So this Summer movie season is fully upon us as we get yet another example of a staple of the warmer months, mainly the other “s” word, the sequel. Sure we expect it with the big “franchise” flicks like last weekend’s MCU blockbuster. However, this one expands on a rather modest “niche” comedy that found a very receptive audience five years ago. They are probably eager to revisit their old friends, but the story needs a “hook” to increase that fan base (and to get them back into the multiplex, rather than wait for the streaming date). For this, the producers harkened back to sequel ideas of the past in which the familiar face would be in new locations (think GIDGET GOES HAWAIIAN or TARZAN GOES TO INDIA). Hey, it works for the more recent series of THE TRIP flicks. And like that comic duo, this quartet is packing their bags in BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER.
After a brief “flash-forward” (just a hint of things to come), we’re in the US of A catching up with that “literary society”. And like many of us, they had to talk books online during the pandemic and struggle with “group chat” technology. And happily, they all survived that grim time. Vivian (Jane Fonda) is still heating things up with her old flame Arthur (Don Johnson). Diane (Diane Keaton) is happy in Scottsdale, AZ with airline pilot/beau Mitchell (Andy Garcia). Sharon (Candice Bergen) has pretty much retired from the bench, only donning her robes to officiate weddings before she’s back home surfing online dating sites and tending to her cat Ginsberger. The biggest changes have happened to Carol (Mary Steenburgen), whose restaurant did not survive the “lockdown”. But that gave her more time to tend to her now-retired hubby Bruce (Craig T. Nelson), who just had heart surgery. Finally, it’s time to meet in the flesh. After the hugs and before the wine, Vivian stuns them with her engagement ring. During the “big buzz”, Carol pulls out an old diary and reminds them of the “girls’ trip” that never was. Well, since the travel bans are lifted, why not take a big pre-wedding trek to Italy? When things begin to “line up”, the quartet boards a jet for Europe. They have a blast, sampling the cuisine, shopping, and meeting new friends (naturally Sharon “hooks up’ with a silver fox) and encountering old pals (Carol reconnects with her cooking school heartthrob), and getting into wacky and often naughty adventures. But nothing in their side trips to Rome and Venice can match the big stunner that awaits them in their final destination, Tuscany. This makes for a most unforgettable getaway for them all.
Though it may sound a bit cliched, it feels as though only a few months have passed since the first story that united these terrific veteran screen (small and big) actresses. Perhaps the busiest of the four, at least this year as it’s her third release, is Fonda who shows us more of Vivian’s (I prefer her nickname “Slim”) vulnerable, even girlish side. Then she was the brusk “go-go” businesswoman with no time for romance. Now she’s taking the time to enjoy a relationship beyond her “gal-pals”. Still, Fonda’s best in those “no-filter” moments as she revels in shocking and surprising folks with her candid commentary. Keaton as Diane is also “letting her hair down’ as she doesn’t have to deal with her “hovering” daughters this time and becomes the sometimes frazzled (those computer “filters”) voice of sanity for the group. And without her irksome ex to annoy her this time, Bergen’s Candice really becomes the most daring of them, “putting herself out there” in this “unknown territory” (the locale and her retired lifestyle). Stenburgen’s Carol almost bubbles over with the joy of discovery even as she tries to keep a long-distance “spy-eye” on her recovering longtime mate. Oh, and the fellas from the last outing are just as charming as they “hold down the homefront”. Johnson is the wistfully romantic and suave Arthur, while Garcia pours on the charisma as the grizzled laid-back and ever-supportive Mitchell. And Nelson is not the butt of the jokes this time, as he has an easier time moving past his health scare than his missus. Oh, and there are a couple of international “prospects’ for the judge in Hugh Quarshie as the dapper, sophisticated Ousmane and Giancarlo Giannini as the flustered “policia” captain who butts heads with Sharon while still hoping that she’ll save him a dance sometime.
Yes, the location photography is stunning making for a great travelogue (matched with peppy local variations of beloved pop tunes), but it’s the chemistry of the quartet that keeps us chugging through the familiar foreign missteps and zany bits of miscommunication and occasional slapstick. Bill Holderman returns as the director and co-screenwriter with Erin Simms, this time cutting back on the stunned reaction shots of bystanders reacting to the main characters’ intimate outbursts (luckily) and focusing more on their warm friendship since they’re away from their usual “turf” and male partners. Sure, it often feels like two or three sitcom half-hours stitched together (and you may think of the dynamic of TV’s “GG”), but these seasoned “pros” can sell just about anything, even the ludicrous reunion “climax’ of Carol and her college “crush”. This especially goes for the big final moments, which you can see coming over the rolling hills of Rome. My biggest problem with this bit of fluff was the often harsh makeup work. I know these aren’t “spring chickens” but the overuse of cheek rouge was distractingly harsh (and there was a touch of “soft focus” used on some of the leads, but it didn’t veer into “Lucy as MAME” extremes). There are a few “cringy” moments, but there are worse ways to top off a Mother’s Day brunch (or a pre-dinner) than a trek to check in with the women of the BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER.
2 Out of 4
BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, May 12, 2023
The highly anticipated sequel follows our four best friends as they take their book club to Italy for the fun girls trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure.
Directed by Bill Holderman, Focus Features will release BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER Nationwide In-Theaters on Friday, May 12th.
Tickets are now on sale for #BookClub: The Next Chapter, starring Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen!
The St. Louis advance screening is on Thursday, April 27, 7pm at the Hi Pointe. Winners chosen/notified on Tuesday, April 25th.
The screening will be filled on a first come first served basis, so we encourage you to arrive early. Seats will not be guaranteed. Rated PG-13 for some strong language and suggestive material.
I’ve you’ve got a bit of cinema nostalgia in your psyche, then this week’s new (but also old) release just might be your movie memory escape route. This flick’s plot has its roots in lots of early film comedies. I’ll offer a bit of a personal spin as my earliest movie theatre memory is seeing GOODBYE CHARLIE in which the late womanizing BFF of Tony Curtis returns as Debbie Reynolds, a gender-flip reused 17 years later in the Blake Edwards spoof SWITCH (whew, I am aging myself). Speaking of age, that was the big variation of that concept that really took hold in the 1980s with fathers becoming their sons and vice-versa in LIKE FATHER LIKE SON and, well, VICE VERSA. But the big one was 1988’s BIG that veered away a bit in that a young lad suddenly became a 30-something Tom Hanks. Of course, the idea was exploited in TV movies and sitcoms (didn’t translate) and had a bit of a comeback nearly 20 years ago with the remake of FREAKY FRIDAY and 13 GOING ON 30. Now it’s time, or so some producers believe, for a new “upgrade” as a younger woman changes and passes herself off as another person (a Jekyll and Hyde element) as she tries to be both MACK & RITA.
