Film Review: MOVING ON (2022): Paul Weitz’s Drama Has its Moments but Not Enough Lily Tomlin

Moving On Review

Moving On (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Paul Weitz and starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Malcolm McDowell, Richard Roundtree, Lauren Tom, Catherine Dent, Sarah Burns, Haaz Sleiman, Santina Muha, Eddie Martinez, Nancy De Mayo, Carol Herman, Amber Chardae Robinson, Marcel Nahapetian, Mo Zelof, Jake Peck, Annie Korzen and Riona O’Donnell.

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are two of the finest female talents of their generation so seeing them together in any project in the twilight of their careers is reminiscent of a time that once was. In 9 to 5, they sparkled and shined brighter than ever and they were OK in the recent box-office hit, 80 for Brady. With Moving On, Fonda and Tomlin get to do a bit more serious acting together and though they trade quite a few zingy barbs, the film is a bit uncomfortable to watch at times. Sometimes, discomfort is good but in Moving On, not so much. It’s like we got two of the best actresses of the 1970’s and 1980’s together just for a script that doesn’t have enough substance to carry a movie half this film’s brief running time.

In Tomlin’s slight but enjoyable film from several years back, Grandma, there wasn’t a lot of plot yet the movie worked because Tomlin was able to use her incredible talents to make up for the lack of story. In writer/director Paul Weitz’s well-meaning, Moving On, Tomlin plays second fiddle to Fonda and it’s up to Fonda to carry the movie. Fonda is good here but a lot more Tomlin would have helped balance things out for the better.

Fonda plays Claire who tells an aging man named Howard (the always reliable Malcolm McDowell) that she will kill him right after Howard’s wife has just passed. Right away, the film rings a bit false because I didn’t believe Claire would tell Howard that in front of anyone or even in private. While Claire and her best friend, Evelyn (Tomlin) try to discuss a way to get rid of Howard, there is something sinister lurking in Claire’s background which piques the audience’s curiosity. Why does she want Howard dead?

Richard Roundtree serves as a character named Ralph, an aging Black man who takes a liking to Claire again after a break in their relationship. The nature of this relationship between Claire and Ralph in the film is tough to decipher. Ralph is a good-natured man but something doesn’t seem genuine when these two characters get together and have sex. Claire demands the light be shut off during the deed and much of their chemistry is lacking. It could well be the intention of the filmmaker that these characters’ interaction plays out as oddly as it does but more development was needed in terms of these two characters’ relationship and what, exactly, it signifies for Claire.

Back to the film’s central plot, Claire wants Evelyn’s help in obtaining a gun to take Howard out of this world. Evelyn trades off some crispy bacon which Claire fries up for a man in exchange for a flare gun to help get rid of Howard once and for all. But, when Claire confronts Howard, he denies he’s done anything to hurt her. Soon after, Howard has a heart attack but he doesn’t die. In a hilarious plot point, Claire actually uses the flare gun she wanted to kill him with to get help to take Howard to the hospital.

This film’s plot is so threadbare, I feel compelled to stop discussing it here. The film’s ending relies on a chance encounter that helps complete the movie’s story in an unbelievable fashion. It feels like a “Deus ex machina” came into the movie to help wrap it up. And, the movie is only 85 minutes long so it finishes fairly quickly.

Fonda has some difficult scenes here and one, in particular, is a true standout. In this sequence, Claire reveals the truth about what Howard has done. Fonda hasn’t been as good in years as she is in this part of the film. Malcolm McDowell is appropriately menacing and uncaring making us want to see his character pay for his unsympathetic crudeness and for what he did to Claire.

In support, Tomlin has some fine one-liners and adds much needed comic relief to the movie. Evelyn is a lesbian who had written correspondence with a female character who plays a key role in the movie. This subplot feels like filler but Evelyn has depth and is well-conceived. Tomlin is masterful at cracking zingy one-liners that complement Claire’s solemn intensity.

Moving On is not very good overall, unfortunately. It’s bare bones in terms of its story line and needed more substance in regards to the film’s plot. I’ll watch Fonda and Tomlin in anything they do and their characters’ triumph at the end of Moving On is easy to relate to thanks to the charm of Tomlin and the relatable nature of Fonda’s performance. But to get from point A to point Z, it feels like a whole lot of letters were skipped along the way. It’s still great to see Fonda and Tomlin working together again.

Rating: 6/10

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