This US-UK movie re-tells the story of the marital breakdown of a near-perfect married couple, and what happens when the husband’s professional dreams and ambitions come spiralling down.
THE ROSES. Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, and Olivia Coleman. Also, Allison Janney, Andy Sanberg, and others. Directed by Jay Roach. Rated MA15+. Restricted. (Strong coarse language). 105 min.
Review by Peter W Sheehan, Jesuit Media Australia
The film is a re-make of the highly regarded 1989 comedy-drama, “The War of the Roses”, which was based on the 1981 novel of the same name written by Warren Adler. The 1989 film starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner at the peak of their professional careers, and was directed by Danny Devito. This adaptation was written by Warren Adler and Tony McNamara, and is directed by Jay Roach, a different director.
Theo Rose (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his wife, Ivy Rose (Olivia Coleman), have forged successful careers. Theo is a very successful architect and Ivy is a highly successful Chef; they have happy children, and effortlessly communicate how much they are in love with each other. When Theo’s career comes crashing down, their marriage starts to crumble, and competition between them surfaces. As Ivy’s career soars while Theo’s career plummets, Ivy’s ambition cements the rift between herself and her husband. Loving attachment gives way to resentment as the couple battle with each other in public. This re-make satirically reinforces themes that were implicitly present in the original 1989 film, and the darker themes are given a bolder look in this film. Humour is present, but competition between Theo and Ivy escalates to rage.
The movie is an interesting remake of the original 1989 movie, and Cumberbatch and Coleman enthusiastically inhabit the two main roles. Jay Roach’s direction has extra cultural-social bite; the original ups and downs in the key couple’s relationship are explored over a longer period of time; viewers are prepared in more detail for the impact of the comic explosion of resentment that grips the couple; and the film’s comic tone is reinforced by a team of supportive comedians.
This remake of a much-liked movie dramatically over-accentuating the obvious, and the movie concludes with a twist to indicate why it is unlikely there will be another follow-up to the1989 film about loving times ahead. It is a film that better captures the status of a talented architect working in a restricted environment, than it deals with the life of a Chef whose food everyone likes. The acting of Coleman and Cumberbatch is impressive, but the film’s scripting bypasses social issues that might have been additionally relevant to who they are and what they do.
Reviewed by Peter W. Sheehan, an Associate of Jesuit Media