On the Rocks (2020)

On the Rocks (2020)

7/10

Starring

Bill Murray

Rashida Jones

Marlon Wayans

Directed by Sofia Coppola

On the Rocks is an amazing film written and directed by Sofia Coppola. I have to admit, she has become one of the best filmmakers out there, just like her father Francis Coppola (who did The Godfather). Her name alone on a film is enough for me to watch it, because, like her father, her work has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award. The Oscar was for the screenplay in the wonderful film Lost in Translation, which also starred Bill Murray.

This movie is fun, pleasing, and enjoyable. The dynamics in the relationship between the characters are what give the movie its thrill and entertainment.

This comedy-drama takes us through the life of a married woman, Laura, who is struggling in her marriage and has unresolved resentment toward her father’s behavior when she was younger.

Laura (Rashida Jones) feels overwhelmed in her life, making it difficult for her to work. She’s a writer, but all she does is stare at a blank page on her laptop, as recent behavior from her husband haunts her mind. She tries to get clarity and move on, but she can’t seem to wrap her mind around why he’s been so distant toward her. She calls her father, Felix (Bill Murray), who cheated on her mother and constantly struggles to maintain a relationship with any woman he’s with. Felix fills Laura’s head with all kinds of theories, suggesting that her husband Dean (Marlon Wayans) is probably having an affair.

Felix does some investigating of his own and gives Laura evidence that there’s something going on between Dean and his coworker Fiona. She spirals further and soon, she and her father start doing their own investigations, following either Fiona or Dean.

The film delves deeply into the father-daughter relationship, which evolves into a complicated mix as they both need to address unresolved issues between them.

The movie was bought by Apple TV+, so you can watch it there.

It touches on many issues, some of which are outside Laura’s life, as we also see some of her fellow parents, when she drops her children off at school, talk about their own problems.

For me, the movie accomplishes its goal in the end, with Laura facing both her husband and her father. That kind of conclusion makes the whole journey from the start worth it.

I’ll applaud Coppola again for making another great film. She has carved out a name for herself outside her father’s shadow as one of the best filmmakers of her generation.