home viewing in my opinion.
My scores are:
Comedy: 6.0 Movie Overall: 5.0.