Moment by Moment

Remember that Saturday Night Live skit a zillion years ago where Michael O'Donoghue and two extras did an impression of Tony Orlando and Dawn plunging 10' inch knitting needles into their eyesockets? Doing that may be the only thing that can save your sanity if you're otherwise doomed to watch this movie. If there is a God, He or She will have prevented this film from existing in either VHS or DVD. (Unfortunately, they'll put any trainwreck up on DVD now.) Awful, awful. This isn't even funny-bad like Plan 9 From Outer Space or Highlander II. Certainly the worst movie I've ever seen with my own eyes, and by far the worst I paid to see. (Okay, my best {female} friend wanted to go and wanted company. My bad.) There's no purpose in going further into details. My question is this: alright, at the time, Tomlin was a name with an Oscar nomination and a Tony award under her belt, and Travolta was the cinematic sex god de jour of 1978. You couldn't just bury the project once it was filmed; this wasn't precisely Nipsy Russell and Nancy Walker as co-stars. But did it really take the whole filming process to figure out that Tomlin - a lesbian twice her co-star's age - and Travolta had zero screen chemistry? This project should have been ashcanned fifteen minutes into filming. 1/10: the Ultimate Awful Movie to which all other awful movies cower in homage. Can I vote zero?

It has been many years since I've seen this movie, which is fine by me! Nothing against Lily Tomlin and John Travolta; I think they are superb actors, and of course John is THE MAN on the dance floor. But every actor makes what I call 'groaners', movies that are just plain bad. Like Tom Cruise and 'Legend'. However, there is another reason why I hate this movie. Do you recall when Lily's character was searching for 'Strip'? She traces her finger on a Thomas Brothers map book, and stops on...Colton, California. Which is also my hometown. The exterior shot they used was most definitely NOT Colton. It looked liked Trailer Trash Central. My brother was watching this film in the old Studio Theater in San Bernardino, the city adjacent to Colton. When they showed that scene, everybody broke out in laughter and said, "Yep, that's Colton!" Come on, people. We gave you Gene Evans. We gave you Jimmy Webb and Jim Messina. We gave the Chicago Cubs Ken Hubbs. So give us, and the rest of the Inland Empire, a little respect.

There is only one word to describe Moment-by-Moment: it is spelled T-E- N-D-R: TENDER! But more than that, MbM is just a magical ride of two people's discovering the secret about love - of learning you don't always CHOOSEwho you FALL INTO LOVE with and that if you don't let yourself love – well then you LOOSE. Sure, there are lots of really great movies, stories, and books that focus on this and similar themes but MbM is the ONLY one I'VE see that really makes you feel the CONNECTION and how sometimes it's going to be tough but you just have to FIGHT FOR LOVE. We've all been there -- you're heart on the sleeve just beating away for that ONE PERSON you KNOW in your heart of hearts, with no absolute uncertainty, "THIS is the PERSON FOR ME." But then "society" says "NOPE! SORRY!" (I dated an Afro-American woman and we had to split for just that reason & I still regret it even to this day!) Seeing Strip |John Travolta| the bucksome lad just following his heart, racing with the young grace of a twenty-something in true love for the first time after Trish |Lily Tomlin| a refined yet classy Architecture enthusiast. There are times in the movie when their love really gets tested (and I don't want to give it away but let's just say the Midnight Candle is still burning when the credits get rolling!) If you like love and you appreciate cinema & film, this is an NDS - Need To See!! There are some racy scenes, so if you own kids you'll probably want to tuck them in first! Also if you're an animal lover this is also a great film for you because there are some ADORABLE k-9's! M-b-M is a Ten-Outta-Ten!

I remember going to the theatre to see this film when it first came out and, although it was not the best film for Travolta or Tomlin, I actually enjoyed this film alot. In the twenty-six years since this film was released I have looked for it on video (or now DVD) to no avail. Unfortunately up here in Canada we don't have the stations you have in the states and I have never seen this air on television here. I really hope they put it out on DVD. I think this film is a lot better than alot of the garbage that comes out these days. I would love to see this film again, if only to see John Travolta when he was so young and gorgeous. Bring this film to DVD please!!! Maybe this film isn't looked upon fondly by some who have seen it, but I still remember it all these years later. I would really love to see it out on DVD so I can finally see it again. It would be really cool to have both Travolta and Tomlin come back and do commentaries on it now all of these years later.

Wretched, empty romantic drama gives the word 'shallow' a whole new face. Soon-to-be-divorced Malibu housewife (Lily Tomlin) wanders around Hollywood and the beach, running her fingers through her hair, coddling her mutt and rubbing her forehead; seems a stud like John Travolta is just what she needs, but he's more puppy dog than pouncing lover (annoying, childish, needy, clinging). There's a good line here and there: I liked it when Lily Tomlin says, "I've never had cheap sex...I have to admit I was looking forward to it." But Travolta's character ("Strip"!) is ridiculous and hasn't been thought out; he's just a bleeding heart ex-runaway looking for true love. It feels about as real as a cartoon. *1/2 from ****

Thank you, John and thank you Lily for these beautiful moment by moment. I immediately remembered my own experience and how it was all. Very similar. Love is love and life is life. And women are always right even when it is seemed that they are not ... Beautiful movie though not for everyone. And it's more movie than today's piff-paff - to my humble opinion.

