The Roses Review | Flickreel

Danny DeVito’s The War of the Roses remains one of the most twisted anti-romances ever put to film. If you’re going to adapt Warren Adler’s source material again, Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman are well-suited to play a couple who thrive on finishing each other’s insults. Tony McNamara (Poor Things, The Favourite) also has a knack for savage dialogue, which lends itself to the premise. Yet, Jay Roach isn’t the best choice to direct The Roses. Roach has made some classic comedies like Meet the Parents and the Austin Powers trilogy. He’s even demonstrated his dramatic range with Recount, Game Change, and Bombshell, among others. When we think of dark comedy, though, Roach doesn’t have DeVito’s edge. That said, The Roses isn’t trying to be DeVito’s film. In an era of so many shot-for-shot, nostalgia-bait remakes, The Roses refreshing tries to stand on its own. For the most part, it works, even if this isn’t in the same league as its predecessor. Like Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, Cumberbatch and Colman are a convincing couple in more ways than one. We buy that these two would fall in love, but we also believe that they would come to loathe each
Read More