Acclaimed author Warren Adler’s literary classic “The War of the Roses” receives another big-screen adaptation from Searchlight Pictures in “The Roses”. Jay Roach helms the film while two Academy Award-nominated Tony McNamara pens the screenplay.
The opening scene in “The Roses” sets a tone that anyone who has ever gone through marriage counseling will find relatable. You’re there with your spouse, but you’re not on the same page, and solace only comes when you start hurling insults, which annoys the therapist. What follows isn’t a cautionary tale; it’s a demolition derby of love, marriage, and everything in between.
The story revolves around Theo and Ivy Rose, played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman. Once upon a time, they were the couple everyone envied. They met cutely at a restaurant where Ivy locked eyes with Theo and dove headfirst into passion. He built a career in architecture while she mastered the art of turning a house into a home, all while exploring her cooking passions. Together, they crafted a picture-perfect life—two kids, the dream house, and the kind of banter that makes dinner parties sparkle.
But picture-perfect rarely lasts. After a professional blunder, Theo loses his job, and Ivy’s restaurant takes off. During this time, their roles swap, with Theo becoming a homemaker and building a strong relationship with their kids while Ivy excels as the breadwinner. As a result, the Roses shift from lovers to sworn enemies.
One would expect Jay Roach and his screenwriters to go all out with the conflict, but instead, they take a more subdued approach. The comedy comes quickly and sharply from everyone in the cast. What stands out in the film is both Theo and Ivy’s unsettling realization that Ivy’s identity has been buried under years of polished domesticity.
The film’s third act revolves around them having personal space in their beautiful house, which Theo designed but Ivy paid for. Unlike the original, the conflict is somewhat toned down, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had as the humor balances slapstick absurdity with genuine menace.
Cumberbatch and Colman give it their all. Cumberbatch portrays Theo with a brittle arrogance that cracks into desperation, while Colman transforms Ivy’s poise into something feral. Together, they make divorce feel both horrifying and hilarious, a tightrope that Roach never lets them abandon. The supporting cast is equally strong, featuring a scene-stealing cameo from Allison Janney and razor-sharp one-liners from Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon.
The punchline? There are no winners here. Roach isn’t promoting reconciliation or even catharsis. He’s delivering a bitter truth: generosity and communication are cheaper than lawyers, and sometimes survival means letting go of the house, the pride, and maybe even trying to rediscover the magic.
Final Grade: B+
“The Roses” opens in theaters on Thursday, August 28th.
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