It was with 2003’s Lost In Translation that Bill Murray came the closest to securing an Academy Award for a performance that stood out as something special in a career filled with cultural touch points. This was only the second feature film from Sofia Coppola, but it was already clear that the burgeoning director was someone who was going to be a force on the movie scene for years to come. Fast forward nearly two decades and the filmmaker has mostly made good on her promise, steadily turning out an intriguing work every few years that shakes up what we know to be a “Sofia Coppola film.” In all of this time, there has been a desire to see Coppola reunite with Murray, but excluding A Very Murray Christmas, that was on hold until there was a project that both felt was the right one to come together to make. On The Rocks finds Coppola at arguably her lightest point as she offers a straightforward, comedic meditation on marriage and parent-child dynamics that may not rival her best, but offers an enjoyable time with standout performances.
Murray returns to Coppola’s atmosphere as Felix, a former art gallery owner from another time in nearly all respects. He is retired, but he lived a permanently care-free lifestyle well before he officially checked out from his responsibilities. The wealthy man spends his days bopping around the world eating steak dinners and flirting with nearly every woman who crosses his path. He is a chauvinistic remnant of the past who gets a pass because of his old-man charm. He is the life of the party, but such a lifestyle is rarely sustainable if you want to experience true connection with the loved ones in your life. He is not someone you really want to turn to if you want practical advice, but sometimes you run out of other good options.
Laura (Rashida Jones, Parks And Recreation) is the adult daughter of Felix; she has safely extricated herself from her father and formed a family of her own with her husband Dean (Marlon Wayans, Requiem For A Dream) and their two adorable daughters, elementary school-age Maya (Liyanna Muscat) and toddler Theo (played by twins Alexandra and Anna Reimer). The family lives in a fabulous SoHo apartment among the social elite as Dean trots around the globe trying to ensure his company thrives. Laura is an author who loves being a mom, but admittedly has found herself losing grasp of her identity coupled with a block on creativity. This all feeds into the idea she has that Dean might be cheating on her. It is numerous little things, such as his groggy return from a London business trip and his reaction to hearing her voice. That, along with finding a women’s toiletries case in his suitcase which he casually asserts belongs to Fiona (Jessica Henwick), the gorgeous assistant who accompanies him everywhere. This is not reassuring, but when she regretfully talks to Felix about her suspicions, there is no doubt in his mind Dean is cheating. After all, it is what he would be doing.
Where Coppola goes from here is more assured than the rom-com ready plot would have you guessing. The two pair up to start acting as incompetent spies on Dean’s activities, and through their time together they begin to work through some of their own issues from the past. As a surface-level romp, it is breezy fun watching these two banter about and streak through the night of New York. Rashida Jones has not been given as many juicy roles as she deserves since leaving her NBC sitcom, but she holds her own against the comedic legend. Murray is as suave and engaging as the character he plays. He utilizes the good will he has built up over the last several decades in an attempt to make the audience forget how much of a cad this character truly is. Coppola treats this character with respect by not trying to mold him into what the audience might want him to be. There is some growth as he spends time with his daughter, but true change is not going to take hold after a fun couple of weeks.
The script has some salient points to make about the nature of relationships and how the past can set the pace for the future. Yet, it never feels like it digs deep enough to lift this up with some of the most engaging works from the genre. This is Coppola at her most frothy, and it is intriguing to see an artist who has kept things more high-minded just have some fun with her cast and locations. The effort is pleasing but ultimately a more forgettable entry in her filmography. The filmmaker brings out the best in Murray, and we hope it does not take another decade-and-a-half to get the two together for a feature film.
Video Quality
On The Rocks comes to Blu-Ray in an AVC encoded transfer in 1.85:1 courtesy of Lionsgate featuring lovely cinematography from Philippe Le Sourd. This presentation is quite gorgeous and offers a stable image quality throughout. The sleek visual aesthetic of the film translates well on disc with most shots looking stable and impressive. Le Sourd captures the varied landscapes from the New York setting to the tropical finale which really pop in high definition. Not only do the textural details render cleanly, but the lush greenery leaps off the screen while other earth tones render naturally. There is no evidence of compression artifacts or other digital nuisances from what we observed. Skin tones look natural throughout the runtime. I do not see how this disc could have been improved significantly without a 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc. It’s a real beauty as is.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that captures a specific mood that transports you to this lifestyle. This is more of a subdued film, but the track does come alive with the environmental sounds. The score and soundtrack are showcased beautifully here with a gently enveloping use of the surround speakers. The dialogue comes through crystal clear without ever being overpowered by the environmental effects or the score. The sound design is just as precisely thought-out as the on screen visuals with all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. The environmental effects create a really nice soundscape of idle chatter and urban noises such as car horns. This is not an action-heavy film so the activity in the low end is very sparse, but there are a handful of sequences that are given extra texture this way. This is a lovely sounding release that brings the movie to life in a really gorgeous way.
Special Features
- Trailers: There are trailers provided for other A24 releases including The Green Knight, Zola and Minari.
Final Thoughts
On The Rocks is a slight but enjoyable film from Sofia Coppola which intrigues mostly due to the performance from Bill Murray. The direction is reserved but assured, bringing more out of this story than is on the page. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation but virtually nothing in the way of special features. If you are a fan of the film, it is worth picking up just to be able to view it outside of the AppleTV+ paywall. Recommended
On The Rocks is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
