I'm going to start this blog by stating there are spoilers ahead. I decided that today's blog will be a blog in which one can read AFTER watching the film instead of reading BEFORE the film like I have done with the previous blog posts. In order for me to fully delve into this film I decided I had to dive straight into a blog that would allow me to fully express my opinions of the film and in order for me to do so, requires a bit of light spoiling. Now I do know there are also people out there who don't mind a film being spoiled for them and to those people I say welcome. Just because it's not my preferred cinematic experience, as long as you are happy then allow me to continue and I thank you for staying...
First things off, even though the majority reading will have hopefully seen the film already, for those rare few who love a spoiler, the film; written and directed by Sofia Coppola, follows Rashida Jones, a wife, and mother of 2 adorable kids, through her day to day life as she struggles with writer's block and the mundane tasks of being a parent. Her husband (portrayed by the great Marlon Wayans) is away lots for work and it seems she misses the spark in their relationship. One day she begins to have suspicions about her husband's infidelity and her bachelor-like wealthy father portrayed by the wonderful Bill Murray, decides he must get to the bottom of this and help his daughter in an almost bounty-like scenario filled with midnight stalkings and the tapping of her husband's credit cards.
Bill Murray is absolutely fantastic in this film, as he is in almost everything he does and the humourous quirks of his character really shine through as he aids his daughter in discovering the infidelity of Dean (her husband). In what is a painful experience for any woman (or individual for that matter), discovering the infidelity of their partner, Coppola crafts the film, and Murray's character, in such a way that finds the humor in the situation which inevitably makes the film feel less heavy and much more heartwarming. Whilst Laura's (Jones) relationship seems to be on the brink with Dean, the relationship between her and her father seems to strengthen and act as a support blanket for Laura in her time of confusion.
There is a sense of simplicity within this film in which evokes the same feeling as that of Coppola's previous work on her film 'Lost in Translation.' I feel the simplicity helps to make the film seem more relatable and this really helps you to feel connected to the film in some way or another and really helps to immerse you into the world of the characters. The simple yet relatable acts of Laura taking her kids to school everyday and moving through the swarms of mothers with ongoing chitchats, struggling with writer's block, and keeping up appearances with family members such as her mother and grandmother, all work together to highlight the relatable aspect of the film as everyone has dealt with at least one of these tasks of everyday life. Whether it be the lack of motivation for work or the struggle to keep up with everyone else in life, the simplicity behind the monotonous tasks of each day makes the film very easy to watch.
When Murray's eccentric and easy-going ladies' man is introduced, it provides a look into this other side of Laura's life. The slightly more crazy and unpredictable aspect of her life that she uses in times of need but also when she needs a pick-me-up. It is clear that their relationship is quite close and is sweet to see the care her father has for her. As mentioned before, the humourous ladies man aspect of Murray's character is used for Laura to call out and highlight the ridiculousness of his actions. In a way, Laura acts as a voice for the audience in calling out his hilarious but ridiculous advances at almost every woman he comes into contact with and this once again adds to the light-hearted feel of the film.
Jumping quite a bit to the end of the film here, I wanted to discuss the ending before concluding what I think will be my longest blog thus far. I went to see this film with my mother and I was grateful for two reasons. The first, that my stepfather treated us to a girls night out not long after the lockdown ended which was lovely for my first outing after arriving back home from uni, and the second because she had a different opinion to me on the ending of the film. For me I love going to the cinema with other people and enjoying the chatter afterward of our opinions on the film, and whilst it's almost always the same opinions, it's nice when the other person doesn't feel the exact same way because it offers you another insight into the overall watching experience. It is the beauty of good cinema when two people can go in and come out with a completely different outlook on the film they have just seen.
To remind those who have watched and introduce to those who haven't already seen, the end of the film entails Laura and her father in Mexico where they follow Dean to see if he is cheating on her with his colleague when it is actually revealed he is not there and has returned home early to surprise Laura at home. Laura also discovers his work colleague is there with her girlfriend and that clearly Laura has made a massive mistake. After a fight with her father and a panicked outpouring of emotion once home, Dean concludes he was not having an affair and genuinely was just preoccupied with work. It turns out all this time she had been mistaken but was continuously led down the wrong path by her father's continuous suspicions. Obviously, she and Dean reconcile and she apologises for her mistakes and it rounds the film off in a simple yet bittersweet way.