The initial focus is on the former, “Mack” AKA Mackenzie Martin, as we see her as a pre-teen completely awed by her “Grammie” Martin (Catherine Carlen), even emulating her attitude and fashion sense. And though GM is now a memory, thirty-something Mack (Elizabeth Lail) is still kind of an “old soul” She’s a writer who hasn’t really followed up her debut book, so she’s a “social media influencer” posing with and writing about products and companies that contact her hustling agent (Patti Harrison). Mack’s being pushed out of her “comfort zone” by her BFF Carla (Taylour Paige) who has asked her to be her maid of honor and join her and the bridesmaids for a pre-wedding getaway to Santa Barbara at the temporarily vacant house of a friend of her mother Sharon (Loretta Devine). After an awkward goodbye to her hunky building “super” Jack (Dustin Milligan) who’ll housesit and take care of her pooch, Mack heads to SB with the gals…and is soon “out of sync” with their “hard-partying” agenda. Strolling through town, Mack spots a big tent in a vacant lot with a sign promising a “regression pod experience”. She opts for that while Carla and the girls hit a “pop-up” concert. Inside the tent, “new age guru” Luka (Simon Rex) takes her charge card and places her into a “revamped” tanning bed. As Luka does his “standard” chant, he sends Mack into “dreamland”. When she awakes Mack looks in the mirror and sees a several-decades-older face (Diane Keaton) staring back. Luka’s long gone, so she heads back to the “vacay house”. After much pleading, Carla accepts that this is the new Mack. They then hatch a plan: Mack is now her aunt Rita, who has switched apartments with her because Mack is on a writer’s retreat. Back in LA, Sharon introduces Rita to her book/wine club (Wendie Malick, Lois Smith, and Amy Hill) and Mack’s agent enlists her for a new promo gig. And she’s a hit. Plus Jack has a thing for the confident classy Rita, Still, she’s got to find Luka and return to her old self. But as the days pass, will Rita’s new fame wreck her friendship with Carla? What to do, since the world seems to like Rita more than Mack?
Needless to say, it’s always a treat to see Ms. Keaton back on the big screen to dazzle us with her talents as she elevates every film project, despite the material. And this is pretty mediocre stuff as she seems to be back in POMS and BOOK CLUB territory even as she recalls her iconic work in ANNIE HALL and SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE. Many of the contrived sitcom slapstick antics are tired and tepid despite her best efforts, though she has a great rapport with all of her co-stars. Lail appears to be mimicking her delivery which puts us at a distance from the Mack character, never making her seem more than a script construct. Paige has a nice energetic spirit even as we wonder why such a bubbly fun woman would spend so much time pushing her pal into the world. Rex, a force of nature in RED ROCKET, can’t make Luka into anything more than a “hippie” cliche. Devine, Malick, Smith, and Hill are a terrific group who deserve to be more than a glorified Greek chorus/cheerleading squad. Milligan is a serviceable love interest, though his Jack is really affable “eye candy”, with no insight into his feelings for Rita (does he detect Mack in her). Oh, and don’t be fooled by the IMDB listing of Martin Short in the film as he only lends his voice to a drippy fantasy sequence.
The confident direction from Kate Aselton tells the tale in a fairly straightforward fashion, though many of the supporting players seem to be mugging and shouting their lines as though they’re trapped in an 80s sitcom (three cameras with sweetened responses). The script often feels as though it were “stitched” from the first three episodes of a failed pilot, with clumsy conflicts (Carla is too miffed at Mack/Rita) and big farce setpieces (calamity pilates, scorched wigs). If not for the star power of Keaton this would be more suited for a couple of specialty basic cable channels. Plus the whole idea of an almost instant online sensation stretches any sense of “cyber-reality” with viewers pelting Rita virtually with infinite “hearts”.Plus the budding, hesitant romance between Rita and Jack feels forced and a tad off-kilter. This bit of fluff may be a whimsical fantasy for certain viewers, while many will find little to enjoy with the one-woman team split into MACK & RITA.
One Out of Four
MACK & RITA is now playing in select theatres everywhere
Focus Features’ BOOK CLUB 2 – THE NEXT CHAPTER, a sequel to the wildly successful and beloved 2018 comedy BOOK CLUB, is set for a wide release on Mother’s Day, May 12, 2023. Focus Features will distribute the film in the U.S. Universal Pictures International will distribute internationally. Endeavor Content financed and produced the film.
The film is written by Bill Holderman and Erin Simms, with Holderman returning as Director. The duo will also serve as producers. Executive Producers are Brad Weston, Trish Hofmann, Enzo Sisti and Andrew Duncan.
The highly anticipated sequel, starring returning icons Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen alongside Andy Garcia, Don Johnson, and Craig T. Nelson, Giancarlo Giannini, Hugh Quarshie and Vincent Riotta, follows our four best friends as they take their book club to Italy for the fun girls trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure.
