“The Roses” Delivers Plenty of Dark Wit and Tense Drama

“The War of the Roses” is a 1981 novel written by Warren Adler. The novel was turned into a film adaptation of the same name in 1989, starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. Reviews for the film adaptation were fairly positive and earned $160 million worldwide ($87 million domestic).

Now, another new adaptation of the 1981 novel is now showing on the big screen - “The Roses.”

In the reimagining of the 1989 classic film and 1981 novel, life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy and Theo: successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids.

But beneath the facade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing - as Theo’s career nosedives while Ivy’s own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites.

Just like the previous 1989 adaptation, “The Roses” delivers a good amount of dark humor (a little bit of which doesn’t quite land) that can be humorous at times - and is oftentimes profanity-laced.

The on-screen chemistry between Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman is easily one of the strongest elements of this adaptation. Their ability to deliver both the comedic and emotional brutal moments is also a major highlight.

A lot of their back and forth arguing, especially when the marriage is slowly on its last legs, can be brutally humorous. When they do tear into one another, the sharp wit is absolutely natural and that’s also where their on-screen chemistry really helps. Plus, it’s good to see acclaimed actor Benedict Cumberbatch work on a more comedic role.

There’s an early scene that features the couple’s counseling session (that’s also revisited later in the movie) and the counselor wanted the couple to create a list of things that they appreciate about one another - which ends up being insults that can be quite hilarious. There’s also a dinner scene with their friends where they hurl more insults at each other which can be both really funny and a bit too harsh (which breaks the comedic tone).

There are quite a few times throughout the movie where it goes back and forth

between the dark humor and the drama, which makes the tone a little inconsistent. The movie’s tone features a blend of sharp, witty dialogue and darker, more intense moments, balancing humor with genuine marital conflicts. There are times where the switch of tone works and bits that don’t.

Overall, although some of the tone can be uneven at times, “The Roses” can still deliver some funny, yet harsh laughs that older audiences might enjoy!

Cast: Olivia Colman (Ivy Rose); Benedict Cumberbatch (Theo Rose); Kate McKinnon (Amy); Andy Samberg (Barry); Nauti Gatwa (Jeffrey); Sunita Mani (Jane); Zoe Chao (Sally); Jamie Demetriov (Rory); Allison Janney (Eleanor).

Writer/director: Tony McNamara (writer) (Poor Things; Cruella); Jay Roach (director) (Bombshell; Trumbo; The Campaign).

MPA; Rated R for language throughout, sexual content and drug content   (runtime 105 minutes)

Make sure to keep on checking my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook to see any updated line ups that I have planned as I’m still in the process of planning the line up, including updates on what I will be checking out during the upcoming Fall Film Festival and even the upcoming spooky month of October!

• A reimagining of Warren Adler's 1981 novel "The War of the Roses" and The War of the Roses (1989). It is not technically a remake since many of the plot points differ.

• The house in the film isn't real. It was dreamed up from scratch by production designer Mark Ricker and constructed on a soundstage.

• The name of the smart home system in Theo's house is Hal. This is a reference to the artificial intelligence computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).