There’s something to be said for a light, bubbly film filled with nothing but amusing and well performed characters delivering amusing dialogue. That doesn’t mean these films should be disregarded or that they can’t make statements, but they’re more often than not just a light and fluffy affair.
Sofia Coppola’s (“Lost in Translation,” “The Beguiled”) latest film and her latest collaboration with Bill Murray (“Ghostbusters,” “Lost in Translation”), “On the Rocks” is an interesting blend of both light and dark elements. It would be extremely easy to watch the film as an amusing 90 minutes and think nothing more of it, but those who choose to look under the surface of these characters more, as well as those who know about Coppola’s father, will likely find far more to chew over.
Murray plays Felix, an aging playboy and art dealer who spends his days traveling across the globe on a whim and trying to spend time with his daughter, Laura, played by Rashida Jones (“Parks and Recreation,” “The Social Network”), who dreams of becoming a writer. Laura feels like her husband Dean, a successful social media entrepreneur played by Marlon Wayans (“Scary Movie,” “Requiem for a Dream”), and Felix finds his way back into her life by grabbing hold of those anxieties that Dean is cheating on Laura and offering to help her find out the truth.
A summary like that might make the film sound like a dark globetrotting adventure, but like most of Coppola’s other films, its mainly focused on one city, New York. The streets and skylines make for a perfect backdrop to this mad-dash caper, and Philippe Le Sourd (“The Grandmaster,” “The Beguiled”), who previously worked with Coppola on “The Beguiled” takes full advantage of the neon lights and dark skies of the Big Apple at night.
Murray is at the top of his game here, unquestionably. After his career skyrocketed with the likes of “Ghostbusters” and “Stripes”, he was reborn in the early 2000’s as a darling of the indie film scene with movies like “Broken Flowers,” “Limits of Control,” “Get Low,” Coppola’s previous work “Lost in Translation,” and virtually anything by Wes Anderson. This is important to note because here more than ever before Murray seems to pull from both his playbooks. There’s the chauvinistic, charismatic, sometimes even crude chops from his 80’s-90’s comedy catalog, as well as a somber undercurrent that’s much more in line with his recent projects. It is a truly interesting performance to watch, as he staggers between being an eye-rolling delight and absolutely infuriating.
Jones delivers a performance that, while more straight forward, is nonetheless as excellent as Murray’s. The pair have chemistry that is hard to fake, really selling not only the father and daughter dynamic, but the history between the two of them. There are events that we the audience are not made privy to that have clearly influenced the way they act with each other, and that kind of recognizable history, without it ever being spelled out, gives their relationship layers. It also helps to deepen Jones’s performance as we see her mull over and deal with the events of the film, something we don’t see Murray do.
Coppola’s direction is subdued in just the right way. It isn’t flashy or showy, and the film overall avoids some of the more experiential moments of her earlier works. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up for debate, but it delivers a more straight forward film.
This is a double-edged sword. While its nice to have a more commercially viable and lighthearted product, “On the Rocks” lacks the introspective nature or bite of Coppola’s other works. It’s not as wise or ethereal as “Lost in Translation”, not as anarchistic as “The Bling Ring” or “Marie Antoinette.” It’s not as eerie as “The Beguiled” or as empty as “Somewhere.” While there are layers, even those aren’t as detailed as one might expect from Coppola. It results in a film that, while her fingerprints as unmistakably present, could have been directed by anyone else and likely achieved similar results.
While that might sound like a damning critique, rest assured that its merely a long drawn out way of explaining a mere quibble. This is one of the funniest films of the year because of those winning performances and the way it interweaves the humor with its own dire straits. Humor is virtually weaponized here, as Coppola has Murray’s character delivering the same kinds of lines throughout, going from funny to tragic based on his own actions and the arcs he and Laura each have.
“On the Rocks” is a bizarrely complex film despite lacking any major bombshell revelations. Its superbly acted with Coppola’s deft hand for dialogue and charm. Murray delivers a career best performance, as does Jones, resulting in a warm and light film that goes down smooth and fills your head with bubbles. 4/5
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