Script My Life: Book Club: The Next Chapter

Life is worth living to the fullest but you must choose to live.

Phew! I'm going through the most, I need divine intervention. Since I'm currently not a fan of anything romantic, I am living vicariously through rich, mature white women. I really don't want to preoccupy myself with anything to do with struggle, or current affairs. I just want to escape. And guess what, I found just the right flick.

I found, 'Book Club: The Next Chapter.' This is a heartwarming and entertaining romantic comedy directed by Bill Holderman, and serves as a sequel to the 2018 film 'Book Club.' The movie features an all-star cast, including Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen, along with Craig T. Nelson, Giancarlo Giannini, Andy García, and Don Johnson.

The movie follows the four friends in the book club, who reunite in person after COVID-19 pandemic forced them to switch their monthly meetings to Zoom calls. Meet Vivian (Fonda), Sharon (Bergen), Diane (Keaton), and Carol (Steenburgen). Picking up from the 2018 film, Diane is in a relationship with Mitchell (Garcia), while Sharon's cat dies during the lockdown. Carol's husband Bruce is recovering from a heart attack, and Vivian reveals her engagement to Arthur.

The four friends decide to take a take a bachelorette trip to Italy culminating in a destination wedding in Tuscany. The four enjoy their stay in Rome, sightseeing, man watching and shopping for Vivian's wedding gown. A street artist assures them a trip to Venice is a must for tourists, so they take a train, not realizing the “porters” at the station are thieves who steal their luggage.

Diane loses the urn containing her deceased husband’s ashes, which she has illegally brought into the country. Vivian’s hotel connections get them nice accommodations in Venice. In a bar Sharon meets Ousmane, a retired philosophy professor who invites the foursome to dinner. The venue turns out to be famed Chef Gianni’s cooking school, and he seems to make a play for Carol, whose husband Bruce is back in California recovering from a heart attack. The foursome rent a car to drive to Tuscany, but it breaks down, forcing them to hitchhike.

When a policeman happens to pass by, Vivian thinks he’s a male stripper and that lands them in the local jail, where Sharon goads a prickly police chief into getting them to Vivian’s wedding via helicopter. The police chief has recovered Diane’s urn, so she scatters her husband's ashes en route. Arthur and Mitchell (his best man, and Diane’s boyfriend) are waiting, and Carol is surprised by Bruce's appearance.

The wedding involves reversals. Vivian realises that she doesn't want to get married although she loves Arthur. Arthur agrees not to get married but to be life partners with Vivian. Meanwhile, Mitchell spontaneously asks Diane to marry him, and Sharon officiates the wedding.

The four friends realize their current book, The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, predicts their lives more than they expected it to.

Script my life, I definitely want to visit Italy. Actually, I have been dreaming of being in Italy. Quando vado in Italia ho un solo obiettivo: mangiare! I love the lessons from the film in relation to Paolo Coelho's 'The Alchemist'. Of the four, I am like Diane.

Until the next flick...

... Choose to live your life to the fullest with what you are able to control.

P.S.: Always write your own love story!

Ciao!

Lady E

Comments

Between Friends

I don't want to make it a thing, but I think that I see my friend differently. Yep! I had a halo moment with one of my closest and dearest friends. I've always appreciated him as a decent human being. He's actually my safe space. I love being around him and feeling comfortable to be myself. He is one of my biggest cheerleaders. I don't know what I would do without him. We spent the day together. We've both been going through different life struggles. We needed each other. To talk. Get things off the chest. Vent. And on my part even cry. And of course, there's always room for a shot or two. Honestly, I missed him. I've been so wrapped up in work that our schedules didn't match up. While stressful, I love the free time. Had forgotten that he's such a sweet man. We still disagree on a lot but who else do I want debates with. And yes, I do love him from the depths of my soul. And that's why, the idea of he and I shifting the platonic to romantic isn...

I Don't Love It Like I Used To

Maybe it's just me giving up, but I'm just tired. Today is actually the due date for a project. I haven't even finished it. I've pressured to complete it, but I don't have zeal for it. Deep down in my core, I just want it to die. I used to love it, but I don't, anymore. Ever felt so overwhelmed by life? I think that's where I am at. I don't enjoy hobbies or passions anymore. Writing this blog is becoming an exhausting activity, yet here I am. I guess it's because I perceive myself as a failure. I'm not where I want to be. The passion and the commitment that I once had, is snuffed out like a candle. I really want things to work out. I want to get to a place of freedom, particularly financial freedom. I dread and loathe fame, but I do want the recognition for my great contribution. My name shouldn't be in obscurity yet I give so much of myself and my work. Maybe something will ignite the fire. Until the next time... Lady E Ciao!

It's Your Own Race, Stay In Your Lane

You might miss out on enjoying what's around you because you're rushing to the infinite finish line! I'm exhausted at this moment! Some days I kick myself for having missed opportunities due to pride or naïvety. At times I suffer from FOMO like the rest of our generation as I scroll down my Instagram timeline. I think my LinkedIn makes me feel worse, as I fall short on qualifications. But as I write this, I know that I'm not where I used to be. I worked damn hard - walking, getting sunburnt, looking disheveled, sleepless nights, and no social life. I'm nowhere near halfway to where I really want to be, but the pandemic has taught me to 'count it all joy.' So why do I continuously feel the pressure 'to be'? Tu ne comprends pas la question? It seems that everywhere I go, people are suffering from the “hustle culture” pandemic. By hustle culture, I mean the collective urge we currently seem to feel as a society to work harder, stronger, faster.(Then Daf...

The Faults of Karma

Karma is nobody's friend so don't bet on her! “What goes around comes around, what goes up must come down, now who’s crying, desiring to come back to me,”-Karma, Alicia Keys I remember this one day by the traffic lights as my mentor walked me towards the rank where I got my transport to go home and he said to me, “I believe that one day you will be very successful and rise and Mr X will be at his lowest point and realise that you were a good one…that he shouldn’t have let go!” Bless my mentor’s heart, apart from men in my family; he’s the only man who sees me. To be honest it’s been four years since the Mr X incident or ‘situationship’, two of those I have neither bumped into him nor (and hallelujah) ‘stalked’ him (oh, please, don’t even judge me, the man was stalking me too, remember he used to read my blogs on his platform, and even spent the whole night looking over my table at a bar, so it was mutual). Unfortunately he and I very much share a very small circle, being i...

Script My Life: 2 Broke Girls

When talent meets determination...anything can happen! Believe it or not,I have been kind of blank on what to write today,but since I love television, my script is from one of my favourite sitcoms, 2 Broke Girls. This TV show actually inspired me to really pursue my dream of being an 'media mogul',(I will get there eventually) .the one most valuable lesson I have learnt from 2 Broke Girls is "a dollar can build an empire". Max and Caroline are two, yes, broke girls living in New York, (there is something about the Big Apple), and working as waitresses. They have a dream of owning a cupcake shop. The plan. They sell their cupcakes, to get the capital. They are not waiting for a large some of money to start their business, but with every cent they make, with the little they have,they are a step towards their dream. At my church,our pastor preached the first sermon series called, "Whatcha gonna do with whatcha have?". I was challenged.I do not have a mill...

MPV.....my point of view!

Search This Blog