Getting right to the point, I’m sick of stories about rich liberals. That On the Rocks is well-shot and well-acted does nothing to change that its characters are vapid socialites who live in a tone-deaf world of wealth and privilege – and no amount of conspicuously placed Bernie Sanders stickers inside the front doors of spacious New York apartments will change that. Sorry folks. I know this world exists, and I know lots of people in it like to pat themselves on the back for caring so much about all those poor people who live beneath them, but I cannot and will not relate to it in any way. I’m fine with those who find On the Rocks “charming,” or whatever, but I find it tasteless and self-congratulatory.
I’ll give you an example. At one point in the movie, Bill Murray and Rashida Jones – who play father and daughter amateur sleuths – are literally eating caviar in a vintage sports car just before recklessly endangering hundreds of lives. Then, after some classist schmoozing, the cops let them off the hook with a warning. Are we supposed to be impressed by this? Read the room. No one wants to see this kind of behavior anymore. After all the unrest this past summer, this kind of inconsiderate display can’t possibly resonate with anyone who isn’t rich, can it? It’s tiring, and given the economic and over-policed reality of so many Americans, it’s also insulting.
Thankfully, director Sofia Coppola – whose work I have enjoyed in the past – keeps the runtime down to just over 90 minutes, which isn’t quite long enough to make us really hate these people, but certainly enough time for them to get under our skin and stay there for a while. Jones and Murray, for what it’s worth, work well together and handle the bourgeoisie material as well as can be expected, but remain hamstrung by the limitations of their class-centric characters. I would love to see them paired again in something with a bit more substance, as Jones has a great comedic instinct and Murray’s career speaks for itself, but On the Rocks does neither any favors. Had Coppola allowed her characters even an ounce of self-awareness about their privilege and entitlement, or offered their lack of it up as a cultural critique, On the Rocks could have been something of note. As it is, however, it’s just 96 minutes of bored rich people doing whatever the hell they want with virtually no consequences.
p.s I love it when Marlon Wayans gets to show off his dramatic skills. I just wish Coppola would have given him more to do.
James is a writer, skateboarder, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.