The sequels’ predecessor, BOOK CLUB, earned an impressive $68 million domestically from a $13.5 million opening weekend and $104 million worldwide.
Francis Coppola has re-edited his little-loved THE GODFATHER Pt 3 and has retitled this as THE GODFATHER, CODA: THE DEATH OF MICHAEL CORLEONE. It opens this Friday December 4th in select theaters.
Check out the trailer:
Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of The Godfather: Part III, director/screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola brings a definitive new edit and restoration of the final film in his epic Godfather trilogy—Mario Puzo’s THE GODFATHER, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), now in his 60s, seeks to free his family from crime and find a suitable successor to his empire. That successor could be fiery Vincent (Andy Garcia)… but he may also be the spark that turns Michael’s hope of business legitimacy into an inferno of mob violence. The film’s meticulously restored picture and sound, under the supervision of American Zoetrope and Paramount Pictures, includes a new beginning and ending, as well as changes to scenes, shots, and music cues. The resulting project reflects author Mario Puzo and Coppola’s original intentions of The Godfather: Part III, and delivers, in the words of Coppola, “a more appropriate conclusion to The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II.”’
HE GODFATHER CODA: THE DEATH OF MICHAEL CORLEONE (still) stars Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Franc D’Ambrosio, Bridget Fonda, George Hamilton, Joe Mantegna, Talia Shire, Eli Wallach, Sofia Coppola, Raf Vallone
Ready?! Begin (I think that may be how they still start cheers)! Time to take a little detour from the Summer blockbuster super-highway, down that little rundown side street that leads to the “grindhouse”, just a few miles before the drive-in. A staple of those “low rent” movie outlets were those slightly naughty little flicks, usually featuring a bevy of young beauties often fresh from Hef’s grotto (and magazine, of course). Now, the settings and titles of these flicks usually sprung from a profession like nursing (THE STUDENT NURSES and CANDY STRIP NURSES), even TV “spokeswomen” (GAME SHOW MODELS). Then there were the “cheer” flicks like CHEERLEADERS’ BEACH PARTY and the 76 classic THE POM POM GIRLS. And in that spirit comes this new film starring…hold on. These are more mature actresses, a couple of them are 70s screen icons (in their 70s). Let’s see if this still has lots of pep as they dazzle us with their POMS.
The story starts with the “estate sale” of Martha (Diane Keaton), her life’s belongings scattered about (with price “post-it” notes) on the sidewalk in front of an alley in “Urban City USA”. Since she has no husband or kids, everything “gotta’ go”. Once that’s done, she loads her one travel bag and a small beaten-up cardboard box into her SUV and hits the road. At a rest/gas stop she takes a call from her doctor’s office. No, she won’t reschedule her chemo treatments, rather she cancels them. Her “final” destination is a retirement community in Georgia to, in her words, “wait to die”. Ah, but everybody’s enjoying their “golden years”, chugging around on small electric golf carts. After checking in with the private security supervisor (Bruce McGill), Martha is overwhelmed by the welcoming committee, headed by “queen bee” Vicki (Celia Weston) who extolls their activities and tells her, “If you don’t find a club to join, start one”. At her new home, Martha meets her frisky, free-spirited neighbor Sheryl (Jackie Weaver) who likes to break the rules by crashing funerals (free food) and housing her teenage grandson Ben (Charlie Tahan). One night Sheryl finds Martha’s old cheerleading sweater popping out of that battered moving box. She asks to borrow it in order to “spice up” a future “date”. But this inspires Martha to start a cheerleading squad/club. But Vicki’s not keen on it and insists they have 8 members. Auditions are held, and thanks to Olive (Pam Grier), Alice (Rhea Perlman) and another feisty foursome, they reach their goal. But will Vicki put a stop to it? And what happens when a disastrous public performance is put online? Will Martha (who’s secretly fighting cancer) and the ladies give up when they become a viral video laughing stock?
