Light-Hearted ‘Book Club’ Explores Sex and Dating After 60

More than two decades after the success of “The First Wives Club,” Diane Keaton once again explores the journey of life after marriage in another female-driven comedy, “Book Club.”

Keaton plays Diane, a recent widow who is getting used to living alone after devoting most of her adult life to her family. Fortunately for her she has her three best friends, divorced judge Sharon (Candice Bergen), married chef Carol (Mary Steenburgen), and lifelong bachelorette and hotelier Vivian (Jane Fonda). Each actress brings something different to the table by doing what she does best. Diane is awkward and endearing as she decides her next step, Bergen as Sharon is headstrong and no-nonsense, Steenburgen as Carol is sweet and maternal, and Fonda as Vivian is a total sexpot. Despite being 80 years of age, Fonda is still more than believable as a woman who can seduce any many she wants, and it’s no surprise that when it comes time for Vivan to pick a new novel for the women to read in their book club, she picks “50 Shades of Grey.” As passe as this novel about a young woman’s journey into BDSM is in 2018, it turns out to be just what these four ladies need to jumpstart their respective sex lives, and the result is a fun romp, the cinematic equivalent as a crisp glass of white wine on a summer evening.

Unlike “The First Wives Club” and many other comedies centered around women of a certain age, “Book Club” contains very little cynicism. Instead, it offers a humorous look into sex and dating after 60 without making the characters the butt of the jokes. The most entertaining plot involves Sharon venturing into dating for the first time since her divorce 18 years prior, a journey that briefly reunites her with Wallace Shawn, with whom Bergen was memorably set up with on an episode of “Sex and the City.” But it is with none other than Richard Dreyfuss where the sparks really fly. Vivian, meanwhile, is romanced by an old love, Arthur (Don Johnson), who reappears in her life 40 years after she rejected his marriage proposal. He is determined to win her back, but she doesn’t make it easy for him. Again, Fonda is ageless, no male celeb can compare, so it’s not a stretch to see her getting “young stud” Don Johnson (he’s 68) hot and bothered.

Diane and Carol’s struggles are more relatable. Diane goes through something that a lot of mothers of adult children go through, as her daughters (Alicia Silverstone and Katie Aselton), although they mean well, treat her in a rather condescending manner, pressuring her to sell her L.A. home and move near them in Arizona so they can watch her and make sure she doesn’t accidentally slip in the shower. However, Diane isn’t ready to pack it in just yet, and she embarks on an affair with a wealthy pilot, Mitchell (Andy Garcia), and their romance is the stuff of paperback novels, except that being a movie, the viewer is treated to some breathtaking backdrops, Santa Monica and Sedona in this case. Back in L.A., Carol is determined to revive her sex life with husband Bruce (Craig T. Nelson), but the only thing he appears interested in revving up is his old motorcycle. Carol takes action into her own hand by spiking his beer with a certain blue pill, learning the hard way (no pun intended) that drugging someone never ends well.

Overall, “Book Club” is lighthearted, guilty pleasure film, the perfect antidote for anyone fatigued from superhero films. While considerably tamer than “50 Shades,” it also has a universal appeal for women of all ages.

Book Club” opens May 18 nationwide.