Review: On The Rocks

Image courtesy of A24.

Sofia Coppola's latest film, "On the Rocks," is a breezy comedy with a melancholic air to it, somewhat similar to her great "Lost in Translation," although not as profound as that picture. It's also her best movie in about 10 years.

The film follows the story of a thirty-something New York City-based mother named Laura (Rashida Jones) who comes to question whether her husband, Dean (Marlon Wayans), is cheating or just really busy with work. He's rarely around due to work, and Laura gets the indication that he's pretty chummy with an attractive woman who is working with him on the project that calls for him to sprint off to Los Angeles, Mexico and other places constantly. Her closest friend (played by Jenny Slate) spends much of their time together going on and on about her own relationship woes.

Laura makes the mistake of bringing up her quandary with her aging lothario father Felix (Bill Murray), who instantly sees an adventure in involving himself in his daughter's affairs. While you can't exactly describe the relationship between Laura and Felix as estranged, it's clear she didn't approve of the extramarital affairs in which he engaged when he was married to her mother, and Laura wonders why Felix - the man out to charm everyone in the room - can't speak to women without flirting.

This is the type of performance in which Murray excels - he's funny, snarky and a bit of a cad, but good natured to the extent that he finds himself singing duets with musicians as resorts and cheerfully talking cops out of giving him tickets for driving recklessly. Jones, in some ways, has the tougher performance and nails the more somber elements of it.

Possible clues pile up regarding Dean's fidelity, leading Felix to suggest that he and Laura spy on Dean, trailing him around the city and checking his text messages. These are funny scenes - and there are a lot of other good chuckles in the picture thanks to Murray - but they also provide some nice moments involving parents and their children bonding in older age. Laura at one point even calls out Felix's scheme to track Dean as a means of having an excuse to hang out with her.

As I'd mentioned, "On the Rocks," while often very good, isn't on par with "Lost in Translation" or Coppola's other early films, such as "The Virgin Suicides" or "Marie Antoinette." It's light and breezy and runs a brief 97 minutes, but it packs a punch because beneath the laughs there's a fair amount of emotional heft. "On the Rocks" is an engaging hang-out movie with two likable leads. Although its end is, perhaps, a little too tidy, the picture mostly works like a charm.