Luminous leading ladies but a

(12A, 104 mins) Comedy/Drama/Romance

LET’S talk about sexagenarians.

Writer-director Bill Holderman’s frothy romantic comedy stars Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen in underwritten roles as life-long friends, who have forgotten what it means to grow old disgracefully.

One leaf through the pages of EL James’s erotic thriller FiftyShadesOfGrey, the chosen text for a monthly book club, and these likeable heroines are enjoying first-date sex on the back seat of a car, slipping Viagra pills into a spouse’s beer and inadvertently grabbing the crotch of an adjacent passenger on a commercial flight.

“If women our age were meant to have sex, God wouldn’t do what He does to our bodies!” argues Bergen’s feisty Federal court judge.

BookClub arrives in cinemas more than seven years after James’s swoonsome literary beau, Christian Grey, whipped wide-eyed readers into a frenzy.

It’s hard to believe that one of the characters in the film wouldn’t have secretly read the bestseller in that period but Holderman’s film, which is co-written by Erin Simms, doesn’t tarry on matters of likelihood or logic.

Not when contrivances and coincidences can be piled one atop another to provide the four likeable leading ladies with predictable subplots that ensure they all reach the end credits with willing suitors and a sheen of contentment.

Best friends Diane (Keaton), Vivian (Fonda), Sharon (Bergen) and Carol (Steenburgen) merrily reunite each month over glasses of chilled white wine to discuss a book chosen by one member of the coterie.

Hotel manager Vivian elects to introduce her shocked pals to Christian Grey’s notorious Red Room.

“I haven’t had sex since my divorce and it’s been the happiest 18 years of my life,” quips Sharon, who has recently learnt that her ex-husband Tom (Ed Begley Jr) has taken a pneumatic young blonde (Mircea Monroe) as his fiancée.

As agreed, the women de chosen tome and James’s lur spanking and bondage spark

Doting wife Carol seeks n her marriage to husband Bru while Sharon is persuaded to dating site and matches with (Richard Dreyfuss).

Vivian has a chance encou Arthur (Don Johnson) and re is swept off her feet by airlin (Andy Garcia) during a visit daughters Jill (Alicia Silvers (Katie Aselton).

Unlike the luminous leadi feels tired and outdated.

The cast enlivens a ploddi vim into scenes of sisterly sol otherwise become clogged wit

Fonda savours every slink Bergen can make even the du

They are far better than H deserves.