Upamanyu Biswas
Directed by Bill Holderman, ‘Book Club’ follows a group of middle-aged women who start reflecting on their romantic lives after reading the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ novel as part of their monthly book club. Subsequently, the four women, Diane, Vivian, Sharon, and Carol, have to recalibrate their mindset and focus on what they need in their lives over their other commitments. The movie also navigates the balance between family and an individual’s responsibility when it comes to living their best life, even when societal expectations demand conformity. As such, it offers an age-positive romantic comedy story about the issues faced by women who are at a stage in their lives where priorities can often get skewed to the extremes.
Book Club: An Optimistic Tale About Embracing Life in Your 60s
Crafted by director-writer Bill Holderman and co-writer Erin Simms, ‘Book Club’ is a fictional story that focuses on the journeys of four women who have known each other through the years as part of a book club and the various obstacles they face in their lives as demands of family and society have taken their toll. It probes into the difficulties surrounding communication, honesty, being in touch with one’s feminity, and also reenergizing one’s passion for life amidst the chaotic mess of domestic existence. To that end, the story sparks its discussion through an amusing plot device, which turns out to be pivotal in the overall movie – the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ novel by E.L. James. It was a concept that arose from specific personal experiences in the lives of the scriptwriters.
During one Mother’s Day, Bill Holderman decided to send the ‘Fifty Shades’ trilogy to his mother via FedEx. When his co-writer and longtime friend, Simms, heard about it, she was perplexed at the openness Holderman had with his mother in his ability to send her a novel predominantly centered around the subject of sex in relationships. “Well I was like ‘The idea of sex and his mother and this was a topic or something that would even be… I was completely shocked,'” Simms explained in an interview with Sarah’s Backstage Pass. However, it led to a discussion between the two writers about the topic of being positive in one’s thought process when it comes to the notion of intimacy in personal relationships, no matter the age of the person. It ultimately paved the way for the movie, with the primary protagonists being women in their sixties.
Book Club Probes Into Personal Themes Through the Lives of Four Different Women
Once the primary inspiration of ‘Book Club’ had been set, the writers had to find a way of combining a host of ideas that had been circling in their heads for a while. Eventually, the opportunity presented itself through a story told by four women. Each woman is in a different place in her life, facing separate issues, but ultimately tied up in the same bubble of anxiety that most will find relatable – feeling distant from your desires because of responsibilities. Either through family, a lack of commitment, attitude, or a general fear of rejection, each central character is in a tough spot and cannot find their way out of the loop. As such, the movie’s inciting incident, which is the group reading ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,’ serves as a last chance to reflect and make changes.
In the same interview, Bill Holderman said, “One of the things we really wanted to do was have each of them differentiated and have their own sort of journey.” The themes were always very personal, as the story essentially came from a place of closeness for the two writers, who found inspiration through their own relationships with their mothers. Erin Simms even admitted that Sharon was vaguely inspired by her own mother, although she characterized the connection as “loosely based.” She said, “My mom is not a Federal judge. But, my dad is a Federal judge, which is why Candice is a Federal judge. A Federal judge in Chicago!” Even if the ties are loose, it lends a sense of relatability for the viewers to see authentic motivations and flaws depicted through each woman in the book club group.
While realism may not be the movie’s primary goal, the amusing situations that arise through dysfunctional family dynamics or miscommunication are often layered with an equal sense of tragedy and comedy. The film may feature middle-aged women as its main protagonists, but many of the challenges depicted are also universal across the globe for women of all ages. It sends a message of honesty and being transparent about one’s needs, even if it comes with a sense of anxiety. After all, good things never come easy, and there is never a right time to live one’s life except the present, and that is at the core of ‘Book Club.’
Read More: Is Book Club: The Next Chapter Based on Real Friends?