This “cheer club” boasts a veteran actress “dream team”. Keaton has the most compelling “story arc’ as Martha goes from being sour and sullen to revitalized as she finds a reason to keep going, to just get up in the morning. And as with many of her recent characters, her Martha is a focused force of nature who meets all of the film’s “villains” (at least three) head on. As Sheryl, Weaver has an infectious “naughty girl” grin (in classic TV terms, she’s the “Blanche”) as she tosses off tart retorts, hatches bits of mischief, and becomes the lil’ devil on Martha’s right shoulder (whispering new schemes into her ear). Perlman’s Alice goes through her own transformation as subservient housekeeper to a spirited extrovert who delights in standing up for herself and her new “sisters”. Grier projects an earthy charm as Olive, though she’s given little to, other than “jump-starting” her stable but staid marriage (turns out that hubby always dreamed of bedding a cheerleader). Weston spews mint julep-flavored venom as the smiling Southern-bell barracuda. McGill is a great flustered comic foil as the ineffectual “lawman”. Tahan is very good as the nerdy misfit who’s also taken under Martha’s wing and taught to fly. Mainly her soars about the lovely Alisha Boe as the captain of the local high school cheer team who becomes an unlikely ally to Martha’s club.
Documentarian Zara Hayes makes her narrative film debut with this “by the numbers” “feel good’ inspirational comedy, giving the cast a nice, polished sheen, but pacing the story like a beefed up basic cable film. That’s dictated by the episodic screenplay she co-wrote with Shane Atkinson. Truly it plays almost like the first three or four episodes of a sitcom for Lifetime or the Hallmark Channel. There are loads of “bonding” montages mixed in with the practice sessions sequences. Every ten or twelve minutes a sneering cardboard villain pops up (as in those target ranges) be it Vicki or a member’s “square’ son or a trite teen “bad girl”, they’re easily overcome by the squad’s smiles and “positive vibes”. One character goes from antagonist to promoter so quickly that the viewer may be in danger of whiplash. Several subplots never really “pay off” (the youngsters’ romance goest flat), while some tepid slapstick (an uninspired car chase grinds everything to a halt) invoke more tedium than hilarity (that viral video). The story stumbles about for its 90 minutes toward the most predictable triumphant underdog ending that jumps from maudlin sentimentality to a ridiculous “YouTube’-styled sensation (worldwide, eh, sure…). The release date weekend is cued to the big holiday, but this turgid trek would be a most mediocre dessert at the end of a nice brunch (despite the many mimosas). This cast deserves better because they’re just as “Marvel-ous’ as the women in the still big blockbuster. There’s little pep (or originality) in these POMS.
The new comedy BOOK CLUB, opening May 18, focuses on something that has long been a favorite of women of all ages – the book club. But this comedy has something extra to offer: four legendary stars with long and storied careers. Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen have garnered enough awards and nominations, including Oscars, and have demonstrated enough star staying-power on the big screen and the small one to qualify as bonafide Hollywood legends. Yet each woman has carved out her own unique path to that title.
They have some things in common, these legendary women. Each is multi-talented, playing both drama and comedy while working with an array of big-name directors and actors. As in any long career, each has had their hits and misses, but the hits have really been stand-outs. Defying the usual rules of Hollywood, each is still a star and still beautiful, even though over the age of 65. They are all fairly tall, ranging from Fonda and Steenburgen at 5’8″ to Keaton at 5’6 1/2″. Each woman also has added producer, author, or musician to their career accomplishments and each of them has passionately pursued interests and causes beyond their acting careers.
In honor of these worthy women, and with a nod to Mother’s Day, We Are Movie Geeks is offering a brief retrospective on their careers.
Jane Fonda has recently reportedly said that her new ensemble comedy BOOK CLUB is the most fun she has had making a movie. With her long career, that is saying something but that sentiment probably reflects the sterling cast of women she worked with on this film.
On screen and off, Jane Fonda often has been a controversial figure, often outspoken, known for her political activism, and for her marriage to media mogul Ted Turner.
Born Jane Seymour Fonda in New York City in December 1937, the beautiful daughter of movie star Henry Fonda and socialite Frances Ford Seymour Brokaw had no problem breaking into movies but it takes more than a famous name to have the kind of long, stellar career Jane Fonda has had. Initially she had little interest in following her father’s profession but that changed after she appeared in a community theater production with her father, and then met Lee Strasberg and joined the Actors’ Studio. Her first film was TALL STORY (1960) and then she was cast as a fresh face beauty in a string of romantic films.
Fonda shattered that girl-next-door image when she starred as the barely-clad title character in BARBARELLA, director (and then husband) Roger Vadim’s sexy, sci-fi spoof. The film sparked controversy but it also changed Fonda’s screen image, perhaps opening the door to more serious, edgy dramatic roles. She followed it up with an Oscar-nominated performance in the dark Depression-era drama THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON”T THEY? (1969) and her Oscar-winning performance as a high-priced call girl in the thriller KLUTE (1971).
Fonda also won an Oscar for COMING HOME (1978), about a returning disabled Vietnam War veteran, and more Oscar nominations for JULIA (1977), THE CHINA SYNDROME (1979), THE MORNING AFTER (1986) and ON GOLDEN POND (1981), in which she appeared with her father Henry for the only time.
Fonda’s career has not been just about drama. She has plenty of comedies on her resume, including the quirky Western romp CAT BALLOU (1965), FUN WITH DICK AND JANE (1977), and the hit NINE TO FIVE (1980).
In the 1980s, Fonda branched out from appearing in films, and released a wildly successful series of exercise videos and books, helping spark the exercise craze. She took a break from acting from 1990 to 2005, but returned to star in MONSTER-IN-LAW (2005) with Jennifer Lopez.
In recent years, Fonda has appeared in several films, sometimes in small but pivotal film roles, notably as the movie star diva in YOUTH (2015). She also starred in a Netflix series, GRACE AND FRANKIE, with Lilly Tomlin.
Fonda has re-defined herself over and over during her long career, keeping her on top and always a star.
Diane Keaton first captured the hearts of audiences with her quirky character in Woody Allen’s comedy ANNIE HALL (1977), where her eccentric clothing style sparked a fashion trend and her performance won her an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Writer/director Woody Allen had written the role specifically for her, and given the character her family nickname, Annie, and the star’s original last name.
Born Diane Hall in Los Angeles, California, in January 1946, Diane Keaton took her mother’s maiden name for her stage name because the Actors Guild already had a Diane Hall. She studied acting at college in California but left early to move to New York and work on the stage.
ANNIE HALL might have made her a big star but it was hardly the first hit film she had appeared in. While her first film was LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS (1970), she appeared in the Oscar-winning THE GODFATHER (1972) and THE GODFATHER, PART II (1974), where she played Kay Adams, Michael Corleone’s girlfriend, then wife. She also appeared in Woody Allen’s early hit comedies PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM (1972), SLEEPER (1973), and LOVE AND DEATH (1975).
Eager not to be typecast as the quirky character she played in ANNIE HALL, Keaton followed it up with one of her darkest dramatic parts in LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR (1977), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe. She received Oscar nominations for her work in Warren Beatty’s historic epic REDS (1981), as journalist Louise Bryant, and for MARVIN’S ROOM (1996).
Keaton was taken on a variety of roles, both dramatic and comedic. She appeared in a total of eight of Woody Allen’s films, including MANHATTAN (1979), RADIO DAYS (1987) and MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY (1993). She returned to the role of Kay Adams Corleone in THE GODFATHER, PART III (1990) but then appeared in the comedy BABY BOOM (1987), which echoed a story line from Candice Bergen’s MURPHY BROWN TV show. Keaton played Steve Martin’s wife in the hit comedy re-make FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1991) and its sequel FATHER OF THE BRIDE, PART II (1995).
Keaton had one of her biggest comedy hits with SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE (2003) opposite Jack Nicholson, for which she was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe. She has continued to work in films, while also publishing work as an author, editor and photographer. She also has an AFI Life Achievement Award.
Diane Keaton has never lost her quirky charm and irresistible likability (nor her signature fashion sense), making her a joy to watch no matter what the role.
Mary Steenburgen won an Oscar for her supporting role in the comedy MELVIN AND HOWARD. But her best known role maybe in the sci-fi romantic tale TIME AFTER TIME, where she co-starred with her future first husband Malcolm McDowell, who played a time-traveling, mystery-solving H.G. Wells.
Now happily married to Ted Danson, the star began life as Mary Nell Steenburgen in Newport, Arkansas in February 1953. Steenburgen studied acting at Hendrix College but left early on the recommendation of her acting teacher to pursue her career in New York. She was “discovered” by Jack Nicholson, who cast her in his wild and woolly Western GOIN’ SOUTH (1978) for her first movie role.
Steenburgen has played a mix of dramatic and comedic roles. She impressed audiences with her dramatic prowess playing a strong-willed mother in RAGTIME (1981), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe. Her varied career has included films such as the drama CROSS CREEK (1983) in which she played the author of the children’s classic “The Yearling,” the comedy PARENTHOOD (1989), sequel BACK TO THE FUTURE, PART III (1990), Oscar-winning drama PHILADELPHIA (1993), comedy WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE (1993) with Johnny Depp and a young Leonardo DiCaprio, Oliver Stone’s NIXON (1995), the Will Ferrell comedy ELF (2003), and Oscar-winning THE HELP (2011). It is hard to imagine a more varied collection of films. Steenburgen has also appeared on TV, often with husband Ted Danson, in shows such as CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM.
Apart from her acting career, Steenburgen is active in humanitarian causes and is a supporter of the arts. Here’s another bit of trivia: she has dabbled in a musical career, as has Diane Keaton. Want to know some more trivia about Mary Steenburgen? She is close friends with Hillary Clinton, since the days when Clinton was the First Lady of Arkansas, the state where Steenburgen was born.
Still exuding charm and talent, Steenburgen continues to beguile audiences.
Want to know some trivia about Candice Bergen? She once went on a date with Donald Trump, when they both were college-aged. They didn’t hit it off.
To many fans, Candice Bergen will always be the outspoken Murphy Brown, the character she played in the long-running, ground-breaking TV show, but Bergen has also carved out a strong career playing comedy and drama on the big and small screens.
Like Fonda, she had a famous father (ventriloquist Edgar Bergen) and stunning good looks, which likely helped open doors in Hollywood but again she did the work to become and stay a star. Born in Los Angeles in May 1946, Bergen was raised around Hollywood glamour. She made her debut on radio at age six on her father’s show and appeared on Groucho Marx’s “You Bet Your Life” TV game show at age 12. But she also attended finishing school in Switzerland.
With her natural elegance, she worked as a model and initially seemed destined to be cast in the kind of “cool blonde” roles Grace Kelly was known for, but her feisty, feminist bent emerged early. Her first film was Sidney Lumet’s THE GROUP (1966), in which she played a lesbian Vassar-type student, and she appeared in war drama THE SAND PEBBLES (1966) with Steve McQueen. She again played a college student in the X-rated CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (1971) but then played a demure American lady kidnapped by a Moroccan sheikh (played by Sean Connery) in the historical adventure film THE WIND AND THE LION (1975).
Her career picked up steam in the late 1970s with the dramedy STARTING OVER (1979), which won her an Oscar nomination. In a small but memorable role, Bergen played the famous pioneering woman photographer Margaret Bourke-White in the Oscar-winning GANDHI (1982).
