I’m a sucker for just about anything Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin do. I’ve been a fan of 9 to 5 for years and Grace and Frankie is one of my all-time favorite shows. These women are wonderfully talented on their own as actresses, plus they have a chemistry that’s so natural and genuine. Moving On is a small film that makes the most out of its hour and twenty-five minutes. The script is smart and does a nice job of walking the fine line that this type of dark comedy presents. They make sure to make you laugh here and there amidst this inherently dramatic story.
Fonda flexes her dramatic muscles in this role, in one scene with Richard Roundtree especially. She always turns in an impressive performance, no matter how dramatic or comedic. I was particularly impressed with her here, though. Her character is wrestling with old wounds being reopened and seeing her try to handle her deep pain and anger is moving.
Roundtree deserves praise as well. Their scenes together are so lovely and sweet. He provides her with a much-needed shoulder to cry on and they have a soothing romantic chemistry together. I wouldn’t mind seeing a separate film just focused on their romance.
Lily Tomlin gets to shine as well. She has some great scenes, both with and without Fonda. I found her character to be very interesting and empathetic. There’s a subplot involving a young boy who’s rather feminine and enjoys dressing up and the way Tomlin provides a safe space for him is wonderful to see.
That’s especially important to include in films and television at the current moment in society, unfortunately. That kind of empathy and relation to the LGBT community is a part of Tomlin’s character. I thought from the trailers that it was just Fonda who had a past transgression to be settled, but it turns out that Tomlin sort of does too. Finding out what that is and how it relates to the overall story is interesting.
The main event in Moving On’s story is pretty damn dark and I was so curious to see how they were going to pull it off while still maintaining a sense of comedy and a sense of likability for the main characters. When it’s revealed what Jane Fonda wants revenge for, it makes wanting to kill Malcom McDowell’s character understandable. I won’t say how, but the way in which things are resolved is very satisfying and funny in a somewhat morbid way.
There’s a nice pace to Moving On. They find ways to keep your attention. The actual motive of Fonda’s character is of course a big factor of what drives this plot, but honestly the details along the way are even more interesting. When you get acting pros like this together and provide them with juicy dialogue, that can be so much more satisfying than a potentially violent act of revenge. My only critique here is that I could’ve used a little more comedic material. The comedy is present here, I just could’ve used a slightly heavier dose.
Moving On is a smart film that’s championed by acting legends. Definitely check this one out!
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