Movie Review – Book Club (2018)

Book Club can be purchased on iTunes for $14.99, available for digital download on August 21, 2018 and on DVD/Blu-ray on August 28, 2018.

Movie poster and cast photos from IMDb

Movie Description:  Four lifelong friends have their lives forever changed after reading 50 Shades of Grey in their monthly book club.

Movie Theater Release Date:  Friday, May 18, 2018

Running Time:  1 hour & 44 minutes

Genre:  Comedy/Drama/Romance

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA): Rated PG-13 for sex-related material throughout the film and for language.

Writer/Director:  Bill Holderman

When I was in Los Angeles last year working as a background actor on the television programs Scandal, VEEP, Ballers and American Housewife, among other shows, I received daily casting alerts from Central Casting and LA.Casting.com for roles I was eligible for, basically Female around age 50. I tell my friends that there is a need in California for tall, skinny, older women, so that’s why I keep getting cast! 

One of the advantages of living and working in the Los Angeles area is that I get to do all the fun tourist things too! Photo by Leslie Dianne

Right after I left California in early April 2017, I saw several casting notices for the filming of an upcoming movie titled Book Club I wished I was still in Los Angeles because I would have loved to have been a background actor on set with the four amazing actresses in the lead roles and it looked like a great movie!

I also laughed because two of my friends from high school and I actually saw Fifty Shades of Grey in the movie theater together when the movie was released. We were like our own Book Club!

Here’s the link to my movie review of Fifty Shades of Grey that was published on my blog, #LeslieInLittleRock, on April 6, 2015,

Jane Fonda as Vivian

Candice Bergen as Sharon

Mary Steenburgen as Carol

Diane Keaton as Diane

The general premise of the movie is four longtime friends, women in their 60’s, read the 2011 erotic romance best seller novel, Fifty Shades of Grey, in their book club. One of the women (Vivian) has never married but has many romances through the years; another one (Sharon) is a judge but disillusioned about dating since her husband divorced her for a younger woman; the third woman (Carol) has been married for many years but her husband seems disinterested and the final woman (Diane) is a widow.

I laughed all the way through this film because it approaches topics such as online dating, being reacquainted with old loves, trying to find the sparks in a marriage as empty nesters and the subject that personally affects me – life after the sudden death of a spouse.

I know that many of my friends saw and loved this movie but I don’t think it’s just for the “Over 50 Crowd”. It’s smartly written, beautifully shot and features some of the best actresses of our times – 3 are Oscar Winners and the 4th is an Oscar Nominee.

There is also a very good supporting cast in this movie, including Don Johnson, Andy Garcia, Ed Begley Jr., Craig T. Nelson and Richard Dreyfuss.

Look for my next Movie Review – Ocean’s Eight
featuring Sandra Bullock

Leslie Smith Doan, a native Arkansan, is a retired Technical Writer and active blogger. She enjoys traveling and attending special events with her two daughters, ages 25 & 21. 

A long time TV and Movie Fan, she has also appeared as a Background Actor on the television shows Scandal, American Housewife, the pilot episode of Young Sheldon and the feature films God’s Not Dead 2and God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness, both filmed in Arkansas. 

My IMDb Link!

Leslie lives in Little Rock with her two rescue pets, Oreo, a black & white Australian Shepherd and Lilly, a calico kitty. 

She blogs about her personal experiences as both a cancer survivor and widow along with movie reviews and humorous essays in her blog Leslie In Little Rock. You can also find Leslie online on her Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts.