ON THE ROCKS
*CUT TO THE CHASE*NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Alex
In voiceover, Felix Keene (Bill Murray) tells his daughter Laura (Rashida Jones) never to give her heart to any man. Later, she marries Dean (Marlon Wayans). Later on, they have two young children and have settled into a slightly dull married routine. One night, Dean comes home from a work trip and begins kissing her passionately – when she speaks to him, her voice seems to kill the moment and he simply goes to bed, causing Laura to be concerned. She also is worried about writing her new book which she has already sold.
She calls Felix while he’s in Paris, who suspects (as Laura also wondered) that Dean thought she was someone else. He tells her to think like a man. Later, in Dean’s luggage, she finds a purse with body oil inside. She goes to a work party for Dean’s highly successful business and feels alienated from him and his co-workers, including the beautiful Fiona (Jessica Henwick), who is touchy with Dean. On the way home, Laura asks Dean about the woman’s bag, and he says it was Fiona’s but she couldn’t fit it in her carry-on so he put it in his bag.
Laura has lunch with her Gran and other family members and Gran asks her to tell her father to visit her. They discuss Felix and what a womanizer he is. They also all seem suspicious of Dean. Felix returns and invites Laura to lunch, picking her up in his chauffeured limo. He’s very flirtatious with every woman he sees and a big character. Felix asks a lot of questions about Dean’s trip, including offering to have a friend look into the hotel they stayed at. When she tells him about the luggage, Felix says this is how men behave and Dean is cheating. Laura says Dean isn’t like Felix. Laura tells Felix Dean is going to be out of town for her birthday, which Felix feels is unacceptable. He urges Laura to check Dean’s phone, which she does but doesn’t have time to find anything.
Felix begins spending time with his granddaughters, and Laura gets frustrated with Felix’s old school way of doing things. Dean goes out of town during Laura’s birthday, and then facetimes with Laura and the girls. He surprises Laura with a gift, which is a kitchen appliance she doesn’t seem very excited with. Despite her insistence she didn’t want to do anything for her birthday, Felix comes to take Laura out on the town. After some cajoling, Laura agrees and gets dressed up to go out. Felix asks Laura if Dean got her any jewelry, and when she tells him no, Felix tells Laura he had Dean followed and that he went into Cartier.
At dinner, Felix gives Laura his watch that she always admired. He tells Laura that they should follow Dean to catch him in the act. She is reluctant but Felix says if Dean is doing something untoward she deserves to know the truth. Dean returns to town and takes Laura to dinner, where Laura confesses she is having trouble writing her book. The dinner is slightly awkward. Later, when Dean says he has to go out for a work dinner, Felix picks up Laura in a red convertible to go see what he’s really doing.
While spying, they see Dean, Fiona, and two others enter the restaurant and go inside. Felix has provided caviar as the stakeout snack. Laura asks if a man can ever be with just one woman – Felix says no, and says men are hardwired that way. Dean calls and tells Laura he will probably not be home until after midnight. They then witness the colleagues leave and Dean and Fiona get into a taxi together. Felix trails them, driving like a crazy person. Felix runs a red in an attempt to catch up with the taxi, and they get pulled over by police. Felix knows the police officer’s father and charms the officer until he lets them go.
Later, Felix invites Laura over and shows her photographs he’s had taken of Dean, having had him followed. He also tells her that Dean has booked a trip to Mexico, which Laura doesn’t believe, insisting Dean would tell her if that was the case. Later at home, Dean tells Laura he’s been invited to a last-minute trip to Mexico. When she confirms this to Felix, he tells her he’s going to book them a trip to Mexico, which she doesn’t want to do – but he convinces her and she leaves her kids with her mother.
At the resort, Laura stumbles on Felix singing a song for the surrounding guests, all of whom he knows. At dinner that night, Laura asks Felix why he had an affair and cheated on her mother. He explains that her mother gave all her light to her, but once she had kids, all the light went to her kids. So when someone new shone their light on him he couldn’t resist that. He tells her that the woman he left Laura’s mother for recently died and he never got to say goodbye. Laura asks him if ruining their family was worth it since he didn’t even stay with the woman he left them for. Felix simply says it was heartbreaking for everyone.
Laura and Felix spy on Dean’s room and Felix spots a woman in there. Laura rushes in to confront them, which Felix insists is a bad idea. Laura’s phone begins ringing, and as she struggles to answer it Fiona exits her room and runs right into her. Laura answers the phone and discovers its Dean, who tells her finished early and caught a surprise flight home to come back to his family. Fiona tells Laura that when Dean left early he gave her his fancy hotel room. Not only that, but her partner in the room is another woman.
Laura is angry with her father for convincing her to do this, and says he makes it all about himself, and is ruining her marriage like he ruined his own. She tells him he needs to start controlling his own behavior and she tells him his inability to be around a woman without hitting on her is pathetic. Felix tells her she used to be fun. Laura tries to get a flight back home but can’t right away. When she arrives home, Dean is confused and hurt. Laura tells him she felt bored and confused and that he wasn’t around. He tells her he’s just busy working to be successful because he wants to impress her and she tells him he doesn’t need to do that, and they make up.
Laura returns to working on her book. Felix comes to see her, and Laura tells him next time to just ask her if he wants to spend some time together. He has an idea for a trip they can take right away, and she politely declines, but the two have made up and say goodbye warmly. Dean and Laura go to dinner where he gives her the rest of her birthday present – a watch from Cartier. He apologizes he didn’t realize how long they take to engrave. Laura smiles and blows out her birthday candle.
Laura (Rashida Jones) is a married writer and mother of two suffering from writer's block. When her husband Dean (Marlon Wayans) - who has been very busy at work - begins acting strangely, she begins to wonder if he might be having an affair. Her father Felix (Bill Murray), a womanizer who cheated on Laura's mother, says that men do this and that Dean is having an affair. He has Dean followed and learns of suspicious purchases and trips he's taking. Eventually he convinces Laura to go with him to Mexico to spy on Dean on his work trip. She reluctantly goes, and it turns out that Dean was not having an affair and Laura is embarrassed and angry at her father. She makes things right with her relationship with Dean, returns to writing, and makes peace with Felix as well.