Book Club

BOOK CLUB is a comedy film starring Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen. The four actresses work well together and it is fun watching them interact with their male suitors played by Craig T. Nelson, Andy Garcia, Don Johnson, and Richard Dreyfuss.

For many years the four ladies have been friends and meet as a book club. They are all successful and each has her unique personality. Their lives are shaken by the latest book choice, Fifty Shades of Grey. The women begin talking about things they had not discussed in a long time. As a result, they begin making extraordinary choices when it comes to romance.

According to Fonda's blog, BOOK CLUB did not have a distributor when it finished filming. Fortunately, Paramount Pictures provided distribution.

Romance films showing women over 50 years old are rare. Perhaps more screenwriters will create adventures for the demographic because they are still viable and attract an enthusiastic audience.

BOOK CLUB is currently playing in theatres. The official Web site is http://www.bookclub.movie/.

The Proposal

Last night I attended an advance screening of THE PROPOSAL starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. I liked it. The story was a familiar one, but the very talented cast invigorates it.

Craig T. Nelson plays Reynolds’ stern father well. I do not think I have ever seen him play a role like this. Mary Steenburgen is graceful as Reynolds’ understanding mother, and Betty White is hilarious as Reynolds’ quirky grandmother. These are the people who “Margaret” (Bullock) meets when she bribes her assistant, “Andrew” (Reynolds), to marry her so she will not be deported–she is a Canadian living in the United States who encounters a problem with her Visa.

I usually prefer watching Sandra Bullock play really nice, down-to-earth characters. However, in THE PROPOSAL she plays an incorrigible, apathetic New York book editor, and I liked her performance. It is especially satisfying seeing “Margaret” show another side of herself while visiting with “Andrew” and his family in Siska, Alaska: Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock (http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/rakim/video/x2c1pk_rob-base-and-dj-ez-rock-it-takes-tw_music). . .after seeing the movie you will understand what this means! THE PROPOSAL opens in U.S. theatres on Friday, June 19.