How to watch On The Rocks online: Release date, reviews, trailer and how to watch online

how to watch On The Rocks
(Image credit: Apple TV+)
On The Rocks release date, cast

Release date: Friday, Oct. 23
Director:
Sofia Coppola
Cast: Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, Marlon Wayans, Jenny Slate
Run-time: 1h 36min
Age rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

We're ready to watch On The Rocks online, and have been ever since we heard the film would reunite Lost In Translation's director Sofia Coppola and star Bill Murray. Murray plays Felix, the father of Laura (Rashida Jones), a New Yorker whose husband Dean (Marlon Wayans) may be having an affair.

Felix is in town to push at Laura to settle this, and bring her out of her funk. Produced by American Zoetrope and A24, On The Rocks looks to take audiences on a tour of New York, as the father/daughter tandem dine at the Bemelmans Bar among other locales.

Murray's Felix appears to be something of a man about town or playboy, and the conversations between he and Laura — which may be the meat of the film — dive in and out of the relationships of parents and their adult children, aging and marriages in general. 

Felix has been in absentia for much of Laura's life, so his return to help her may not be as much about her as something else in his life. We'll have to find out.

Here's everything you need to know about how to watch On The Rocks online right now. Plus, check out the trailer below:

How to watch On The Rocks with a VPN

If you're stuck abroad — in one of the few countries where Apple TV Plus is not available — you will likely run into geo-fenced restrictions on the platforms and services you can use. But with the help of a virtual private network (VPN), you can watch On The Rocks and all the other services you already pay for no matter where you are. 

Based on our testing, the best VPN is ExpressVPN, which is easy to use and delivers fast internet speeds, making it simple to set up for streaming in no time at all. It also works on practically any device, starting with iOS and Android and including streaming devices such as the Amazon Fire TV Stick and Apple TV. Plus, game consoles like PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. 

ExpressVPN

Our favorite VPN service, ExpressVPN, is a top choice for those looking to watch On The Rocks. It's got a solid mix of safety, speed and ease-of-use. Plus, you get an extra 3 months free if you sign up for a year. If you've never used a VPN before and are curious and not sure, there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you just want to give it a try.

How to watch On The Rocks on streaming

On The Rocks arrives on Apple TV Plus on Friday (Oct. 23). Apple TV Plus is available around the world, and the film will likely arrive sometime around midnight PT.

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You can watch On The Rocks for free, as new members can take advantage of the Apple TV Plus 7-day free trial. Apple TV plus costs $4.99 per month thereafter, and features excellent programming such as Ted Lasso, Beastie Boys Story and The Morning Show. 

On The Rocks reviews

The reviews of On The Rocks are mostly positive, with some critiques. Here's a round-up of what movie critics are saying.

RogerEbert: "There’s so much to love about “On the Rocks” that it’s rather easy to overlook the ending that doesn’t seem to meaningfully abate its narrative concerns. We leave the film convinced of something the movie won’t fess up to, but ultimately that may itself be the point of this deceptively frothy exercise."

Variety: "On the Rocks is a romance, in which a father and daughter learn who they are through the lens of what love and trust are really about. The movie cruises forward on all of Coppola’s gifts, yet it’s just good enough to make you wish it were major."

Chicago Sun Times: "Jones and Murray are wonderful together; many of the best scenes in On the Rocks are when it’s just the two of them, verbally fencing. As you’d expect, though Jones is the star of the movie and Laura has her showcase moments, whenever Jones and Murray are onscreen together, she has the reaction role, and she beautifully returns every one of the master’s volleys. "

The New Yorker: "Sofia Coppola’s new film displays less style than her other features, but its relative plainness is key to its substance: its gimlet gaze at the conveniences of wealth and the prerogatives of privilege."

CBR: "This isn’t a grand narrative that sheds light on the relationships between fathers and daughters in general, and despite the scenario that serves as the catalyst for the story, Coppola has no interest in bombastic revelations or over-the-top emotions. Instead, On the Rocks depicts a point in life many of us go through, when routine and the needs of others get the better of us, and ultimately showcases the very different ways a particular father and daughter choose to handle them. The film is small but precise, mild but funny and satisfyingly entertaining."

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Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.