MOVIE TIP

Moving On

I want to be like Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin when I get to their age. They are both still working like crazy at 85 and 83, respectively, in intriguing projects. And they are both turning in consistently great performances. In this dark comedy, Fonda plays a reserved woman who wants revenge for a sexual assault she suffered years earlier at the hands of a friend’s husband. When that friend dies, Fonda’s character decides to kill the husband, played by Malcolm McDowell, who has plenty of experience portraying disreputable characters. Tomlin is Fonda’s sarcastic college pal; I love Tomlin in caustic mode. The script by Paul Weitz (who wrote and directed this as well as “Grandma,” which also starred Tomlin) gives them rich material. It reflects on the indignities of aging, but also the strengthening of self-acceptance that comes later in life. I do have a complaint: The resolution of the McDowell character seems like a cheap way out. But “Moving On” is still a small gem.

– Kristina Dorsey

TV TIP

Primo

Amazon Prime Freevee

Some people are better at Twitter than others, and there may be no better example of that than author Shea Serrano. He routinely mobilizes his nearly half a million followers (collectively known as the FOH Army) for a cause or person he’s compelled by, but also gathers them around to make fun of rapper J. Cole or show off his latest Manu Ginobili bobblehead. With three young kids, Serrano began supplementing his teacher’s salary by writing years ago. He eventually ditched his job as a teacher and began writing full-time for sports and pop culture websites Grantland and The Ringer. He parlayed that into four New York Times bestsellers and his own publishing house, Halfway Books. Serrano then teamed up with Michael Schur (“Parks and Recreation,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “The Good Place”) for this semi-autobiographical family series about his Texas upbringing. The (mostly) family-friendly jokes come rapid fire, and the unheralded and largely unknown cast shines. Pretty soon, you just might hop on Twitter to tell him who your favorite uncle is. And he’ll probably reply back.

— Owen Poole

Movie tip

Joy Ride

It’s difficult to create a great comedy, but the best ones make it look easy. This movie strives to go all raunchy and crude, and it comes across as strenuously effortful. Which is too bad, because the basics of the tale have promise, as do the talents of the cast. The story, by Adele Lim, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, introduces viewers to two Chinese girls who meet on the playground, with one quickly putting a boy uttering racist words in his place. Flash-forward to when they are grown women who have remained besties. Overachiever Audrey (played by Ashley Park), who was adopted by white parents, is headed to China on a business trip. Her ribald artist pal Lolo (Sherry Cola) is going along, bringing her quirky cousin Deadeye (Sabrina Wu). They meet Audrey’s college pal (Stephanie Hsu), now a star actress in China. They have over-the-top crazy adventures involving sex, drugs, and projectile vomiting. Oh, and gross tattoos. “Joy Ride” ends up at an effective dramatic place, as Audrey tries to find her birth mother, but it’s a long, gross-out trip to get there.

– Kristina Dorsey