BOOK CLUB

Diane Keaton     Jane Fonda     Candice Bergen     Mary Steenburgen

Andy Garcia     Craig T. Nelson     Don Johnson     Richard Dreyfuss

     This bit of froth proceeds just about as expected, given the cast and the topic. Older women do daring things and after ups and downs, (almost) everything turns out groovy in the end. The characters are rather stereotypical, except maybe for Vivian (Fonda), who chose career over marriage and has become a wealthy woman.  Sharon (Bergen) is a Federal judge who’s been divorced for 18 years.  Diane (Keaton) lost her husband a year ago, and has two daughters who are rushing her into the grave and overly parenting her, or trying to.  Carol (Steenburgen) is happily married to Bruce (Nelson), but he has shut down since his retirement.  Their relationship needs a shot or something in the you-know-where.  

     The four women have been friends for years, their connection currently centering on their book club.  Vivian decides to spice things up, and when it’s her turn to choose the book, she passes around E. L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey.  Her friends are horrified, but each one (guiltily) charges through it, and it seems to have a unique effect on each one, egged along by more frank discussions about how the women really see each other.  Basically they all need to get out more, out of their particular rut.  Sharon is prompted to go to an online dating site; Diane piques a fellow traveler’s interest by reading her book on the plane, after she has literally fallen into his lap getting into her seat; and Carol tries sexual come-ons in the book to arouse Bruce’s interest.  Vivian doesn’t “try” anything; she is convinced she has found the key to happiness.  Then an old school chum, Arthur (Johnson), surfaces and begins provoking her.

     Bill Holderman (director and co-writer with Erin Simms) has created a crowd pleaser (going by the reactions of the audience in the screening I attended) that contains sit-com humor, predictable complications, and a fanciful ending. Another idealistic treatment is reflected in the highly attractive appearances of most of the characters—certainly the women, and arguably for the men, as there was audible panting when Andy Garcia appeared.  

     There is little of substance in the story; the best dialog comes toward the end when the friends become more open and realin their conversations.  But for the most part, the story is more pie-in-the- sky than anything based on reality.  The best part of the movie is seeing the abundantly talented well-cast actresses doing what they do best—acing their roles as written for them.  If only the writers had opted to portray a more realistic picture of this stage in a woman’s life; I assure you, it would contain many more shadings and nuances, and likely be a much more interesting film.

A rather skewed, fanciful view of the lives of women past a certain age.

Grade:  C                                                By Donna R. Copeland

FINDING DORY

Voices of:  Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson, 

Hayden Rolence, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy

          Disney’s Pixar again delivers a colorful, sharply animated fantasy for children.  Dory (Degeneres), the blue fish has short-term memory loss, and frequently loses her way, despite the best efforts of her parents to teach her strategies she can use to find her way home.  Unfortunately, soon after the story begins, she gets lost after an impulsive action, and much of the film involves her trying to get back to her parents with the help of her friends, new and old.  Two of the old friends are Nemo (Rolence) and his dad Marlin (Brooks). 

          It’s something of a coming-of-age story for a fish, but valuable lessons can be learned in the process of growing up, even by a fish.  We see Dory gradually developing self-confidence, a better attention span, persistence in the face of obstacles (“There’s always a way…”), and a growing sense of responsibility for others.  There are humorous moments for adults when we see Nemo trying to coach his dad on behavioral techniques like positive reinforcement when Marlin has a tendency to discourage kids.  And all ages will chuckle at Hank (O’Neill) the octopus (or “septapus”, after he lost a tentacle) contorting his body elastically in every possible position or getting splayed against a wall accidentally.  I understand he is likely to become a beloved figure for children.

          Then there are funny sequences with the sea lions (Elba and West) commandeering a rock on which they can lazily sun, observing and commenting on the goings-on around them.  They occasionally render advice and instructions, while keeping an intruder off the rock they are unwilling to share.

        Another humorous aspect of the story are occasional announcements by Sigourney Weaver at the Marine rescue facility where part of the story takes place.  As the director of the facility, she instructs visitors about where to go and what the aims of the facility are:  Rescue, Rehabilitate, and Release.  There are terrifying moments when Dory lands in a bucket of dead fish and some marine animals are sent against their will to Cleveland to be in an aquarium if it’s thought they can’t make it in the open sea.

       In the larger scheme of things, Finding Dory models the values of family, loyalty, friendship, openness to new experiences, and willingness to take risks.  It’s not preachy in the least, and the lessons are to be deduced from the actions of the characters.  My only objection to it is the hair-raising truck ride driven by Hank and Dory at the end.  This is intended to be funny, but to me it’s simply bad modeling for children.

Adventures that help Dory manage a disability and grow up.

Grade:  B+                       By Donna R. Copeland

LOVE THE COOPERS

Alan Arkin   Diane Keaton   John Goodman   Marisa Tomei   June Squibb

                                        Olivia Wilde   Amanda Seyfried   Anthony Mackie   Ed Helms   Jake Lacy

          And you probably will end up loving the Coopers in a film that many will see as a perfect holiday movie.  Although don’t expect to be immersed in warm fuzzy feelings throughout; this is a family that can throw barbs and “gotchas” with hardly a twitch of an eyebrow.  They all seem to have some gene that eventually and invariably alienates the person they’re talking to.  The script reads a bit like Little Miss Sunshine in its mixture of bittersweet, tender, and outright comedy.  The difference is that in Love the Coopers there’s a lot more bitterness in tone, especially in the beginning when everyone seems to be writhing with unhappiness—or maybe it’s just anxiety about the upcoming get-together.

         The drama mainly centers around couples—not necessarily the expected pairings.  The paterfamilias (Arkin) is alone in his old age, but has made a solid friendship with a young waitress at the local diner (Seyfried).  His daughter Charlotte (Keaton) has been married to Sam (Goodman) for 40 years, but it looks like the parting of the ways for them.  Their current issue is whether or not to announce their separation at the family celebration.  Son Hank (Helms) is going through a divorce, and he is not in good shape at all.  His other daughter Emma (Tomei) is alone not by choice, except maybe it has something to do with her not being able to form a bond with anyone and tending to feel sorry for herself in being alone.  We’re introduced to Charlotte’s and Sam’s daughter Eleanor (Wilde) in the airport where she has bumped into Joe (Lacy) who is headed out to report to duty.  Present at the Christmas celebration are also a number of grandchildren who are as quick-witted and verbal as their elders.

          Certain interchanges between characters in the drama really entertained and sparked my interest.  One was Eleanor and Joe doing a complex, often contradictory, mating dance that epitomizes budding relationships today.  Liberal meets conservative, but somehow, after many fits and starts, they find more common ground than conflict.  Another was that between Emma and the policeman (Anthony Mackie) who arrests her for shoplifting.  Being a life coach, she starts out asking him about himself, but when it ends up, he is giving her valuable advice.  They end up helping each other, and he is to be admired for insisting on appropriate boundaries. 

        The depiction of Sam’s and Charlotte’s relationship is not terribly interesting—it’s rather hackneyed—and although these are fine actors, I found myself yawning and fidgeting during their interchanges.  The best ones (Eleanor and Joe; Emma and Officer Williams) entertain us and make us think, and therein lies the best of this movie.

A soulful family Christmas with meaningful observations on mating.

Grade:  B                                                            By Donna R. Copeland