She married French director Louis Malle, 14 years her senior, in 1980 and hit it big in TV with MURPHY BROWN in 1988. She was also the first female host of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. As tough, sharp-tongued TV anchor Murphy Brown, Bergen won five Emmys and two Golden Globes over ten seasons. There probably would have been more but Bergen started declining the nominations after winning five.
She took a break from TV and movies with the illness and death of husband Louis Malle in the mid-90s, but returned in 2000 with the comedy hit MISS CONGENIALITY. Other films followed, such as SEX AND THE CITY (2008), RULES DON’T APPLY (2016), and THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (2017). She returned to TV in 2005 as a prickly lawyer in BOSTON LEGAL, which garnered her another Emmy.
From early in her career, Bergen has also pursued a passion for photography and photojournalism, with works published in Life, Esquire and Playboy magazines. She remains an indomitable presence on the small and large screen.
Four lifelong friends have their lives turned upside down to hilarious ends when their book club tackles the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey.
Diane (Diane Keaton) is recently widowed after 40 years of marriage. Vivian (Jane Fonda) enjoys her men with no strings attached. Sharon (Candice Bergen) is still working through a decades old divorce. Carol’s (Mary Steenburgen) marriage is in a slump after 35 years. From discovering new romance to rekindling old flames, they inspire each other to make their next chapter the best chapter.
See all four actresses in the new trailer for BOOK CLUB.
Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda and Mary Steenburgen are all Oscar winning actresses. Bergen was nominated for an Academy Award for STARTING OVER.
Paramount Pictures presents in association with June Pictures and Endeavor Content, an Apartment Story production, a film by Bill Holderman, Book Club.
Starring Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson with Andy Garcia and Don Johnson. Executive Produced by Ted Deiker and Alan Blomquist. Produced by Andrew Duncan, Alex Saks, Bill Holderman and Erin Simms. Written by Bill Holderman and Erin Simms. Directed by Bill Holderman.
The film opens in theatres May 18. Join the club today at www.BookClub.movie.
(L-R) Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton in the film, BOOK CLUB, by Paramount Pictures
(L-R) Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen in the film, BOOK CLUB, by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures has released a first trailer for BOOK CLUB.
Diane (Diane Keaton) is recently widowed after 40 years of marriage. Vivian (Jane Fonda) enjoys her men with no strings attached. Sharon (Candice Bergen) is still working through a decades-old divorce. Carol’s (Mary Steenburgen) marriage is in a slump after 35 years.
Four lifelong friends’ lives are turned upside down to hilarious ends when their book club tackles the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey. From discovering new romance to rekindling old flames, they inspire each other to make their next chapter the best chapter.
The film also features Craig T. Nelson with Andy Garcia and Don Johnson.
“Listen, whoever comes to you with this Barzini meeting, he’s the traitor. Don’t forget that.”
On Sunday, June 4, and Wednesday, June 7, THE GODFATHER makes a rare return to more than 700 theaters nationwide, giving both longtime fans and a new generation a chance to see one of the most influential films ever made back on the big screen. Tickets are available now at https://www.fathomevents.com/events/the-godfather.
WHAT:
It’s an epic saga that redefined American cinema and remains one of the greatest films ever made. On June 4 and June 7, Fathom Events and the TCM Big Screen Classics series commemorate the 45th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather by bringing the milestone film back to movie theaters nationwide for two days only.
The iconic story of a New York mafia family’s rise to power, The Godfatherwon the Academy Award® for Best Picture, was the highest grossing film of 1972 and is widely considered to be one of the most influential films in cinematic history.
Ranked second on the list of greatest American films by the American Film Institute, behind only Citizen Kane, The Godfather will be presented with specially produced commentary by Turner Classic Movies (TCM) host Ben Mankiewicz before and after the feature.
WHO:
Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Paramount Pictures
WHEN:
Sunday, June 4, 2017; 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (local time)
Wednesday, June 7, 2017; 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (local time)
participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in more than 700 select movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website(theaters and participants are subject to change).
