By Steve Crum

In her 2002 Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola cast Bill Murray as Bob Harris in a midlife crisis role. The producer/director/writer has now recast Murray as a gray haired, wealthy divorcee in the dramedy On the Rocks. Murray’s Felix Keane is older but not much wiser as he doles out lovelorn advice to anyone who will listen. It is not a blessing when the object of such is now his adult daughter, Laura (Rashida Jones). 

Specifically, Laura and husband Dean (Marlon Wayans) are an upscale Manhattan couple with two young kids, Maya and Theo. Laura is a struggling novelist while her husband is beginning to rise to the top of his tech start-up. Since he is increasingly out of town for business trips, Laura assumes the role of stay-at-home mom. Things change when she sees a change in her husband as the passion seems to be dwindling from their relationship. 

Her suspicions really rise after she confides her misgivings to her estranged father, who happens to stop by to visit when Dean is away. Of all people to offer marital advice, her father should be the last person to do so. He has a history of infidelity, yet he claims to know women (and men) better than anyone. Just ask him. It is here that Bill Murray really sparkles. He is Mr. Smooth, who dishes out advice and flirts with virtually every lady (including waitresses) he encounters. Yet he believably pulls it off in a way catered to Murray’s demeanor. It is pretty hilarious at times. Even his daughter, who ought to know better, falls under his spell and goes along with him as he convinces her that husband Dean is cheating on her. 

Coppola’s script is a tight 96 minutes, yet ambles on at a slow pace. It turns out that there isn’t really too much to the story, but Murray’s eccentric, charismatic presence sells it. The charming Felix will even arise and burst into song without the drop of any hat at a restaurant. The classic Theme to Laura is his fav. (Who else but Bill Murray could get away with harking back to his lounge singer schtick from his days at Saturday Night Live?) 

What happens to Laura—as well as her father—involves pursuit and investigation. Consider them amateur detectives. Along the way, the pairing of introvert Laura and extrovert Felix nears explosion. 

Laura: ”Do you really have to make such a big entrance everywhere you go?” 

Felix: “What happened to you? You used to be fun.” 

There is obviously a multiple meaning to the title, On the Rocks.  

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: B