On the Rocks (2020) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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Directed by: Sofia Coppola
Written by: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, Marlon Wayans
Runtime: 96 min
Synopsis: A New York woman (Rashida Jones) and her impulsive, larger-than-life father (Bill Murray) try to find out if her husband (Marlon Wayans) is having an affair.
Before jumping into the movie itself, I need to offer my appreciation for Sofia Coppola's career so far. With such a renowned filmmaker as a father (Francis Ford Coppola, the famous director behind the classic The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, and much more), Sofia was able to create a distinct career, avoiding condescending comparisons with her father's success. Most people in her situation would crumble to the pressure and succumb to a total failure. Fortunately, Sofia started showing her own unique talent early by delivering one of the best rom-coms of the 2000s, Lost in Translation (only her second feature film). Therefore, I was actually pretty interested in the simple premise of On the Rocks.
This latest installment in Sofia's filmography continues one of her trademark characteristics: a light movie that addresses not-that-light themes. The main narrative follows the answer to a binary question: is Laura's (Rashida Jones) husband, Dean (Marlon Wayans), having an affair? The two possible outcomes don't allow the film to carry any impactful surprises regarding this storyline, but Sofia writes a screenplay filled with astonishingly captivating character interactions, mostly between Laura and her father, Felix (Bill Murray). The movie's beginning focuses on demonstrating Laura's day-to-day basis, developing this character in an exceptionally smooth manner.
These first minutes without Felix in the picture establish Laura's mental state perfectly. Her feelings, thoughts, doubts, everything is shared with the viewer either through clean exposition or subtle expressions from the remarkable Rashida Jones, who delivers a nuanced, extremely rich performance. Then, enter the phenomenal Bill Murray. Felix is a charming yet complicated old man who can't be around a woman without hitting on her or stating dumb things like, "I think I'm getting deaf to women's voices". His relationship with her daughter seems quite close to the point of Laura trusting his crazy conspiracy theories based on exaggerated facts.
Here lies my number one issue with the film. Until the third act, I could describe On the Rocks in one word: real. Every scene, conversation, or action is displayed in such a realistic way that I struggle to find a single sequence that didn't need to be in the movie. At the end of each scene, the viewer always learns something new, whether about a character, an event, or merely a detail of someone's life. However, the last half-an-hour takes the main characters (father and daughter, to be clear) through a path that crosses the line of common sense and makes me doubt if Laura would truly do such a thing, based on what the film showed of her personality until then.
Nevertheless, that's not the problem. The real issue is the revelation that comes with this final act that raises a few questions concerning the father-daughter connection. I can't get into spoilers, but Sofia develops Felix as a fun, entertaining, not-to-be-taken-seriously old guy who makes a few too many jokes that maybe he shouldn't. However, after discovering a certain part of his life and how it affected his family, I partially lost empathy. The revelation is probably the only slightly surprising aspect of the movie, not because it's shocking (the film clearly points in that direction), but due to the viewer's focus being on finding out if Dean is cheating on Laura.
This new development makes me question how Laura can be so close to her father without ever showing on-screen how she dealt with this situation, especially at the very end where the subject matter is brought back into her life. Don't be mistaken by this extensive explanation, I still enjoyed the movie! I can't deny the impact of this negative issue, but it's far from destroying the film. It's beautifully produced, with every technical aspect complementing each other. Sofia controls both the pacing and the tone of the movie in a flawless fashion.
Still, Rashida Jones and Bill Murray steal the spotlight. Both deliver outstanding performances, carrying the dialogues effortlessly and fully embracing their characters' personas. Marlon Wayans is also pretty good, even though he doesn't have that much screentime. With a short runtime, the premise gets surprisingly more captivating than what I thought it was going to be. I felt significantly invested in the process of finding out the answer to the big question, and despite the partially disappointing third act, this storyline is brilliantly executed.
Final Thoughts
In the end, On the Rocks is yet another success for A24 and Apple TV+. Sofia Coppola continues her already remarkable, distinct career with another film defined by one of her trademark attributes. A serious subject depicted through a lighter perspective, possessing fascinating character interactions, and a premise that ends up being a lot more engaging (yet still somewhat predictable and formulaic) than what's expected from it. Rashida Jones and Bill Murray are genuinely impressive, sharing palpable chemistry, ultimately carrying the whole narrative on their shoulders. It doesn't feel like a movie. It feels like a real story with real people… at least until the third act, where an over-the-top, hard-to-accept sequence leads to a revelation that questions the father-daughter bond, as well as the rushed resolution of such declaration. I still recommend it as a weekend's evening pick due to its short runtime and overall enjoyable story.
