These days, any reports of a sequel being planned for one of your favorite movies should have you crossing your fingers in nervous anticipation. Haven't we been burned before? I'm sure you can name your own bad sequel examples. The second film always aims to continue the good vibes from the first story, yet have the characters face new and interesting adventures, following both their own past practices and good reasoning. To be the same, but different. And if the second tale doesn't measure up to the standings of the first? Well, don't even think about a trifecta or beyond. Unless you've dealing with characters like Indiana Jones or Luke Skywalker.

I liked (and favorably reviewed) the original Book Club movie. Long-time friends Vivian (Jane Fonda), Diane (Diane Keaton), Sharon (Candace Bergen) and Carol (Mary Steenburgen) have held their own monthly book club for decades. When we first met them five years ago, they were reading the Fifty Shades of Gray series by E.L. James. Now we see that, during the pandemic, the women met online instead of in person. And their reading choices changed enough to include The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. In fact, the movie begins with a screen-printed excerpt from the book, and the women occasionally quote from the text, too.

When the friends can finally meet and can hug one another again, the big news is that Vivian has just gotten engaged to her old friend Arthur (Don Johnson). Imagine! She's the only member of the quartet who has never been married. This calls for a special celebration! Why not launch a ladies-only bachelorette trip to Italy? Diane leaves behind her close friend Mitchell (Andy Garcia), Carol leaves her husband Bruce (Craig T. Nelson), and Sharon says goodbye to her cat Ginzberger. Off they go! And almost immediately, they run into trouble. As we suspected that they would. But they're also smart and savvy individuals, and they keep on keeping on.

The friends travel from Rome to Venice and to Tuscany. Naturally, the scenery is spectacular. And of course, the four of them have some interesting encounters AND more troubles, along the way. It also turns out that Diane, Sharon and Carol arranged for a secret surprise to come to Vivian. It is indeed a huge one, for her.

Like the first film, the soundtrack is again aimed at the aging Baby Boomer market. It even features some classic rock songs performed in Italian. The toe-tapping music keeps the journey moving along nicely.

I like these characters, and I like these actors. I like the dynamics of the group, and I like their interactions with one another. They don't mind exclaiming, "Best Friends: Tough Love," and then analyzing one another with insight and honesty. As I said, the Italian landscape is also lovely and wonderful to see, in full and large movie-screen color. But at a moment in the movie, I had to think to myself: OK, this is lots of fun, but what's the point? Where are we going here, other than to yet another stunning site in Italy? I sure didn't want this sequel to disappoint.

I also couldn't help but be reminded of the well-promoted film, 80 for Brady, which came out just a few months before this one. It had the same premise: four old friends, with an emphasis on the stereotypical concept of "old," go on the trip of a lifetime. In fact, Jane Fonda appears in both movies. Was the overall plot the same in both? Replace the Roman statues and lush, green vineyards here for pro football players and a 100-yard stretch of astroturf, and the answer is probably yes, indeed.

I couldn't ignore the fact too that I was an audience of one, in this theater. It was the Saturday night of this movie's opening weekend, and I was the only person in the room for the 9 p.m. showing. Was it too late an hour for our age group and upward, the prime demographic for this story? What did this say about the movie's overall reception? Fortunately, when I went to a matinee to visit this movie again, a few days later, I counted about a dozen seniors in the seats. And it was a joy to hear them laugh in all the right places. My faith was restored.

Like its predecessor, Book Club: The Next Chapter is about age, friendship, companionship and love. This time, the added emphasis is to Go For It. Life is short. Live your life. What are you waiting for? This movie has a good message and turns out to be a decent sequel, after all. And the story is one that could resound with any one, of any age ... although it's mostly the senior women who will love it.