Hollywood usually buries its mistakes deep in the desert. But some movies refuse to stay dead. Moment by Moment, the 1978 romantic drama starring John Travolta and Lily Tomlin, is a strange, shimmering example of a "career killer" that actually has more to say today than it did forty years ago.
It was a total disaster. Critics hated it. Audiences stayed away in droves.
People mostly remember it as the movie that nearly derailed John Travolta's rocket-ship rise after Grease and Saturday Night Fever. It’s a May-December romance set in Malibu, dripping with 1970s aesthetic, synth music, and a lot of staring at the ocean. Honestly, it’s one of the weirdest artifacts of that decade's cinema.
What Actually Happens in Moment by Moment?
The plot is deceptively simple, almost sparse. Lily Tomlin plays Trisha Rawlings, a wealthy, depressed socialite living in a stunning Malibu beach house. She’s middle-aged, lonely, and going through a separation from her husband. Then she meets Vick—played by Travolta—a drifter, a "street kid," and a hustler who hangs out at the beach.
They fall in love. Sorta.
It’s an awkward, slow-burn relationship. Most of the movie is just the two of them in that house. They talk. They argue. They look at the waves. Jane Wagner, who wrote and directed the film (and is Tomlin's long-time partner), was trying to capture something intimate and quiet. She wanted to explore the vulnerability of two people from totally different worlds trying to connect.
The problem? Most people expected Travolta to start dancing.
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Instead, they got a movie where he wears tiny shorts and tries to act "sensitive." It didn’t land. At the time, Variety and other trades were brutal, calling the chemistry between the leads non-existent. But looking back, there is something incredibly raw about it. It’s not a polished Hollywood romance. It’s clunky. It feels like real, messy people who don’t know how to talk to each other.
The "Strip-Tease" of Expectation
You’ve got to understand the context of 1978. Travolta was the biggest star in the galaxy. He was the king of disco. Putting him in a quiet, cerebral drama was a massive risk that Universal Pictures probably regretted the second they saw the dailies.
The marketing was a mess.
They tried to sell it as a sexy, steamy romance. The poster featured them leaning into each other, looking intense. But the movie itself is almost anti-erotic. It’s lonely. It captures that specific California malaise that authors like Joan Didion wrote about. If you go into Moment by Moment expecting Urban Cowboy, you’re going to be bored out of your mind. If you go in expecting a tone poem about loneliness? Well, then you might actually like it.
Why the Critics Went for the Jugular
The reviews weren't just bad; they were personal. Critics seemed offended by the pairing of Tomlin and Travolta. Tomlin was known for her brilliant, sharp-edged comedy and sketch work. Travolta was the teen idol. Seeing them together felt "wrong" to the gatekeepers of the era.
- The Chemistry Gap: Most reviews complained that the two actors looked like they were in different movies.
- The Pace: It moves slow. Really slow.
- The Dialogue: Wagner’s script is heavy on subtext and light on action.
Vincent Canby of The New York Times was particularly harsh, suggesting the film was nearly immobile. But here is the thing: movies that get that much hate often have a cult following waiting to happen. There is a specific kind of "failed" movie that becomes a masterpiece to a certain group of cinephiles later on. Moment by Moment has that exact energy.
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A Malibu Time Capsule
If you love 1970s interior design, this movie is your Holy Grail.
The beach house is a character of its own. The soft lighting, the oversized knit sweaters, the wicker furniture, the clinking of ice in glasses—it’s an aesthetic masterpiece. It captures a version of Malibu that doesn’t exist anymore. Before the tech billionaires took over, it was this hazy, slightly dusty place for rich people to hide away and feel sad.
The cinematography by William A. Fraker is actually beautiful. He shoots the beach with a soft, diffused light that makes everything look like a dream—or maybe a memory. It’s a movie that looks better on mute, which sounds like an insult, but in the world of "vibe" cinema, it’s a compliment.
The Legacy of a "Failure"
So, did it actually ruin Travolta’s career?
Not quite. He had enough momentum to survive it, though it definitely cooled his heels for a few years until the 80s took over. For Lily Tomlin, it was a blip. She went on to do 9 to 5 shortly after, which was a massive hit.
But Moment by Moment remains this weird footnote. It’s rarely screened. For a long time, it was hard to even find on DVD or streaming. This scarcity has only added to its legend. When a movie is "too bad to release," it becomes a challenge for film nerds.
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Why You Should Actually Watch It
Honestly, we’re in a "slow cinema" revival right now.
Modern audiences are more used to movies where "nothing happens." If Moment by Moment were released as an A24 indie today, it would probably get a standing ovation at Sundance. People would praise its "brave exploration of age gaps" and its "minimalist approach to narrative."
It was just thirty years ahead of its time, or maybe it was just in the wrong body.
If you want to see John Travolta at his most vulnerable—before he became a caricature of himself—this is the movie. He’s trying so hard to be a "serious actor." There is a sweetness to his performance that is totally different from the cocky swagger of Tony Manero. And Tomlin? She’s always interesting, even when she’s playing a character that is written as a bit of a vacuum.
How to Find and Watch It Today
Tracking down Moment by Moment isn't as easy as hitting "play" on Netflix.
- Physical Media: Your best bet is looking for the Kino Lorber Blu-ray release. They did a great job cleaning up the picture, and it includes some interesting commentary.
- Digital Rentals: It occasionally pops up on Amazon or Apple TV for rent, but it tends to disappear and reappear depending on licensing.
- The "Grey" Market: Because it was out of print for so long, there are plenty of fan-made transfers on sites like YouTube or Internet Archive. The quality varies wildly.
Actionable Insights for Film Buffs
If you’re planning to dive into this Malibu fever dream, keep a few things in mind to actually enjoy the experience:
- Adjust Your Expectations: Do not look for a plot. Look for a mood. Think of it as a long-form music video for a song that hasn't been written yet.
- Watch the Fashion: From Travolta's leather jackets to Tomlin's flowing silk robes, the costume design is a masterclass in late-70s California chic.
- Listen to the Score: The music by Howard Shore (yes, the Lord of the Rings Howard Shore!) is atmospheric and helps bridge the gaps where the dialogue fails.
- Research Jane Wagner: To understand the movie, you have to understand Wagner’s voice. She is a playwright at heart, and the movie feels like a play that accidentally wandered onto a beach.
Ultimately, Moment by Moment is a reminder that "bad" movies are often just misunderstood ones. It isn't a masterpiece, but it’s a fascinating, sincere attempt at making something different. In a world of cookie-cutter blockbusters, there’s something refreshing about a big-budget disaster that was made with actual heart. It’s a moment in time, frozen in amber and Malibu sand.