Moving On (2022 film)
| Moving On | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Paul Weitz |
| Written by | Paul Weitz |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Tobias Datum |
| Edited by | Hilda Rasula |
| Music by | Amanda Jones |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Roadside Attractions |
Release dates |
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Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.1 million[1][2] |
Moving On is a 2022 American comedy film written and directed by Paul Weitz.[3] The film stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Malcolm McDowell, Sarah Burns, and Richard Roundtree.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2022.[4]
In December 2022, it was announced that Roadside Attractions acquired North American rights to the film, which was released on March 17, 2023.[5] This was Richard Roundtree's final film to be released before his death in October 2023.[6]
Plot
[edit]Claire and Evelyn, estranged former friends, reconnect at the funeral of a mutual friend, and decide to exact revenge on their dead friend's widower for the harm he caused to Claire decades earlier.
The film opens with Claire traveling to attend the funeral of her old friend Joyce. At the service, she reconnects with Evelyn. During the funeral, Claire approaches Joyce's widower, Howard, and bluntly informs him that she intends to kill him this weekend. It is revealed that Howard had wronged Claire decades ago, although the nature of the wrong isn't yet specified. It is also revealed that Evelyn and Joyce had been lovers.
Evelyn decides to help Claire with her plan and they make attempts to acquire a gun with which to kill Howard.
Meanwhile, Claire reconnects with Ralph, her ex-husband, whom she has not seen in years; he asks her why she left him, and she cannot bring herself to articulate the reason. Still, they have a romantic evening together and make love. But Claire slips out early in the morning, unready for an ongoing relationship.
Claire confronts Howard about the assault in a tense scene, insisting that he admit to raping her forty-six years previously; she describes the assault in detail. He denies it. During the course of the film, she tries to kill him with a flare gun—the only kind of gun they've been able to acquire—but he collapses from what Claire assumes is a heart attack before she pulls the trigger; instead, she uses the flare gun to signal that he needs medical help. In the hospital, it is revealed that Howard actually had a non-life-threatening anxiety attack. Claire tries to smother him to death with a pillow but is stopped by Evelyn. In the end, during a final confrontation between Claire, Evelyn, and Howard in the parking garage at the hospital, Howard is accidentally hit by another driver and dies.
After Howard's funeral, Claire reconnects again with Ralph, and she is now ready to have a potentially ongoing romance with him again.
Cast
[edit]- Lily Tomlin as Evelyn
- Jane Fonda as Claire
- Malcolm McDowell as Howard
- Richard Roundtree as Ralph
- Sarah Burns as Allie
- Catherine Dent as Molly
- Mo Zelof as James Hassenpfeffer
- Annie Korzen as Wendy
- Lauren Tom as Ava
- Amber Chardae Robinson as Joie
- Haaz Sleiman as Gun Shop Salesman
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 79 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Moving On fails frustratingly often to rise to the level of its leads, but Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are entertaining company regardless of the context."[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[8]
Peter Debruge of Variety wrote: "We've been spoiled this past decade, discovering what Fonda and Tomlin can do together. Why didn’t Hollywood see the potential of this pairing half a century earlier?"[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "Moving On (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ "Moving On (2023)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ Mike Fleming, Jr., "Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda Re-Team For Paul Weitz-Directed ‘Moving On;’ Limelight & Boies/Schiller Funding". Deadline Hollywood, September 24, 2021.
- ^ Jeremy Kay, "Stephen Frears, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence films among Toronto galas, special presentations". Screen Daily, 28 July 2022.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jill (December 13, 2022). "Roadside Attractions Acquires U.S. Rights To Paul Weitz's Revenge Comedy 'Moving On' With Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin, Sets Theatrical Release". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ Koseluk, Chris. "Richard Roundtree, Suave Star of 'Shaft,' Dies at 81". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ "Moving On". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
- ^ "Moving On". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (September 14, 2022). "'Moving On' Review: Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda Stick It to the Man in Irreverent Reunion". Variety. Retrieved December 19, 2022.