"The only thing they have in common... is each other." So true. This is the tale of two sex-crazed, post-pubescent, star-crossed lovers who just can't seem to get it right. Travolta plays Strip Harrison, your typical patriarchal male, and the *stunning* Lily Tomlin graces the screen as Trish Rawlings, your archetypal cougar. Leave the kids at home for this one and buckle your seat belt for a rocky excursion through the perils of physicality, eroticism, and that crazy little thing called love. Thanks, Dill! What a world...

Lily Tomlin is a talented person, there is no denying it. But judging from this pseudo-romance, you'd think she was just a lousy actress. Travolta has tons of charm, if nothing else, and it seems slightly unfair that he took the hit for how bad this movie is. If he didn't take the hit, he certainly lost some career momentum because of it. Its not his fault that the movie is bad and I think he tried to make something of the pitiful script he was handed. These two likable actors crash and burn in this dreary story of two bored and boring people. They meet cute in Schwab's Drug Store (thereby bringing a bad name to a place that has come Hollywood history) when he's there to meet his friend, and she's there to get a refill on her Seconal. He follows her down the street since they had met briefly before and he wants to thank her for something ridiculous. Its just a reason to have them (ha, ha) 'conversing', as it were, so don't pay that much attention. She runs to her beach house, which he also tracks her down at. He wants to be friendly and open and she is bottled up and rude. Its just so they can 'overcome' all that, later on. Eventually, after much more inane dialogue and stupid reasoning for them to have another scene together, they warm up to each other and begin an affair. The movie does not improve and Lily goes from Ice Queen to Simpering Romantic Fool in twenty seconds. Strip (Travolta) eventually figures out he's being used for sex only and that Trish does not love him. He leaves in a huff and Lily and her friend visit every seedy bar in Southern California looking for him. Ugh, right. The dialogue is not even funny enough to laugh at, though when Trish asked Strip "Are you a member of the Automobile Club", I howled. It just seems like a waste. Lily and her partner Jane Wagner were not allowed near anything even remotely dramatic again. Travolta emerged eventually, but this isn't his fault, like I said. He does try but not even Olivier could have made this flimsy material work. 1/10.

How could a film that stars two incredibly talented and witty actors fail on such an astronomical level and possess a script so devoid of life and energy? Aah....a question for the ages! Story is about a woman named Trisha Rawlings (Lily Tomlin) who is going through a painful divorce and while she is walking down the street she keeps getting pestered by Strip Harrison (John Travolta) who reminds her that he was a valet at one of her parties. Trisha is staying at her beach home in Malibu and "Surprise" keeps meeting Strip who insists on intruding into her life and he tells her that he is trying to raise money to get his drug pushing friend out of jail. *****SPOILER ALERT***** One day Strip learns that his friend has died while in jail and seeks solace from Trisha who lets him stay with her. She eventually succumbs to his charms and they start spending every aching moment with each other. After time Trisha's friends and her husband find out about her boy toy and now she must consider if she should break it off but he overhears her having a conversation with a friend and he takes off. This film is directed by Jane Wagner who is a comedy writer and a personal friend of Tomlin's and they had worked together before. This film has the reputation of being one of the worst films ever made and it's hard to dispute that. There simply is no life or energy going on in this agonizingly long film! You would think that a script that was written by a comedy writer would have some sort of wit or creativity in it even by accident but it doesn't. First the film takes almost an hour before they start their romance and we have to painfully watch Travolta practically stalk Tomlin and anyone else would have called the cops on him. Then for no reason Tomlin gives in to his annoying charms and we get the privilege of watching them stare at each other and mutter things like "I'm tired of cheap sex, it makes me feel cheap" and Tomlin responds with "I have never had cheap sex, I was looking forward to it". I understand Tomlin's character having sex with a young stud like Travolta but why would she fall in love with a guy that hangs around with drug dealers and lives in a flop house and has no ambition in life? She wouldn't! Hell, his name alone is annoying enough. The film drags on and on for an hour and forty five minutes with endless shots of walking and sitting on the beach. As an actress Tomlin is usually reliable for giving energetic performances but she just stares into space here like she's hypnotized. This is unfortunately not one of those "It's so bad it's funny" because that would make this as somewhat watchable. Instead, it's just hypnotically dull and totally empty in terms of wit and creativity.

This is a tough one one to find on television, but if you ever get a chance to see it...Don't miss it, sit back and be ready to laugh and jaw-drop for one of the most unintentionally funny movies I have ever seen (next to 1966's---The Oscar) this is number two...You better tape it if it ever does come on, because it'll be years before you'll catch it again...When Lily with her goofy grin, says "Oh Strip" to a absolute lunk-head of a stud, Travolta, I'm in laughing heaven...