Written and directed by Paul Weitz, two old friends reconnect at a funeral and decide to get revenge on the widower who wronged them decades before. Starring: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Malcolm McDowell, Richard Roundtree and Sarah Burns.
At this point, if a film stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin then you pretty much know what you’re getting, they are two incredibly reliable and effervescent actors, who never seem to stop. That said, the tone that they bring to Moving On is slightly surprising, it has a more grounded note than their usual projects. Typically there’s a bit a good layer of cheese and playfulness sitting atop their films but this time, it goes for a bigger hit of realism. There’s still enough calamity at play, but there’s also a nicely strong emotional current running throughout the film and their performances.
It was really a key to making Moving On work because when combining trauma and comedy, you do need to walk the line of sincerity well and Paul Weitz does exactly that. It has both hearts, the brokenness, vulnerability and rage that comes with trauma, and the silly edge, the coincidences and accidents that go with comedy. The story moves with good pacing, the plot is simple but emotionally messy so there’s plenty to dig into. This is an extremely heavy issue but Weitz does a great job of exploring how this type of trauma never leaves you. There’s also some superb examples of gaslighting that will make your blood boil.
Which nicely segues into talking about Malcolm McDowell, who does a fantastic job in his role because he’s excellent at making you want to punch him in the face. That’s pretty much all he’s needed for here, it’s a lot of arrogance and spitefulness, which are both qualities he’s proven he can achieve effortlessly over the years. Whereas Richard Roundtree is the complete opposite, he’s kind, compassionate, sensitive and patient, an absolute charmer who has superb chemistry with Jane Fonda.
One of the other great things about Moving On is that it never feels like the type of film that’s specifically aimed at an older audience. Yes, almost everybody in it is past retirement age but there’s an accessible quality to this story, there’s plenty for viewers to relate to, no matter how old you are. It’s something that Fonda and Tomlin are particularly good at, even though a lot of their comedy revolves around the difficulties of growing older, it’s brilliantly sympathetic and that’s doubled down on here when it’s added to the touching nature of this story.
Moving On is funny, sincere and surprisingly good because Paul Weitz does a wonderful job of blending comedy with a poignant topic. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are terrific as always, they’re an iconic duo and they never disappoint but Fonda in particular really gets to flex her emotional muscles in this role. It would be easy to dismiss this as exactly the same as their other projects but it captures their signature style while adding a new spin.
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