NYFF 2020: On The Rocks Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s New York Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

On the Rocks, the latest offering from Sofia Coppola, the writer and director of many offbeat and interesting indie films over the last decade is no different. Her style is definitely more nuanced than her contemporaries like Wes Anderson or Noah Baumbach but it is certainly still a distinctive one. The way she makes everyday New York City come to life and become a character was just wonderful, transporting audiences into the lives of her characters.

Meanwhile, the dialogue in this film is so smooth and authentic. The film’s pacing along with its terrific performances and direction, make simple dialog-heavy sequences some of the most riveting and entertaining sequences of film this year. The premise of On The Rocks is simple- a woman named Laura (Jones) gets suspicious that her husband Dean (Wayans) might be having an affair as a result of the ideas placed in her head by her father Felix (Murray). However, the film gest so much out of that premise. Jones and Murray play off each other so perfectly while this is the best Murray has been in years. He plays off his Hollywood persona so well that it’s easy to tell that the character was written specifically for him though he gives him a level of depth and sophistication beyond his incredibly dry wit. The film jabs and deconstructs his usual archetype in unexpectedly charming and authentic ways.

On The Rocks feels like a lighter Coppola film. While it doesn’t have the emotional range or scope of her best films, it’s level of intimacy is unparalleled compared to her past works. Though it may be a feel good film, there is still that twinge of melancholy Coppola is famous for. The emotions here are incredibly simple yet so layered, doing so much with so little. That’s the magic of the mumblecore genre of film and this is certainly a great example on how to use realism to flesh out believable characters and relationships. At the end of the day, this isn’t just an arthouse film and one of the most accessible films A24 has ever produced. It’s a funny and light film that is equal parts quirky and emotionally resonate.

In the end, On The Rocks is magnificent and easily among the best films of 2020.

still courtesy of A24

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Brett Schutt

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