𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝟑 (𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓)

Book Club 3 (2025)

Director: Bill Holderman
Starring: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Runtime: 112 minutes

Review: Book Club 3 (2025) – A Tender, Funny Farewell That Knows When to Let Go

In Book Club 3, director Bill Holderman brings the beloved quartet of lifelong friends back for one last literary and emotional journey — and while the premise is familiar, the film smartly leans into themes of legacy, aging, and living boldly in the third act of life. With its elegant blend of humor, sentiment, and self-awareness, this third installment manages to feel both lighthearted and reflective, offering a satisfying (and likely final) chapter in the series.

Picking up several years after the romantic escapades of Book Club: The Next Chapter (2023), the film opens with the four women — Vivian (Jane Fonda), Diane (Diane Keaton), Sharon (Candice Bergen), and Carol (Mary Steenburgen) — now scattered across the country, navigating personal transitions: retirement, late-life relationships, health challenges, and questions of “what’s next.” Their once-regular book club meetings have faded into memory, but a sudden reunion — sparked by a beloved author’s death and a mysterious unpublished manuscript — draws them back together in New York City.

If the first film celebrated romance and the second focused on adventure, Book Club 3 turns inward. The tone is gentler, more contemplative. While there are still plenty of laughs — many delivered dryly by Candice Bergen, who remains a scene-stealer — the humor often emerges from character rather than situation. The script allows its leads to age without apology, gracefully acknowledging grief, regret, and mortality while also championing joy, friendship, and reinvention.

Jane Fonda’s Vivian is perhaps the most changed; her former fear of commitment has evolved into a quiet fear of being forgotten. Diane Keaton continues to exude awkward charm and hesitant wisdom, while Steenburgen and Bergen bring emotional balance to the ensemble with grounded, honest performances. There’s a new romantic subplot involving a charming bookstore owner (played by Pierce Brosnan, in a surprisingly nuanced turn), but the heart of the film remains firmly with the four women and their shared history.

Visually, the film trades the sun-drenched backdrops of previous entries for a more subdued aesthetic — muted autumn tones, cozy bookstores, intimate apartments. It suits the story: this is a film less about the world outside and more about the world within. The pacing, too, is slower, more deliberate, but never dull. It gives space for quiet moments and thoughtful conversations, something many ensemble comedies often rush past.

One of the smartest choices Book Club 3 makes is treating aging not as a punchline, but as a source of power. There are no “hot flashes and hijinks” jokes here. Instead, the film explores questions often left out of mainstream cinema: What does passion look like at 70? How do you forgive yourself for the life you didn’t live? And most importantly, how do you hold on to friendship when everything else is changing?

While it doesn’t quite reach the emotional heights of similarly themed dramas like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Book Club 3 does something rare — it lets older women be at the center of the story without needing to prove their relevance to a younger audience. It assumes, rightly, that their lives are worth watching simply because they are rich, real, and deeply human.

In its final scenes, the film circles back to where it began: with a book. The women reflect not just on what they’ve read, but on what they’ve written — in their lives, in each other’s lives. It’s a quietly powerful reminder that some stories don’t need sequels; they just need to end well.

Verdict:
Book Club 3 is not flashy or groundbreaking, but it is honest, warm, and full of grace. It’s a love letter to enduring friendship, to literature, and to women who refuse to be forgotten. For longtime fans of the series, it’s exactly the ending these characters deserve.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)