Review: "On the Rocks" Finds the Humor Amid a Midlife Crisis

Scene from On the Rocks (2020) 

One of the hardest things to be in life is cool. It's something that we all thrive to be, though the older we get, the further out of touch we're likely to be. The esteem to resonate in ways that you did as a teenager, following trends, and having all the energy in the world slowly starts to fade, and there's some sadness in this revelation. Like DEVO in 1981, director Sofia Coppola is through being cool. She doesn't have it in her anymore. With her latest personal exercise (her most vulnerable since Somewhere), she finds ways to explore that transition period when the world begins to feel more jaded, unable to connect in these significant ways. What it lacks in immediacy it more than makes up for in terms of fun comic chemistry between Bill Murray and Rashida Jones. Everything may meander, but it all builds to self-acceptance that we all face as we continue through time, finding ways to accept whatever lies beyond being cool. It may not be trendy, but it's inevitable.

The story centers around Laura (Jones), who is a mother whose joy in life feels like it's slipping. Every day is the same routine of dropping off her child while listening to other mothers' personal problems. Her husband (Marlon Wayans) is overeager to work, sometimes to a fault as she accuses him of having affairs. Is she just being paranoid, or is there something there? The curiosity that once leads her to find happiness is fading, making her long for yesteryear. She's become an observer, watching the world spin without her. In a lot of ways, this is the closest that Coppola has come to making a modern indie comedy, at times recalling directors like Gillian Robespierre with her desire to linger in a moment, finding mundane reactions as the most endearing. This doesn't feel like escapism for Coppola, but a reflection in the mirror and asking if she can reflect her own struggles through art.

Given that all of her films have waded in a similar pond, it's interesting to compare the inactivity of Laura to films like The Bling Ring or Marie Antoinette, finding strange ways to compensate with the emptiness that she feels inside. Set to a delightful indie rock soundtrack, she finds herself trying to break patterns when her father Felix (Murray) shows up out of the blue. He's a womanizer, claiming that he's complimenting a ballet dancer-turned-waitress because they like that stuff. He's not aware of his tackiness, just that everyone seems to be happy when he's around. In a lot of respects, this is the most Murray role he's done in eons, feeling reminiscent of those urban legends of him working as a bartender one night or snitching food from people and saying "Nobody will believe you."This is the perfect embodiment of the myth he's become, and it grounds the film with a sense of sly personality.

But one has to wonder: what makes Felix so confident and Laura so dull? It stands to reason that if Laura is Sofia, Felix is her father (director Francis Ford Coppola). While there's some affection deep down, there is the recklessness of their partnership, realizing that he's maybe a bit inappropriate with his daughter, but comes across with wonderful advice. As he talks himself out of tickets and into more drinks, you understand why he's charismatic. He's funny in the small ways, using quiet punchlines to see if you're actually paying attention. A debonaire who pretty much treats New York as one big housing complex, and it all works. Murray rarely feels grounded in one spot for too long, ditching it the minute that things become boring.

Some may find an issue with Coppola exploring the misery of wealthy characters who drink away their problems while overlooking high-priced resorts. It's a problem that's followed her for decades, and yet one can argue this is only egregious if you aren't connecting with the themes. While this may feel quiet and warm, never getting those artistic flourishes and a-ha moments that her other work does, there is something to consulting family. Everyone has somebody that they confide in, and that's the endearing core. Here is the fear of growing older and not feeling like you belong in the world. It's something that has been popping up more frequently in films like Tully and The 40-Year-Old Version, and it's deserving of its own commentary. Coppola has her own take, and it's a struggle that only seems meek for those who lack life experience.

If On the Rocks has any issue, it's that the main story feels inconsequential. Everything that stems from their relationship is fun, but everything else is paper-thin, not ever delivering a grand statement. The ending is quiet, more achieving a smile than a high-five to the audience. Even then, Coppola choosing to make it personal keeps it from ever being dull. Everything here feels like it has a deeper purpose, finding an artist looking at herself through fiction and finding something more satisfactory inside. It's the question as to whether she can still make art that matters if she's just reduced to a boring mother who takes the burden of others and shouldn't expect anyone to help her. Getting into the heart of Felix allows for a counterpart that provides some optimism, that things can get better so long as you're willing to change your outlook on life.

This is by no means her most engaging or memorable movie. It's more of a hangout story mixed with a therapy session. It's not likely to change anyone's outlook on life, but it will provide some comfort for those entering a midlife crisis, a fear that everything is only going to get worse. This may not feel essential to audiences, but it definitely feels like it speaks volumes and importance to its creator, allowing a brief moment to be vulnerable before the next stage of her career produces something more wondrous. Life doesn't end at 40. If anything, it's the start of another fantastic period full of even more great experiences. Sometimes it's hard for us to see it, but Coppola promises that talking things out may be the best way to get through it. Don't cloister yourself from others, and there's a good chance that the next stage of your life will be even better.