Movie · 2020 · Drama, Comedy, Romance · 1h 36m · R · English
Curator score: 6.4/10 (40.2K ratings)
Love, suspicion, and one very opinionated father.
Overview
Faced with sudden doubts about her marriage, a young New York mother teams up with her larger-than-life playboy father to tail her husband.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.4/10
IMDb: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Metacritic: 73
TMDB: 6.1/10
Director
Sofia Coppola
Production
American Zoetrope
Cast
Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, Marlon Wayans, Jessica Henwick, Jenny Slate, Liyanna Muscat, Alexandra Mary Reimer, Anna Chanel Reimer, Barbara Bain, Juliana Canfield, Alva Chinn, Mike Keller, Musto Pelinkovicci, Zora Casebere, Melissa Errico, Zoe Bullock, Chase Sui Wonders, Elizabeth Guindi, Jules Willcox, Ximena Lamadrid
Where to watch
Apple TV Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, lightly comic marital-doubt story with strong chemistry and an appealing New York-privilege haze, but it stays more pleasant than incisive. The performances and mood carry it; the plot is intentionally slight and may feel undercooked if you want sharper emotional stakes or bigger laughs.
Best for
Fans of Sofia Coppola’s cool, observational style
Viewers who enjoy understated relationship comedies
People who like Bill Murray’s wry, offhand charm
Anyone in the mood for a polished, low-stakes New York character piece
Skip if
You want a tightly plotted mystery or true thriller payoff
You prefer broad comedy over dry, muted humor
You need emotionally intense relationship drama
You’re impatient with privileged, insular upper-class settings
Overview
On the Rocks is less interested in solving a marriage than in circling the anxieties that make one wobble. Sofia Coppola turns a potentially melodramatic premise into something airy, rueful, and observant, with New York rendered as a soft-focus playground for doubt, projection, and self-deception.
Worth noting
The film lives or dies on the chemistry between Rashida Jones and Bill Murray, and that pairing gives it a lot of its charm. Their dynamic is funny in a way that feels lived-in rather than punchline-driven, and the movie is at its best when it lets them drift through conversations, tailing, and half-confessions.
Bottom line
Still, the story is deliberately slight, and that restraint can read as emotional vagueness. If Coppola’s mood pieces usually feel like they’re hiding a secret frequency, this one is more straightforward and less transporting, but it remains an elegant, watchable study of overthinking, privilege, and the uneasy distance between parents and children.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Lucy (2.5★) · 1717 likes
NYFF 2020: film #13
"it must be very nice to be you"
i got really annoying mild indigestion after watching this, and honestly i kind of blame sofia coppola. i don't want to say this is her worst film, but to say otherwise would be lying, so this is her worst film. when i imagine the target audience for this i see an upper class woman browsing films to rent on the couch at 9pm, remote in one hand and… more
Karsten (2★) · 1419 likes
As a fan of Sofia Coppola, Bill Murray, Jenny Slate, and dark blue color palettes, I could not be more disappointed. Is it a rom-com? Is it a satirical take on a rom-com? What is this?
Usually Coppola's work feels a little off but it's got this unique thing going for it that I can never put into words. It always keeps me interested, it's different! This....huh?? I guess I understand why the "bad acting" (up for debate) in The… more
Patrick Willems (3.5★) · 1335 likes
As soon as Marlon Wayans starts talking about his company's social media engagement and follower growth I immediately do not trust him
clem (4★) · 1288 likes
sofia coppola discovers black people (sort of)
˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗ (4★) · 1139 likes
miss sofia coppola said this one goes out to all the overthinkers out there and i honestly feel so attacked right now