Cert 12
97 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, moderate sex references
What a mind-numbingly awful year 2020 has been for cinema releases.
This can't be too much of a surprise as, even when picture houses have been open, very few people have wanted to risk contracting coronavirus.
Thus, studios have held back the big earners and have sent out a dirge diet for those of us who are insistent on ticking off the latest releases.
Frankly, what was previously a joy has become a chore.
I thought On The Rocks may buck the trend because it stars comedy legend Bill Murray and accomplished actress Rashida Jones.
And wasn't its director, Sofia Coppola, nominated for an Oscar?
Yes, she was... for another Bill Murray movie, Lost In Translation, which I am afraid went straight over my head.
As did On The Rocks.
The premise is that a young writer (Jones) has a happy home life until she becomes obsessed that her husband (Marlon Wayans) is having an affair during work trips.
She begins to compile evidence in her head and makes the mistake of telling her flamboyant and philandering dad (Murray) of her hypothesis.
For reasons which are difficult to fathom, he takes no persuasion to join in the detective work - even more convinced than his daughter of her husband's infidelity.
So, they set about the most extreme surveillance to catch him in flagrante.
I couldn't work out whether this was meant to be funny but it certainly didn't elicit any laughs.
Yes, Murray has a type of old-man twinkle in his eye but it just isn't enough to carry the film whose set pieces become more ludicrous as it goes on.
On the plus side, it looks good but pretty people are not enough to save it from joining the long list of 2020 also-rans.
Reasons to watch: The impish Bill Murray
Reasons to avoid: Very slow
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 4/10
Did you know? It’s almost impossible to imagine anyone besides Tom Hanks playing Forrest Gump but it almost ended up being Bill Murray. He wasn’t a fan of the role, however, and turned it down.
The final word. Sofia Coppola: "Watch (it) at home in a cosy way. It’s not an epic you have to see on a big screen or anything.” Independent
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