Jane Fonda is sharing anecdotes about some of her many co-stars from over the years, and she isn’t holding back!
08.05.2023 - 01:49 / variety.com
Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic It’s beyond obvious that women deserve a movie that portrays and celebrates them in their sixties and seventies reveling in the joys of romantic adventure and uninhibited sex. It’s not so obvious that they deserved “Book Club,” the 2018 comedy about four hale, hearty, and prosperous senior friends who read “Fifty Shades of Grey” in their monthly literary white-wine klatsch, only to discover that E.L. James’s S&M princess fantasy jump-starts their hibernating libidos and/or their desire to commit to the men who are courting them. You could use a whole Thesaurus paragraph of withering descriptives to evoke the sort of movie “Book Club” was. It was prefab, it was cookie-cutter, it was paint-by-numbers, it was broad enough to play to the peanut gallery, it was four glorified sitcoms jammed into one overly synthetic package.
And yet…the movie, in its story-parts-falling-into-place-far-too-neatly “Look how bawdy we’re being!” way, allowed its quartet of iconic stars to inject an overly cute and telegraphed scenario with just enough personality and soul to get by. The four women, played by Jane Fonda (hedonistic but emotionally distant hotel owner), Diane Keaton (newly widowed and relationship-shy, with grown daughters who want to move her across the country), Mary Steenburgen (happily married restauranteur, but her husband is a stuffed shirt who’s only getting stuffier), and Candice Bergen (federal judge who hasn’t had a date in 18 years), were like characters in search of a better life, and maybe a better movie. “Book Club” wasn’t a good romantic comedy, exactly; it was almost designed to be a guilty pleasure. Yet like all guilty pleasures that deliver, it exuded a glow of comfortable
Jane Fonda is sharing anecdotes about some of her many co-stars from over the years, and she isn’t holding back!
sting.Jane Fonda revealed Friday she “was in love with” Robert Redford, her on-screen partner for four films — but the “Ordinary People” director, 86, “did not like to kiss” and “has an issue with women.”“He’s always in a bad mood, and I always thought it was my fault,” said Fonda, 85, but added that “he’s a very good person.”The two-time Oscar winner dropped tidbits about her famous male co-stars during an interview at the Cannes Film Festival. Fonda and Redford co-starred in “The Chase” (1966), “Barefoot in the Park” (1967), “The Electric Horseman” (1979) and “Our Souls at Night” (2017).“The last movie I made with him was six years ago,” Fonda said, referring to the Netflix film “Our Souls at Night.”“What was I, about 80 years old or something like that? And I finally knew I had grown up.
Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Jonathan Glazer’s Nazi drama “The Zone of Interest” has sold into major international territories following its buzzy Cannes world premiere. The film centers on the family of a high-ranking SS official that lives next door to Auschwitz concentration camp. The pic has sold into: Austria and Germany (Leonine), Benelux (Cineart), France (BAC), Greece (Spentzos), Italy (I Wonder), Japan (Happinet Phantom Studios), Scandinavia (SF Studios), Spain (Elastica) and Switzerland (Filmcoopi). In Poland — a significant sales market for the film given it is set there — Gutek has come on board as distributor. (A24 was selling worldwide rights for the film, but did not handle the Polish sale.)
If you thought Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had spilled everything there is to say about royal life, think again - the pair are said to be in talks for yet another tell-all feature, this time as a Netflix movie. They've already given a revealing look at their version of events of life inside the palace in their Netflix documentary series, Harry & Meghan, released in December, but they are now said to be keen for a repeat performance The new venture is likely to focus on their experience of living inside the palace and was reportedly inspired by Netflix's announcement that it's developing a film around Prince Andrew’s infamous car crash BBC interview with journalist Emily Maitlis.
Arthur's Whiskey has lined up a stellar cast with Diane Keaton as the leading lady, alongside Lulu and RuPaul's Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney.
Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren, seen posing with their felines. Longtime art collector Klaus Moeller uncovered a cabinet of files containing some 25million negatives that had lain unopened for decades. They show Elizabeth Taylor cuddling her Siamese cat, Jane Fonda lounging in bed with her kitties and Italian actress Claudia Cardinale trying to feed several felines spaghetti.
“Plead the Fifth,” host Andy Cohen asked the “Monster-in-Law” star who “tried to pick you up once that you turned down.”She recalled exactly who that was: “The French director René Clément.”Clément — who died in 1996 — helmed the 1964 thriller “Joy House,” starring Fonda.“Was it a sloppy pass?” Cohen, 54, wondered.“Well, he wanted to go to bed with me because he said that the character had to have an orgasm in the movie and he needed to see what my orgasms were like,” the Golden Globe winner explained. “But he said it in French and I pretended like I didn’t understand.” The Bravo celebrity rated her experience on the show as “amazing, perfect.”“I have stories for you kid, we don’t have time,” Fonda winked, concluding her coy confession.Elsewhere on the late-night talk show, Fonda admitted that she once went skinny dipping with the late Michael Jackson, noting how “skinny” the “Thriller” singer appeared.
