The Roses

 

As August draws to a close so does the 2025 summer movie season. As I wait for the break in this relentless heat, I once again sought refuge in the cool confines of my local movie theater to check out this weeks’ latest release, The Roses. While being inspired by the 1981 novel by Warren Adler, The Roses is neither a direct remake or reboot of the 1989's The War of the Roses dark comedy classic starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. This time around we have Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch facing off as Ivy and Theo Rose.

The Roses while still a dark comedy is also tonally a different in its focus and approach. Over its hour forty-five-minute runtime this love story turned cautionary tale takes you from the initial “meet cute” through to the explosive end of a relationship highlighting how competition and unspoken resentments slowly erode the facade of a picture-perfect couple to no one's surprise but their own.  It’s a raw, powerful, heartfelt/heart breaking, whip smart, charming, delightful ride. 

Colman and Cumberbatch are perfectly cast/matched with undeniable chemistry and energy. These two British powerhouses deliver magical performances that I could and wanted to watch all day. The repressed sensibility of British humor combines well with the “American” humor highlighted through Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg. The only disappointment for me on the American front is Allison Janney not getting a bigger part to play. Janney kills with what she's given, but I wanted so much more. 

Beautiful cinematography, great direction, good pacing, stellar dialogue, mature comedy that can be a bit raunchy at times (be warned if you have an issue with that), good soundtrack that will definitely get Happy Together stuck in your head for a few hours. I also want to give a shout out to the costume department for the creations they came up with for Colman’s character. They really helped tell her story.

The Roses retains an element of the absurd but feels more grounded and relatable than The War of the Roses. The character development, motivations, and lives are richer and actually made me like this film even more.  It’s definitely worth seeing in the theaters if you have a chance. I sound this one highly enjoyable.

The Roses gets a 10 from me.

#TheRoses