On the Rocks

This movie is a tone-deaf failure with a boring sitcom plot and actors who don't gel. Even though it reunites Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola, it has none of the charm and atmosphere of Lost in Translation.

Murray looks like he's doing it as a favor for Coppola, but would actually rather be somewhere else. His delivery is strangely affectless and his character is utterly unlikeable. The main character is written to be deliberately uninteresting and charmless - I actually felt a bit bad for the actress who had to portray her that way. She has no chemistry with the actor who portrays her husband, and every time they're together it seems more like an awkward first date than a scene from a marriage. Their two children are super cute but have almost no dramatic role and spend most of the movie with babysitters while the main characters are drinking and eating at fancy restaurants and parties.

The plot is totally pedestrian and can be summed up as: "I think my husband is having an affair. Let's follow him and see if we can catch him in the act!" And then, uh oh, now Lucy has a lot of splainin' to do. Fortunately, the characters are all rich, so they don't have to worry much about the consequences of bad decisions. Viewers are left with little more than an off-putting taste of life in the bubble of New York City privilege and wealth.

I really loved this film. The chemistry of Jones and Murray was a real driving force, and both characters were, to me at least, very well rounded, interesting and funny. I think it was shot beautifully, and all of the short scenes really conveyed the mundanity of her life, and the monotony of adulthood. I loved the semi redemption of Murray's character, with some people unable to forgive his actions, but his relationship with his daughter struggling through. I just found the whole thing very real, and affecting, and overall I loved it.

Sofia Coppola teams up with Bill Murray for the first time since their 2003 masterpiece. The film has him leading his daughter around NYC on a mission to catch her husband having an affair. It all feels very slight -- like a caper comedy about rich people problems. Murray's charisma carries the bulk of the running time, and there are some good scenes. However, it lacks any and all profundity... settling for mild chuckles and forgoing the sting in the tail that the film so desperately needed.

This movie seems likes its been made 1,000 times before. Nothing new really. Technically, I was very surprised at the constant sound issues. There are more than a few times when dialogue was added to a scene and it is obvious to the audience. Quite surprising from a well respected director. One thing that got tired quickly was the stereotypical notion that men cheat. Every 5 minutes, we are reminded that men cheat. They have no choice. This is a lie that keeps being told over and over. Today one is not supposed to stereotype any group, but apparently it is still ok to stereotype men. The truth is that just as many married women cheat as much as men, if not more, and studies reflect this. Ironically, this movie makes such an effort to be politically correct, but decides its perfectly ok to have the most ugly and baseless stereotype around apply to men.

A pointless bore fest, Bill Murray adds some sparkle and humour, Jones gives a solid performance but, it's dull dull dull, and utterly pointless. What a waste of 96 minutes.