The Roses
A thoroughly British reimagining of 1989 flick The War of the Roses, itself based on Warren Adler’s eponymous novel, The Roses is a darkly comic tale of a toxic marriage. This is the first time Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch have led a movie together, and their gloriously entertaining verbal sparring leaves us wondering why it took so long.
Aspiring chef Ivy and architect Theo are the titular Roses, who fall madly in love following a hookup in London. Ten years later, they’re living a beachside idyll in Northern California with their two children. However, resentment starts boiling over when Ivy flourishes as Theo flounders. After his self-styled architectural masterpiece (a ship structure atop a glass building) gets obliterated by a storm, Theo has a viral meltdown and loses his dream job. Meanwhile, Ivy finds fame as a restaurateur and seafood chef, leaving her husband to assume the responsibilities of a stay-at-home dad.
Given his track record of delivering crowd-pleasing comedies, Jay Roach is adept at pacing the story without giving the belly laughs of, say, his Austin Powers series. While the 1989 film consisted of Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner essentially torturing each other, the catty barbs of the remake are more Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf than the original’s cartoonish violence. This adaptation is a slow-burner, instead featuring restrained loathing that eventually cascades into a hilariously chaotic finale.
Cumberbatch and Colman are a dark delight, veering from dry passive aggressiveness to full-blown screaming matches. While the former excels as a man perpetually teetering on the verge of a breakdown, Colman brilliantly delivers belittling tirades through gritted teeth (“That’s why the English invented repressing one’s feelings,” she quips). Additionally, SNL alumni Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon are great fun as the couple’s eccentric American friends, Barry and Amy.
For a black comedy that’s reliant on cynicism and nihilism, the premise does wear a tad thin. At times, it’s self-aware to a fault, with Theo and Barry remarking with a wink-and-a-nod to the audience that divorce lawyer Eleanor (the always excellent Allison Janney) is somewhat of a girl-boss cliche. Nevertheless, the movie is anchored by electric chemistry between its leads.
With The Roses, Roach once again brings the laughs, though this time with a wry British subtlety. Those unfamiliar with the source material – and the fantastic comedic chops of Cumberbatch and Colman – are in store for a wild ride.
Antonia Georgiou
The Roses is released on Disney+ on 3rd December 2025.
Watch the trailer for The Roses here:
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