A young mother reconnects with her larger-than-life playboy father on an adventure through New York.
Pam says:
While best known for “Lost in Translation” starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanssen, winter/director Sophia Coppola’s credits are significant and now she is reunited with Murray in her newest film“On the Rocks.” This time, Murray is paired with Rashida Jones as a father-daughter duo tackling life and the ghosts that haunt their relationship.
We meet the happy young couple, Laura (Jones) and Dean (Marlon Wayans) upon their wedding day with a bright future ahead of them. Fast forward nearly a decade later and we are thrust into their chaotically busy life filled with two kids, a traveling husband, and a former writer trying to get back in touch with her passion. It’s a familiar scene of striving for balance in life but achieving it is another story.
Laura begins to have doubts about her relationship with her husband and reaches out to her father, Felix (Murray) whose previous actions with women may help her decide. The story becomes a study of this particular father-daughter relationship as the two attempt to reconnect as they play private detective.
The film is very narrowly focused on this duo, but make no mistake, this is Laura’s story. We get a glimpse into her life of being a mom and wife as she constantly transports kids, waits for them at school, and briskly interacts on the run with other moms all while trying to write her next book. It’s anxiety producing and for many of us, it brings back memories of a time that are merely a blur as we tried to juggle it all.
The heart of the film comes from Laura and Felix’s interactions. Felix, ever a flirt, seems to happily flit through life, superimposing his own morals and values upon every male including his son-in-law. This personal moral compass of his significantly and negatively impacted his relationship with his daughter and may continue to do so as we watch the story unfold.
On the surface, the question of “is Dean having an affair with his gorgeous assistant” is always looming overhead, but as we dig deeper into the story, it’s about Laura coming to terms with who her father is and if she will allow those attributes to effect her life now. It’s a slow burn and sometimes a bit too slow, but that initial question keeps you hooked. You have to find out if Dean is having an affair.
“On the Rocks” is a small slice of one woman’s life as she yearns for the relationship and identity she once had while her relationship with her father comes to a head. We immediately know Felix has disappointed Laura in the past, but she holds out hope that maybe this time he’ll be different. It’s apparent that these unresolved issues must be confronted before she can independently and emotionally move forward.
Jones creates a believable character to carry this significant load, skillfully finding the right subtle actions and reactions to show us her longing for her image of a father to guide her. It’s an understated performance, and while she and Murray find a connection, the rhythm just isn’t consistently there. Murray seems to be constricted, even reticent, as he portrays the less than likable dad with a cavalier and self-absorbed perspective. However when he does relax, as he does in the scene to talk his way out of a ticket, it’s wonderfully engaging.
The film is beautifully shot as the pair zip through New York City in a convertible or have an intimate drink and dinner at a familiar-feeling restaurant. This personal perspective to the film allows us to have empathy with Laura as the turmoil in her life culminates. Where the story suffers is its attention to character development with the supporting cast. We never get to know Dean or Laura’s annoying “friend” Vanessa (Jenny Slate) who adds a touch of humor to the dramatic film. There are a few unanswered questions , but ultimately, the film poses an introspective question for us all—how much do we let others’ baggage influence us?
While it’s a slow-moving film with a feeling of tying things up too neatly and quickly at the end, Jones and Murray create an intricate story of how our past influences our future.
3 Stars
Chuck says:
I’d be hard pressed to think of another film where a director had fashioned a part so attuned to the strengths, stylings and idiosyncrasies of one performer as is the case in Sofia Coppola’s “On the Rocks.” A star vehicle if there ever was one, “The Bill Murray Show” would not be an inaccurate alternate title as it features the comedian in a tailor-made role that allows the performer to revel in all of his glory. Charming, witty, disarming and relaxed, the retired art dealer Felix fits the actor like a second skin, so it’s no wonder his turn proves to be the saving grace in this Woody Allen knock-off that is not without its charms.
Big Apple author Laura (Rashida Jones) has it all. Two beautiful daughters, trendy digs in Soho, a big advance to write her first novel and a loving, successful, supportive husband in Dean (Marlon Wayans), who happens to be away from his family a great deal due to work. If it’s not late nights, its sudden trips out of town or impromptu phone calls that take up his time, so much so that Laura begins to think he’s straying.
She makes the mistake of mentioning this to her father Felix, who had his own problems remaining faithful, his divorce from Laura’s mother causing deep pain she’s never truly given voice to. Comparing Dean’s behavior to that of his past misdeeds, Felix soon determines his son-in-law is cheating and convinces his daughter to accompany him on various stake out missions, most taking place in various parts of Manhattan, one being an impromptu trip to Mexico.
Coppola does a wonderful job capturing the magic of New York City, albeit the one where the upper 1% and those about to enter that rarified air live. It’s a mystical place of privilege where sending your kids to private school is the norm, attending art openings is a weekly affair and being able to drop everything to jet to a foreign land with your father to see if your husband is being unfaithful is not out of the ordinary. And while this casts a veneer over the proceedings that seems particularly nettlesome at this particular moment, Coppola’s sharp writing and her star’s charisma ultimately trump any concerns the viewer may have regarding this representation of the cultural divide.
To be sure, this is Murray’s show as he’s given full rein in each scene he’s in to be…well, Bill Murray. There’s no separating the actor from the character as we see him employ his trademark wit and deadpan delivery to charm former clients, woo strangers or, in the film’s best scene, talk his way out of a traffic stop by telling warm anecdotes about one officer’s father who he just happens to know. It’s that kind of movie, and you just go with the conceit so that we might step back and revel in all things Murray.
To Coppola’s credit, there’s a subtext at play here that reveals itself in the third act which lends an unexpected poignancy to the film. Sly like a fox, Felix has had an ulterior motive where these madcap escapades with his daughter are concerned, his intent not so much to catch his son-in-law red-handed but to provide context for his own past indiscretions. The revelatory heart-to-heart that ensues finds Jones and Murray at their best, as they let all pretense fall away and get to the heart of the matter. “Rocks’” comedic moments may drive the film, but it’s the love and healing between Laura and Felix that makes it tick.
3 Stars.
