Sofia Coppola’s latest outing On the Rocks is one of few cinematic explorations of this complex familial bond
In Sofia Coppola’s new movie, On the Rocks, mum Laura (Rashida Jones) worries that her husband has another woman in his life. But it is Laura who has another man in her life: her father. Played by Bill Murray (who else?), he is an old-school bon viveur whose charm glosses over all personality defects. He co-opts Laura into a plot to catch out her cheating husband, or is it an excuse to spend more time with her?
Either way, it is time well spent: fathers and daughters rarely hang out together – at least not on screen. It is striking how seldom the relationship has been explored (no, Taken doesn’t count). Perhaps it’s no surprise, given how cinema has long been dominated by ambitious men who rarely had time for their families. But now the daughters are getting to tell their side of the story.