Amid fickle Riviera skies and the looming potential that the WGA strike and France’s own heightened tensions over pension reforms could simmer to a boil here, the red carpet is partially rolled out and technicians have been milling up and down the Croisette today as preparations continue for the start of the Cannes Film Festival which officially kicks off on Tuesday.
Book Club: The Next Chapter stars Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen, who chatted with Metro Weekly about the new sequel to their 2018 hit comedy, written and directed by Bill Holderman.The screen legends were missing their girl Diane Keaton, who rounds out the quartet portraying four longtime best friends, who, this time out, jet off to Italy for a bachelorette adventure. Yet they still basked in the glow of their collective thrilling adventure shooting the film throughout Rome, Venice, and Tuscany.The gorgeous Italian scenery, and local color — like homegrown legend Giancarlo Giannini, featured in a supporting role — proved enchanting offscreen as well as in the film.“It was never stressful because you were always in a gondola, sort of coasting along,” recalls Bergen.
according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.Last weekend, it enjoyed a $118 million-dollar opening, the second-highest debut of the year, according to Variety.“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” remained in second place with sales of $2.93 million.
J. Kim Murphy The book club can’t topple comic books, as Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” will easily hold off the opening of “Book Club: The Next Chapter” to retain the top spot at the box office. “The Next Chapter” earned $2.14 million on its opening day, projecting a debut of $7 million from 3,508 locations for the three-day frame. That’s on the lower end of estimates heading into the weekend. While there’s hope that the Focus Features release will be able to earn a boost in ticket sales on the Mother’s Day holiday, the sequel won’t be able to match its predecessor. Released by Paramount in 2018, the first “Book Club” debuted to $13.5 million before legging out to a $68 million gross in North America — a solid result for an older-skewing comedy, especially before the COVID pandemic impacted the theatrical landscape.
Book Club: The Next Chapter is now out in theaters!
with “actual humans.” She’s seen it, yes, but by herself. “It was not fun.” she says over Zoom.
Michaela Zee editor From riding boats in Venice to landing in Tuscany in a helicopter, “Book Club: The Next Chapter” star Jane Fonda had quite the adventure in Italy with Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen. Her favorite memory there? “When we went to see the Sistine Chapel at night, and there was nobody else there,” Fonda told Variety at the New York premiere on Monday night. “And we had the whole ceiling explained to us by a great guide. That was a real treat.” Although the sequel was filmed nearly five years after the original, Fonda never lost contact with her “Book Club” co-stars.
Jane Fonda is looking back at her life, and detailing when she first felt truly in control of her own destiny.The beloved 85-year-old actress walked the carpet at the New York City premiere of her new film,, on Monday, and opened up to ET's Rachel Smith about relating to her character, and how the themes of the film reflect in her own life.The film is a follow-up to 2018's, and stars four women who go on a late-in-life girls' trip to Italy that goes somewhat awry. The story is one of reclaiming your own destiny and finding the self-confidence to trust your own decisions and instincts.For Fonda, that moment came for her in real life when when she was «maybe 62 years old,» when she was «finally single.»Fonda has been married three times — first to Roger Vadim, in 1965.
The stars of Book Club: The Next Chapter lit up the red carpet for the NYC premiere on Monday (May 8)!
Focus Features has the right idea in releasing the new sequel, Book Club: The Next Chapter just in time for Mother’s Day. Reuniting four genuine movie icons – Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen – whose first film in this senior franchise, 2017’s Book Club, was a surprise hit making over $100 million worldwide, there was proof positive that older female audience was eager for a night or matinee out at the multiplex if the idea and cast were right. Since then the pandemic hit and changed moviegoing habits for the older crowd, a group that is hard to get back into theatres (although not impossible – witness The Lost City and Ticket To Paradise). My guess is that with this quartet back in fine form, and now all over 70 (!), this could again play with the usual Hollywood conceit that women of a certain age are not boxoffice. Throw in Italy as their destination and you have an early summer confection that could prove to be irresistible for a too-often ignored demographic.
If the opening sequence of Bill Holderman’s “Book Club: The Next Chapter” is any indication we might have officially turned the page on psychological “lockdown despair” narratives and entered the (somewhat cringey) era of lighthearted “lockdown nostalgia.” That’s what the leading ladies of 2018’s lovely, if not a tad underwhelming, friendship comedy “Book Club” signal in the sequel’s opening moments, reuniting for a similarly boozy and moderately engaging adventure soaked in deep Italian reds, but not enough laughs.It’s probably easy to feel a little nostalgic for the days of lockdown. Halcyon days for those who were financially privileged, healthy and could afford to take up new interests during that low-key downtime, like pickling, playing the accordion or caring for a new pet parrot.
—and very excited to do it—but gave a heartfelt explaining that she was stepping down out of respect for those on the picket lines who would have normally been writing for the annual awards show. The awards are still scheduled to go on without a host, but it remains to be seen just how pared down it will be. More on that below. In other news, if you have yet to catch up on the with Elizabeth Olsen, Lily Rabe, Jesse Plemons, and more, then this is the week to do it.
The Duke of Sussex and Duke of York will have no formal roles throughout the coronation, according to Buckingham Palace.