By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
“THE ROSES"--A THORNY AND SAVVY REMAKE OF LOVE GONE WRONG
In the dark comedy
"The Roses," from director/co-producer
Jay Roach ("Austin Powers 4"),
Olivia Colman (TV's "Cry Wolf") and Benedict Cumberbatch ("The Phoenician Scheme") turn marital meltdown into a full-contact sport.
The movie, which is based on
Warren Adler's 1981 novel "The War of the Roses," is also a reimagining of the 1989 film--of the same name--starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito.
Here, screenwriters
Tony McNamara ("Poor Things," TV's "The Great") and Adler bring a fresh bite and wit to this modern retelling. Equal parts savage and silly, "The Roses" starts with Ivy (Colman) and Theo Rose (Cumberbatch) in a tense marital therapy session. They are unable and unwilling to say one truly nice thing about each other. Their cruel digs even leave their therapist exasperated. But things weren't always like this.
The movie flashes back to their early days in Northern California, when Theo was a renowned architect and Ivy, a rising chef and entrepreneur. He meets Ivy during a business retreat, sneaking away from his colleagues and stumbling upon her artfully preparing a delectable fish entrée in the facility's restaurant. When Ivy offers Theo a taste of the food, it's love at first bite.
Fast forward to suburban bliss. They have two kids, Hattie (Delaney Quinn, "Eugene the Marine") and Roy (Ollie Robinson, TV's "Bull"), a magazine-worthy home, and careers on the rise. But under the surface, resentment quietly builds.
As Theo's client list grows, so does his ego until a disastrous architectural mishap goes viral, leading to his firing and effectively exiling him from the very industry he once held in such high regard. Meanwhile, Ivy feels increasingly invisible, despite her own culinary success and the launch of her hot new bistro/restaurant, "We've Got Crabs!"
Their once-passionate bond curdles into passive-aggressive sniping, then full-blown warfare. Their arguments become operatic, escalating from wordplay to physical altercations.
Adding fuel to the fire are their equally dysfunctional best friends, Barry played with absurd brilliance by Andy Samberg (TV's "Dracula Raps") and Amy (Kate McKinnon, "A Minecraft Movie"). They are the last people who should be giving marital advice. Their over-the-top antics provide both comic relief and cautionary contrast.
Things get really ugly when Ivy and Theo throw a dinner party at their home and invite over other friends like Sally (Zoe Chao, "Bubble & Squeak") and her jealous and snarky architect Rory (Jame Demetriou, "Strays").
The chaos is amplified when Allison Janney, ("Another Simple Favor") arrives as Ivy's razor-sharp divorce attorney.
Still, not every moment in "The Roses" lands perfectly. The pacing occasionally drags in the second act, with a few gags overstaying their welcome. But the film keeps its footing thanks to the chemistry between Colman and Cumberbatch.
Pairing these two together is a smart move. It's especially refreshing to see Cumberbatch flex his comedic chops so freely. His timing and physicality match Colman's beat for beat. Their ability to turn a toxic relationship into something both funny and oddly relatable gives the film its bite and heart.
Beneath all the absurdity and dysfunction lies a recognizable story about love gone sour and the illusions some couples build around themselves.
If love hurts, then "The Roses" makes marital mayhem both painfully unhinged and wickedly irresistible.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"THE ROSES"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
