10 Recent Films That Totally Blew The Ending

Sofia Coppola's new drama On the Rocks was a subtle subversion of what the marketing suggested it to be.

Though the trailers implied that the movie would focus on Laura (Rashida Jones) teaming up with her slick father Felix (Bill Murray) to get revenge on her unfaithful husband Dean (Marlon Wayans), the sum of its parts was really something else.

Coppola spends the bulk of the film keeping viewers in the dark about whether or not Dean has indeed been cheating with his gorgeous associate Fiona (Jessica Henwick), though in the third act it finally comes out that, in fact, Dean's simply been preoccupied with his work.

And so, the film ends with an intentional anti-climax, as Laura and Dean talk about their problems and seemingly get over this speed-bump in their relationship.

Even though this non-event of an ending is entirely purposeful by Coppola, it's still incredibly unsatisfying because it just doesn't feel particularly earned, all the more so given that the final scene literally sees Laura removing her father's watch and putting on a new one Dean bought for her.

For a director as stridently, fiercely feminist as Coppola, it was a bit odd to see Laura's journey defined by material gifts from the most immediate men in her life.

A more charitable reading might suggest, however, that it's conveying how she's putting the past behind her and embracing the future. Each to their own.