Moment by Moment Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Moment by Moment Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 20, 2021

Jane Wagner's "Moment by Moment" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials as well as new audio commentary recorded by critics Lee Gambin and Sergio Mims, and author Maya Montanez Smukler. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Malibu headaches

For hours after I finished viewing Jane Wagner’s Moment by Moment I tried to remember if I had seen another film like it that worked so hard to convince that its adult characters are children, and then worked even harder to excuse their indescribably silly behavior because they were both victims. What was the target audience for this film in the late 1970s? Mary, Jane, Barbara, Kathy and the rest of their seventeen girlfriends who lived alone in Malibu and each night drank a bottle of chardonnay on their patio or in front of their stylish fireplace? (Is this even possible? Was there ever a period when so many single wealthy and unhappy women lived alone in Malibu? If there was, it was a social anomaly that was kept secret). Or was the film supposed to send a coded message to younger guys dreaming of having a romantic relationship with a wealthy older woman? If so, who was the codemaker? Because I assure you that any younger guys that saw this film in the 1970s would not have been interested in dating an older woman even if they had the opportunity to do it.

The two characters that I mentioned are played by Lily Tomlin and John Travolta. The former is Trisha Rawlings, a middle-aged divorcee who lives alone with her pooch in a nice beach house in a quiet corner of Malibu. The latter is Strip, a much younger outsider who is in the area to see some friends that have decided to ignore him. Trisha and Strip bump into each and then against all odds begin a romantic relationship. (I will spare you the details of precisely how Strip inserts himself into Trisha’s supposedly very boring life. Suffice to say, in the real world his persistence would have quickly placed him behind bars). However, because they come from vastly different areas of society, Trisha has to pretend that Strip is just another object in her reality, like an errand boy that occasionally drops a paper bag full of fresh produce on her porch. This is a big problem for Strip because he wants their relationship to be truly special and last a long time, not function like a casual affair that only satisfies their sexual desires.

Only in Malibu, right?

The film then chronicles how Trisha, a prisoner of her social environment, regains her freedom to be herself and live her life as she wants. The process involves a lot of ‘honest’ discussions with the equally rebellious Strip, as well as a string of situations serving as a litmus test that reveals the different prejudices of the people in her environment. Needless to say, it is nauseating material of the highest quality.

Wagner did not direct another film after Moment by Moment, but apparently produced quite a few screenplays for various TV projects. It is astonishing to see that she kept getting asked to write because it is hard to imagine that her style had dramatically evolved. Indeed, Moment by Moment is the type of monumental failure that reveals complete lack of understanding as to how a feature film ought to treat its characters and their relationship(s). It truly is as bad as advertised.

The beautiful title song, which feels like a giant oddity in this horrendous film, is sung by Yvonne Elliman.

Moment by Moment Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Moment by Moment arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The master that was used to source this release is very, very nice. Obviously, when the master was prepared at Universal Pictures someone clearly was paying attention and made sure that a lot looks as it should. For example, there are only a couple of darker sequences where I felt that finer nuances could be more convincing. Shadow definition could be improved as well, but on a larger screen there is plenty to see and like. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Colors are healthy, quite nicely balanced as well. Density levels can be a tad better, but I liked what I saw on my system. Image stability is very good. A few specks can be spotted, but there are no distracting large debris, marks, warped or torn frames. All in all, this is a very fine organic presentation of Moment by Moment which will likely be the last one that is made available on home video. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Moment by Moment Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless track is excellent. The dialog is very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. There are no balance issues. Dynamic intensity is very good, but as always, in order to be pleased you need to have proper expectations when viewing a film from the 1970s. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Moment by Moment Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Moment by Moment. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Radio Spots - a couple of radio spots for Moment by Moment. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Commentary - exclusive new audio commentary by critics Lee Gambin, Sergio Mims, and author Maya Montanez Smukler (Liberating Hollywood: Women Directors & the Feminist Reform of 1970s American Cinema).

Moment by Moment Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have always wanted to see Moment by Moment because it appears on the resume of cinematographer Philip Lathrop, who lensed one of my all-time favorite films, The Driver. It is astonishingly bad, and I can't believe that John Travolta finished it. There is a very odd new audio commentary on this release in which Moment by Moment is defended as a misunderstood gem of its era. It is a horrendous dud of the kind that can destroy careers, so as far as I am concerned Travolta was lucky to bounce back with Urban Cowboy. I have to give the folks at Kino Lorber a lot of credit because without their efforts these types of films will be practically impossible to see.