The Roses (2025)

[mwynn]

‘The Roses’ Review: Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman Are Sublimely Acerbic Even if the Marital Comedy Pales Next to the Original
Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon and Allison Janney also star in Jay Roach’s reimagining of ‘The War of the Roses,’ the novel about spousal warfare and its 1989 film adaptation.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/mo...&utm_id=628925

[eightslicesofpie]

thank god this is finally coming out so I can stop seeing the trailer for it

[BluBonnet]

[PhysicalMediaMaestro]

They should have cast Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart as the leads. That would have made the movie a lot better. Let me explain why.

When the original "The War of the Roses" came out in 1989, it starred Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas in the lead roles. Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas were a noteworthy romantic couple in the 1984 film "Romancing the Stone" and the 1985 film "The Jewel of The Nile". So seeing Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas become adversaries in "The War of the Roses" enhanced the dark comedy aspect of the film.

[ophone]

I'm just back from the cinema.
This version differs quite strongly from Danny DeVito's film, I must say I like those differences. The protagonists being British here gives it a whole other vibe, almost like an English comedic play, helped by the dialogues which are more British than American.
And I appreciate the reference it makes to probably the best

[Show spoiler]space sci-fi movie ever made.

[BluBonnet]

Really happy with this movie, especially having caught the only Dolby screening it will ever get!

[MuffinMcFluffin]

Thank goodness for two strong leads, because they had to carry a heavy weight for the weak supporting cast and third act.

A fine viewing, light on both the romance and comedy. I'll have no real independent desire to ever see it again.

[BluBonnet]

That’s your idea of a weak supporting cast? It’s one of the best supporting casts of any movie this year!

[russweiss1]

This was better and funnier than I was expecting. Colman and Cumberbatch were both spot on. The only thing I didn't really care for was the ending.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by russweiss1

The only thing I didn't really care for was the ending.

[Show spoiler]Really? It was a blast!

[ophone]

Originally Posted by MuffinMcFluffin

Thank goodness for two strong leads, because they had to carry a heavy weight for the weak supporting cast and third act.

What about Kate McKinnon? I thought she was great, by the character she played and her performance.

[MuffinMcFluffin]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

That’s your idea of a weak supporting cast? It’s one of the best supporting casts of any movie this year!

Originally Posted by ophone

What about Kate McKinnon? I thought she was great, by the character she played and her performance.

I sense I'll be in the minority in this, and that's okay.

For me, a supporting cast (like anybody) should:

- Fit and immerse me into the world and the character they embody.
- Elevate the material they are given.
- Elevate the lead performances (and not get in the way).
- Elicit intended emotions from me.
- Draw me into their appearances when they occur.

For me, the supporting cast came off as derivative, try-hard, and strictly served ancillary roles for Cumberbatch and Colman.

I'm blanketing the statement about it being weak, so it's not like they were all terrible (for example, the kids served their needs just fine, as did the dog, the whale, and Hal). It's not like I'm saying they were nervous on camera and stumbling through their lines. I just thought our leads were so strong, and any time we gave others the limelight they were simply lesser than. Thankfully it wasn't often.

Kate McKinnon, for me, just didn't give me that verisimilitude I was looking for. She only came off as somebody who was always trying to be funny, and never quite getting there. Sometimes I even was thinking about who I'd rather have in the role instead of her. I didn't exactly ever cringe, but it's almost like I was waiting for a punch line that never came.

Again, I don't expect others to share my opinion with this, and I don't know if I'm expressing my thoughts correctly either. I probably just said it before but it bears repeating: this movie really drew me in with the conviction and chemistry of our lead performances, and they are commended. The supporting cast didn't seem to echo that same strength for me.

[BluBonnet]

- Fit and immerse me into the world and the character they embody.
- Elevate the material they are given.
- Elevate the lead performances (and not get in the way).
- Elicit intended emotions from me.
- Draw me into their appearances when they occur.

The supporting cast here does all of that.

Andy Samberg is much better than you'd expect him in a "straight man" role that somehow has to navigate all of the lunacy around him. Kate McKinnon provides great comic relief and very much has some serious "Northern California" vibes that fit in well with the picture. Allison Janney is a knockout as one of the lawyers involved (and you gotta love her dog). Sunita Mani is just as good as you'd expect despite relatively little screen time (and a hilarious freezer scene). Ncuti Gatwa - in one of his first major roles after hanging up his Doctor Who coat - is ever so delightfully saucy, just as you'd expect. Zoë Chao has some memorable lines and delivers them with pitch-perfect conviction.

I've always been a huge fan of The War of the Roses, but truthfully this adaptation has a much better supporting cast.

[ophone]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

I've always been a huge fan of The War of the Roses, but truthfully this adaptation has a much better supporting cast.

The only one I was missing from the old film was Danny DeVito.
He nailed it as the lawyer (in his own film).

[BluBonnet]

One thing I forgot to mention - I really, really liked the new version of Happy Together, sung by Susanna Hoffs (Roach’s wife)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd62Rd5QY7c

[Dreamliner330]

I was going to skip The Roses but the timing lined up and I saw it was in Dolby Cinema so I went. No surprise it wasn’t all that good. There were a handful of humorous things but this really isn’t all that funny. I would have been fine not seeing it.

5/10

[BluBonnet]