Moving On

This is a terrific little black comedy that somehow flew under the radar. It's very slight - I like to call movies like this an appetizer - but what it does, it does very well. Black comedy is very tough to pull off, but this film does a splendid job of maintaining its bite while still allowing moments of emotion and humanity that never feel manipulative. It is not a politically correct movie, and many will balk at the origins of its humor, but that's what I personally appreciated about it. Both Fonda and Tomlin are great, and they've obviously honed their chemistry to an art form after their decades working together. One could rightfully call them the Lemmon & Matthau of today's cinema. They are a joy to watch here, together and apart, and Fonda is particularly radiant. There is also a fantastic, beautifully understated performance by Richard Roundtree as Fonda's ex-husband that exudes charm and elegance. This film succeeds in melding comedy and drama where many other, bigger movies have failed. Credit director and co-writer Weitz, who also directed Tomlin in one of her best performances in GRANDMA as well as the fantastic Hugh Grant film ABOUT A BOY. I encourage you to check this one out if you have the opportunity. It's a definite hidden treasure.

Stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in a wry black comedy/drama about secrets and revenge.

Fonda arrives in California for the funeral of an old college friend and sees the dead woman's husband which brings on bad memories of something (but we don't know what). Tomlin lives in a home and attends the same funeral and also has a bad reaction to seeing the husband (Malcolm McDowell). While Tomlin and Fonda renew their old friendship, the secrets start to emerge, and after Tomlin blurts out a big one at the wake it becomes obvious that they have a common enemy in McDowell.

While not laugh-out-loud funny, it's an amusing film and the chemistry between the stars is great. Richard Roundtree also appears as another old friend with a secret.

Ultimately, the film is about old wrongs, lost opportunities, and maybe even a little forgiveness before it's too late.

IN A NUTSHELL: If you're a fan of the popular TV show Grace & Frankie, you're in for more of the same goofy fun from this dynamic duo. Their chemistry together is undeniable and entertaining.

The story of this movie is about two old friends who reconnect at a funeral and decide to get revenge on the widower who messed with them decades before. The movie is written and directed by Paul Weitz.

THINGS I LIKED: Jane Fonda is usually dolled up to look much younger, but in this movie, she's starting to look her age. Of course, she's still beautiful. She's 85 years old and still pumping out movies like crazy.

Lilly Tomlin is always delightful and, truly shines in this movie. Together, they're reliably entertaining. What impressed me was not the actresses' comedic chops, because we already know they've got the funny bone in spades. The serious drama required them to stretch and show us they've still got it.

It was nice to see Malcolm McDowell in something again too. I always enjoyed his performances.

It's really great to see that aging stars can still find an audience in Hollywood.

I had to laugh at the special request for bacon from one of the characters. Mmmm...bacon.

The issues of aging is taken very seriously in this film; however, murder and revenge are not. Hmm...

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: The plot trudges along, shifting tone and pacing.

It's very dark with not much humor. When these two stars are paired together, we expect much more humor.

There are several scenes at night that will appear very dark if/when you watch this on a small streaming device.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kids will be completely bored since the movie is all about older people talking.

Talk of murder Two women try to purchase a gun in California Alcohol A woman encourages a young boy's desire to wear girls' clothes and jewelry.

A woman talks about her lesbian lover.

Profanity, including an F-bomb.

An unmarried couple sleeps together. (We don't see anything though.)

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It was a decent film. Almost like if Grace & Frankie had made a film themselves. It's not that great or groundbreaking on the drama side of things, but the comedy aspect of this dramedy is the silverlining of the film. Lily Tomlin shines and is easily the best part of the entire thing. Jane Fonda is servicable but, again, nothing groundbreaking or exciting from her. I liked the inclusion of Malcolm McDowell, he can be a welcome surprise sometimes and that is how I felt about him in this. The film did have some strange plotlines that felt out of place for the film and made the film drag in places. That's even with it's short 85 minute runtime, which still felt a bit long for this particular story. It was almost like the writers wrote this as an episode of a tv series and decided to expand it in a way that feels unnecessary. Overall, if you're a fan of the pair, you will at least find a bit of enjoyment. Fonda and Tomlin have a certain chemistry with each other and know how to play off each other very well.

3 murder attempts out of 5.

Hollywood excels at putting beautiful young people on our screens, even if it means matching a young woman with a very older man as a love interest. It's long annoyed me but Hollywood don't listen to reviews.

This film is a delightful tale of 4 older people who all share a common history, and 2 of the surviving ones want to correct some of that history. The lengths they go to is absurd but very funny.

I always think of Lily Tomlin as a female Woody Allen and she never changes, she is always good. Jane Fonda remains beautiful and just as engaging on screen as she ever was. Malcom McDowell despite his age now still exudes the violent and threatening demeanour he displayed all those years ago in Clockwork Orange.

Not the best film of the year but a thoroughly enjoyable one, and a brilliant reminded that ageing actors can still give great performances.