Runtime: 105 sleep-inducing minutes
Directed by: Jane Wagner
Starring: Mainly, it’s Lily Tomlin and John Travolta
From: Universal
“A dreary romantic drama where Lily Tomlin romances a younger John Travolta” is as ill-fated an idea as you’d expect. Would you believe I saw this once-years ago-because it was reviewed on an old bad movie site? Moment by Moment is so odd it does deserve a review—even though it’s a putrid film. In 2025, it is common knowledge that Tomlin has been an out lesbian for years (in fact, her partner for the past half-century, Jane Wagner, wrote and directed the film) and there’s been rumors about Travolta’s sexuality… no matter their romantic tastes, their chemistry here was iceberg-cold. All That Heaven Allows, this is not!
A huge and obvious issue which the film can’t overcome: if it’s never been noticed before, the fact that Tomlin and Travolta resemble each other is apparent only a few minutes in! That made their “romance” disturbing & unsettling. They look like siblings & their rapport comes across as mother and son; she notices he’s catching a cold so Lily makes him a healthy drink & gave him a sweater! Tomlin is a socialite who has a philandering husband and John is a drifter named STRIP who is an annoying putz so I’ve always been confused as to why she fell for him despite her loneliness, or he fell for a grouchy pill-popping rich dame. Tomlin played the part as if she was constantly buzzed on Seconal.
As an aside, there are many shots of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, from Beverly Hills to the beaches. My heart goes out to those in that area having to deal with those wildfires; I know someone online who has lived out there for a little while and undoubtedly a few reading this are also in SoCal. That said, no one should view this monotonous, tedious slog just to view what a scenic, iconic region looked like almost a half-century ago.
It is clear why Tomlin, Travolta, and Wagner have never been known for the romantic genre. Even while filming, allegedly everyone knew the production was getting away from them and this likely would be a cinematic turkey. The soft rock soundtrack and score wasn’t bad and the film does have a perverse quality. However, it doesn’t possess the subtle wit (or much of any wit, really) from Lily & Jane and there unfortunately are many bad John films, some of which are FAR more entertaining instead of this picture that’s missing much of a plot and to use a tired cliché, probably serves best as a cure for insomnia.
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