Movie Review - On the Rocks (2020)

This is the third time that Oscar-nominee and comedic actor Bill Murray has worked with director and Oscar-winner Sofia Coppola. The first time that Murray and Coppola worked together is how Murray became an Oscar-nominee. It was also how Coppola became an Oscar-winner. Their first film was Lost in Translation (2003) and it was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture. I understand why it didn't, but it was my preference to win Best Picture at the 76th Academy Awards. I really adored it. As I walked away from this film, I adored it as well, but, my adoration wasn't as strong as what I felt for Lost in Translation. I'm not sure that the writing and directing are as strong. Coppola was not only deconstructing a romantic relationship, while building up another one in Lost in Translation, but she was also critiquing the Hollywood industry in a unique way or exposing an aspect to it that is not often seen or experienced by Americans. Lost in Translation had multiple levels happening or was multilayered in a sense. It had at least three or four layers. This film I would argue doesn't have much more than two layers at most.

That in itself isn't a bad thing because what's presented here is very well done. Coppola crafts her narrative here in superb fashion. She takes special care because like most of her films it seems personal to her. Lost in Translation isn't necessarily autobiographical, but it's perhaps inspired by Coppola's actual romance. This film is at its heart about a father and daughter. Coppola's Somewhere (2010) was also about a father and daughter but a daughter who is still a child or teenager. This film is about a daughter who is an adult, not only an adult but married with children. It's not clear how much Coppola draws from her own life, but it still feels as personal and as authentic as those aforementioned films from her.

Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation and The Office) stars as Laura Keene, a writer living in Manhattan. She's trying to write a book, but she's suffering from writer's block. She's currently working from home, but she's also a mother with two young children. She takes one child to school everyday. Her other child is not old enough yet for school, pre-school or otherwise. We see her load up the kids, the youngest in a stroller and she takes them to school. While on her way, she encounters several women who don't excite her but reinforce the monotony of her day. She loves her kids, but she does seem stuck in a rut where she doesn't seem all together satisfied. Mainly, it's due to her relationship with her husband not being what it should be or used to be.

Marlon Wayans (Requiem for a Dream and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) co-stars as Dean, the husband to Laura. He works at a tech firm that does a lot of work around the globe, which requires him to travel and have numerous business trips. He loves his wife and his children, but he's on the road a lot. He's frequently gone. This has created a distance between him and his wife. He perhaps doesn't notice that distance, but his wife does. He's doing so well at his job that he's jovial whether he's coming or going and doesn't notice his wife's seeming depression.

Bill Murray (Ghostbusters and Stripes) also stars as Felix, the father to Laura. He does notice his daughter's depression or distance. He especially notices around the time of her birthday. When she suspects that her husband is having an affair, Felix encourages his daughter to investigate and basically spy on Dean in order to determine if he's cheating or not. What complicates this is that this current situation brings up the fact that Felix also had an affair. This forces Laura to reexamine her relationship with her dad and specifically her perception of him.

Murray is of course giving a great performance that is worthy for another Oscar nomination. He's charming and always engaging. He's smart and funny. No matter what, you can't help but be taken by him. That's exactly the problem. Laura can't help but be taken by her father and go along with whatever he wants. Felix is an art dealer who is wealthy and well-connected, having lived in New York for a long time. An incident with a police officer shows how well-connected and how easily he can get away with all kinds of things. Without beating us over the head with it, we come to see how problematic he can be. However, the scene with the police perhaps reads as a little tone deaf, given all the issues with Black Lives Matter, or perhaps it's perfect to show how privileged wealthy white men are.

Given that Laura is obviously biracial where she has a white father and a black mother, one would think there might be more commentary on how her father gets a pass in a lot of places and ways. Yet, racial differences aren't really addressed. Coppola has been criticized, particularly in her previous film The Beguiled (2017), in how she avoids any kind of addressing of racial issues, even when the material warrants it, especially issues with regard to African-Americans. Jones and Wayans are both African-American and putting their characters' love story in the forefront or as a main thrust here might be Coppola finally addressing those issues. Yet, there's no real commentary on racism because Coppola's film here has no racism to speak of, which might be a commentary in itself, given the wealth in which all the characters live.

Rated R for language and sexual references.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 36 mins.

Available on Apple TV+