ON THE ROCKS
A well-acted marriage mystery for discerning adults.
Should You Watch It?
ON THE ROCKS is an entertaining, well-directed comedy drama with good performances, especially from Bill Murray as Laura’s quirky father. Its strongest qualities are also its clearest moral ones: family, pursuing the truth, and marital fidelity ultimately matter.
The movie’s content keeps it from being suitable for a family movie night. It includes eight obscenities, nine profanities, dialogue about marital infidelity, an implied sexual relationship between two women, and worldview comments that some Christian viewers will find troubling. The story’s moral center is worthwhile, but the negative material is not incidental.
If you are a discerning adult who can engage those elements thoughtfully, this may be worth watching. For children and young teens, choose something else.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESAfter a wedding, Laura and Dean are living in New York City with their two daughters. Dean’s high-profile technology job is thriving, while Laura struggles to balance motherhood, marriage, and her work as a writer.
When Laura begins to suspect that Dean may be unfaithful, she turns to her smooth-talking, chauvinistic father, Felix, for help uncovering the truth. Their investigation takes them from New York to a supposed business trip in Mexico.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means ON THE ROCKS is a good, entertaining film with noticeable limitations. Sophia Coppola’s script has a tone similar to some of her other movies, especially LOST IN TRANSLATION, which also stars Bill Murray.
Murray brings authenticity and appealing quirks to his role as a father. Rashida Jones and Marlon Wayans give solid performances too. Overall, the movie is a good example of well-directed and well-acted indie-type entertainment.
The Worldview
ON THE ROCKS has a strong moral worldview centered on family, truth, and marital fidelity. Characters pursue the truth, and the story ultimately affirms faithfulness in marriage. Several expressions of love between family members also reinforce the importance of relationships.
That moral center is marred by negative elements. One scene implies that two women are physically involved. Bill Murray’s dry humor includes comments about how women have physically evolved and about birthdays originally being a pagan holiday that Christians did not celebrate. The film also includes foul language and dialogue about illicit affairs.
The movie’s central longing is for truth and faithfulness within family life. Scripture likewise honors marriage: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong morality where characters pursue the truth, several “I love yous” are sprinkled throughout the movie, and marital faithfulness ultimately reigns supreme, marred by some negative content such as female protagonist’s quirky father makes a humorous comment about how women have physically evolved, father mentions how birthdays were originally a pagan holiday that Christians didn’t celebrate, it’s implied in one scene that two women are physically involved with one another
Foul Language
Eight obscenities (including three “f” words) and nine profanities (including one Jesus profanity)
Violence
No violence
Sex
Implied sex between a newlywed couple with their undergarments depicted on the floor, a minor character has an affair with a married man, there’s mention of a cult in Canada where women seduce men sexually, and a brief homosexual element (see above)
Nudity
Some statues with upper female nudity are shown, upper male nudity in two scenes with a pool, and one other where a man crawls into bed, girl takes a bath but viewers don’t see any private parts, a mother takes a shower, but there’s only implied nudity, newly married wife jumps into a pool with only her underwear, but there’s no explicit nudity
Alcohol Use
Social alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or illegal drug content, but mention of a character taking Xanax;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Lying, suspicions of marital unfaithfulness, smooth-talking one’s way out of a traffic ticket, and father fakes that he’s kissing his daughter to get out of a sticky situation by getting really close to her, but she scolds him for his trickery.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Laura suspects Dean may be unfaithful. Why is truth important in marriage, and how should suspicion be handled wisely?
Ephesians 4:25 · Proverbs 12:22The story ultimately values marital faithfulness. What does Scripture say makes marriage worthy of honor?
Hebrews 13:4 · Matthew 19:4–6Felix uses charm and deception to get out of difficult situations. When can cleverness become dishonesty?
Proverbs 26:28 · Colossians 3:9The characters are trying to keep family relationships intact. What does love look like when a family member is struggling?
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 · Galatians 6:2The Final Word
ON THE ROCKS offers discerning adults an entertaining, well-directed comedy drama with strong performances and a moral center focused on family, truth, and marital fidelity. Its negative content makes it unsuitable for children and young teens. Our answer is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For family viewing, see.
