On the Rocks review (NYFF) starring Bill Murray & Rashida Jones

PLOT: Suspicious that her husband is having an affair, a woman (Rashida Jones) allows her gadfly father (Bill Murray) to talk her into late-night prowls through the streets of New York, hoping to catch him in the act.

REVIEW: It should be noted that Sofia Coppola’s ON THE ROCKS is set in a life of wealth and privilege that few of us will ever be able to wrap our heads around. It’s the kind of world where characters work in ill-defined “businesses” that mostly involve making giant deals in elegant private nightclubs like Soho house, or gorgeous beach-front properties in Mexico. Bill Murray’s character is some kind of art-dealer, with funds that are vast enough he’s able to travel through New York with a private chauffeur and charter planes to Mexico at the drop of a hat.

To me, this gives the film a slightly alien quality that keeps it from rising to the level of even something like MARRIAGE STORY, which has similarly wealthy leads but more of universality to it. ON THE ROCKS, by contrast, tells a pretty thin story. Rashida Jones’ character is happily married but believes her husband (Marlon Wayans– effective in a rare serious role) is cheating on her with his business partner (Jessica Henwick). She’s bullied by her caddish dad into following him around the city, which itself is hard to swallow as Jones has a vibe that makes it hard for me to believe she could be pushed around by anyone.

In the end though, the thin storyline is more just an excuse for Coppola to make another “hanging with Bill Murray” movie, which isn’t an unpleasant thing, although this falls way short of LOST IN TRANSLATION, where his character had genuine pathos. Here, he’s essentially just playing Bill Murray, albeit with a more caddish demeanor, with him constantly excusing his own, numerous affairs while railing against Wayans’s character for his own, unconfirmed affair.

We’re expected to believe he can lead an insecure Jones down a rabbit hole of paranoia, but the vibe between the two doesn’t make this believable. Jones seems more bemused by him than anything. It feels like her character should just be able to shrug off his advice and go her own way. Still, the two do have excellent chemistry even if the dynamic seems off.

It feels like Murray’s riffing quite a bit, with scenes showing him serenading couples on the beach with old Bing Crosby tunes, or complimenting strangers and winning over cops at random stops. It’s Murray so it works, but just barely. It’s one of the few times I’ve ever seen a movie where Murray borders on being insufferable. It never feels like he’s playing a character with any sense of growth or agency.

For her part, I’ve long maintained that Rashida Jones should be a superstar. Her CELESTE & JESSE FOREVER was an underrated gem, and she holds her own opposite Murray, I just wish she’d had a better part. The strongest aspect of the film is Coppola’s elegant visual style, coupled with the soundtrack by Phoenix. It’s also worth noting that the vision of New York is bittersweet given all that’s happening now, with the packed 21 bar and Soho House all likely shut down for the pandemic. It’ll be a long time before the New York of ON THE ROCKS is a reality again.

For me, ON THE ROCKS ranks as lesser Sofia Coppola, beneath her amazing work on THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, LOST IN TRANSLATION or her underrated SOMEWHERE and the recent intriguing (but flawed) remake of THE BEGUILED. It’s not a bad film and worth watching – it just can’t help but be a disappointment considering everyone involved.

On the Rocks review (NYFF) starring Bill Murray & Rashida Jones

AVERAGE

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