JASON EVANS' 100-WORD REVIEWS: Moving On

A breezy time with two old friends

Film critic Jason Evans has made it his mission to tell you everything you need to know about movies in less time than it takes to hatch a revenge scheme. His reviews are exactly 100 words long (99 would be too short, but 101 is just excessive). Here is his 100-word review of Moving On.

The Premise: Claire (Jane Fonda) and Evelyn (Lilly Tomlin) are old friends who have not seen each other in decades. When they reunite at the funeral of one their college buddies, they realize that they both were wronged by her widower, Howard (Roddy McDowell), and they decide to get revenge by killing him. But deciding to do something and actually committing the act are two very different things. Along the way, Claire and Evelyn reconnect with each and with emotions they have suppressed for far too long.

The 100-Words: Vastly superior and more compelling than the slapstick projects Tomlin and Fonda have made lately, Moving On is an entertaining and brisk walk with old friends.  Fonda turns in a genuine, emotional performance that is her best in many years. I enjoyed Tomlin too, though she doesn’t have much to do and the script fails to take advantage of her comedic chops. The story is overly maudlin and doesn’t contain any real surprises. It isn’t a bad movie, but could have been so much better. Still, fans of Lilly and Jane will get what they want from these two icons.

Reach out to Jason Evans on Twitter @JasonDukeEvans