‘The Roses’ REVIEW: Perfectly thorny fun, with surprising vulnerability at the heart of it all
‘The Roses’ REVIEW: Perfectly thorny fun, with surprising vulnerability at the heart of it all
Benedict Cumberbatch as Theo Rose and Olivia Colman as Ivy Rose in The Roses | Still courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
Every rose has its thorn, or whatever Poison sang in 1998… and what could possibly be thornier than navigating through married life? Married life can be tough. I mean, based on what I’ve seen, I’m still so far off from that period of life. It’s a push and pull of trying to make sure you and your partner are both happy and fulfilled, while trying to make sure the pendulum doesn’t swing too far in one way or the other.
The Roses, directed by Jay Roach and written by Tony McNamara — of Meet the Parents and The Great, Poor Things and The Favorite fame, respectively — is a black comedy about a husband and wife dealing with the turns their life takes, and how far resentment and frustration can drive them. It’s an adaptation of the 1981 novel The War of the Roses by Warren Adler, and also a remake of the 1989 film of the same name directed by Danny DeVito, which starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.
Listen, I’m extremely picky about my remakes. I remember seeing the trailer for this film and going, “Oh, I feel like this could be good, but I think that I’ve seen this before”. Hollywood has done far too many rehashes recently, and most of them have been worse than the original.
That is not the case here.
Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch are perfectly cast as Ivy and Theo Rose. Nina Gold worked her casting magic yet again, finding a pairing that makes the film something special. They’re on top form here, both very English with a wickedly dry sense of humour that is one of the reasons why they are drawn to each other. Both of them are able to deliver McNamara's wordy script with the perfect tone, humour, and vitriol that it requires. I love to watch a dysfunctional couple just absolutely go at each other, and McNamara has always delivered on that front, as someone who is a massive The Great fan.
A particular standout sequence in the film for me is a dinner scene with the couple’s closest friends. “Ivy likes to leave a little bit of herself in everything she does,” Cumberbatch remarks after one guest makes a remark on the bitterness of a dish, which leads to the two sniping back and forth. There is also an explosive argument in which Colman scathingly shouts
“You are a bottomless pit of need!” which is a banger of a line.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Theo Rose and Olivia Colman as Ivy Rose in The Roses | Still courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
Behind all the barbs, though, The Roses has a vulnerable center that truly surprised me when I saw the film. While I enjoy the 1989 film, I feel that this one makes a better case about what made these two people decide to be together in the first place.
Both Ivy and Theo have lofty dreams. Theo is a successful architect, and Ivy is a successful chef; their lives changed when they moved to the United States together. They’ve had kids, and over the course of their life, one or the other has to sacrifice their wants in order to take care of them. It’s a surprisingly realistic core at the center of the absurdity of it all. How do you support your partner with their dreams while trying not to resent that you can't really follow yours? The answer is, unless you’rea very healed person (Sana all), you can’t.
The main problem for Ivy and Theo is not that they don’t love each other — it’s that they do. They want the best for the other, but in doing so, they steamroll over their own needs or even make decisions on behalf of the other that steamrolls theirs. The line between love and hate can be so fine when you feel defeated, which is exactly what leads to the explosion of the Roses’ life and marriage.
As someone who grew up with two parents who had their own jobs, I’ve been front and center to the delicate balancing act that is a work-life balance in that situation, and it's something that so many more couples are facing today. The vulnerability present at the heart of it all is something that really pushed me over the edge in terms of enjoying this more. There are times where it almost feels like I’m watching a relationship drama unfold in a stage play, and it fits the tone and comedy of it all very well. And also my enjoyment of this very, dry almost British sense of humour that involves being mean at times.
Speaking of British stuff, I do find it funny that the equally as stellar supporting cast has Ncuti Gatwa and Jamie Demetriou, both playing Americans opposite a very British Colman and Cumberbatch. The standouts in the supporting cast, though, are Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon, who play the Roses’ well meaning friends and fellow couple. They are extremely funny as a contrast to the main pair, and even offer them some heartfelt insights into how their marriage works. I must say, though, there are some jokes for Kate McKinnon’s character that I felt a bit icked out by, but it was nothing major. I also really enjoyed Ivy’s co-workers at her restaurant, who were played by Ncuti and Sunita Mani. 10/10 would go to a restaurant if they were my servers.
Overall, I would say The Roses is a wickedly funny comedy, driven by Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, two actors on the top of their game, that has a surprising amount of heart and something to say about living your life tied to someone else. I had a blast at the advanced screening, watching and laughing with the people around me. I left the theater immediately wanting to go for another round, and most likely will, this time with my mum. A great dark comedy is hard to come by these days, and like all great comedies, the bitterness of truth nestled in it just makes the jokes land so much better. And what’s a few thorns in your palm, anyway?
