Bill Murray as a bon vivant gentleman mentoring a younger woman through an existential crisis? Must be a Sofia Coppola movie.
But if you’re expecting another Lost in Translation, which earned Coppola a rare nomination for Best Director back in 2003, think again. Her latest film, On The Rocks is described as “a generation-clash comedy” and “love letter to New York,” much lighter in tone than some of her previous work.
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On The Rocks stars Rashida Jones as Laura, a New York City mother who has lost her sense of identity. Her husband Dean (Marlon Wayans) has an ambitious new career, and though she’s happy for him to be pursuing his dreams, she wonders where that leaves her. Is she just a wife, holding down the fort until he strolls back through the door? Is she just a mom, caring for her kids at the expense of her own personhood? But when Dean starts spending more and more late hours with a new colleague, Laura teams up with her charming playboy father Felix (Murray) to get to the bottom of her plight. And if that involves careening through the streets in a conspicuous red sports car with stops for ice cold martinis and chocolate sundaes in glamorous old New York hangouts? What can I say...cheers! (Don't expect to see shots of Thompson Street, however. The film's on-screen drama spilled out into the real world feud when a local flower shop owner protested the production shutting down her business, forcing Coppola to move the shoot.)
The trailer, released on August 19, starts with Laura describing her situation to Felix over lunch. “Maybe he’s just not interested in me anymore,” she says about Dean.
“Impossible,” Felix replies. “A woman is at her most beautiful between the ages of 35 and 39.”
“Great," she sighs. "So I have many months left.”
Felix's sketchy pearls of wisdom aside, the movie seems like a natural addition to the Coppola cannon, which has focused on family ties in the past — albeit in wildly different ways — with films like The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and Somewhere.
On the Rocks, the first original film produced under a new Apple TV/A24 partnership, will be released in theaters and on Apple TV+ in October. Watch the full trailer below.
On the Rocks, the first original film produced under a new Apple TV/A24 partnership, will be released in theaters and on Apple TV+ in October. Watch the full trailer below.