Whilst I felt Dean should have been more forward in his side of the situation and that he should have also apologised, it was interesting to see a film in which the suspicions of a wife did not always lead to the husband shagging his work colleague and giving up his whole family dynamic. It would have been too cliché and therefore, the simplicity of Coppola's writing is highlighted and helps present that yes we're not all perfect and we all make mistakes sometimes but it is always possible to get past it. Granted, I did find it almost unsatisfying, it was an interesting approach to a common issue within many people's lives.
My mother had different opinions and they were perfectly valid too. She felt, like me, that the husband had been so shitty and that at the end of the film the woman was made to look like the person in the wrong at the end of it all, which I could kind of see and agree that was an issue with the film. If only Dean had been more forward in his apology, then the film would have ended nice and rounded, but as I mentioned above, I felt that this was a nice approach to the stereotypical tale of a husband's infidelity. In addition, she also felt frustrated that Murray's overprotectiveness and determination to get to the bottom of it all left him looking bad when Laura shouts at him for getting too involved in everyone's lives. But I feel this was needed in the film. My mother claims it ruins Bill Murray's likeability as it becomes hard for the audience to see him as the villain at the end of the film.
Yes at the end of the film, it seems like she is upset with him for what he is done, but what I got from it when watching, was that he tried to make up for his own infidelity in the past and that whilst he was left seeming almost villain-like, it highlighted his own inner conflict and his guilt for his past actions. Whilst Laura is upset and rightly so, her anger with him was needed to highlight that as he had been living this lavish and carefree lifestyle, Laura still holds feelings of upset at him for what he has done in the past. It reflects that whilst their father and daughter relationship seemed great, it too is scarred and that is a part of life almost all of us endure. Yes, all our relationships are not perfect but leaving Murray to be portrayed as the villain-like character at the end almost presents that whilst her relationship with her husband has been healed and mended, her relationship with her father is now much more complex than before. As a result of what she has just been through with her husband, there is now a sense of optimism that time will heal it and that it won't take long until they are both back to the way they were at the start of the film.
I do like a complex ending and whilst frustrating and unsatisfying, they can really help you to analyse and look at the events of the film in a whole new way and approach it at different angles to see the real beauty behind the craft of it all. Yes, it was incredibly frustrating that for once, you wanted to find that the husband had cheated on her to give closure, but that was what was so interesting about this film as it brought something new to the table. And yes, whilst it is heartbreaking to see Murray's character looking like the cruel and awful one at the end of the film, that was needed in order for the audience to contemplate the stance of their father-daughter relationship now as a result of all that has happened.
I did enjoy the film and liked the simplicity behind it all. It felt very real and had some really funny parts to it which helped make it a great film to watch. For those who haven't watched and are still not mad at me for spoiling most of the film, I implore you to watch and would like you to contemplate what you thought about the ending. Like Coppola's previous 'Lost In Translation,' I liked the ambiguity of it and the performances within the film were just fantastic.
It's a good mid-week late-night film, leaving you with a new outlook on relationships you hold within life and is an outlook you were not anticipating to have before watching. What I also must note was that to keep this blog nonbiased (apart from the discussions with my mother), I have not spoken to anyone else about the film or read any other literature regarding the film for fear of altering my own personal opinion of the film. These were my own conclusions of the film and I felt it was important to stay true to that until at least after I had completed this blog. Coppola definitely has a way of making us look at our own situations in life in a new way and either relate to or learn from her films in some way shape or form. Beautiful but simple this film was such a great watch.
Quick Trivia:
Heard on the phone beforehand, Bill Murray first appears 18 minutes into the movie.
The third film of Sofia Coppola, in which the lead actress (Rashida Jones) is left-handed, the others being Scarlet Johansson in Lost in Translation and Nicole Kidman in The Beguiled.
A picture of Bill Murray's character and Barack Obama playing mini-golf in the film is a real photo. It was taken when Bill Murray was presented with The Mark Twain Prize.
The third reunion of Lost in Translation writer/director Sofia Coppola and Oscar-nominated Bill Murray.
Director: Sofia Coppola
Writer: Sofia Coppola
Certificate: 12
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Stream: Apple TV+