The Roses ★★★

Released: 29th August 2025

Director: Jay Roach

Cast: Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kate McKinnon, Andy Samberg, Ncuti Gatwa, Sunita Mani,  Zoë Chao, Jamie Demetriou & Allison Janney

They say that “all’s fair in love and war”, but in the world of Warren Adler’s The War and the Roses, that meaning is taken to a whole new level! Its success comes as no surprise, a novel encased in a battle of wits, tit-for-tat vengeance, and violent tragedies between a selfish, materialistic couple. By the time Hollywood came along to adapt it for Danny Devito’s 1989 movie, whilst far from perfect, it’s safe to say its darkly satirical Looney Tunes-style nature on divorce provided perfect material for the big screen. Fast forward to 2025, and our appetite for messy dramas and shenanigans still captures the imagination. Meet the Parents director Jay Roach swaps the original magic of Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner for an Anglo-centric version starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman respectively, and does so with mixed results.  

After an ironic rendition of “Happy Together”, Theo (Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Colman) embark on a whirlwind romance after a chance meeting at a restaurant. The couple relocate to California (cue: me singing The O.C.’s “Califorrrniaaaa” but comically, it was filmed in the recognisable south coastal area of Devon), where they raise their two kids and seemingly live a perfect life. Theo is soon launching an ambitious design for a new museum (with a sailing boat and everything) while Ivy is embarking on a new chapter of her life as a restaurant owner, aptly named We Got Crabs. The facade of their marriage comes crashing down (literally) when Theo loses his job when his museum is destroyed in a freak weather storm while Ivy becomes the rising star as a chef. 

For all the potential promise The Roses encapsulates, having two acclaimed British actors, a stacked cast, and a fresh take on Adler’s novel, Roach’s remake sadly doesn’t hold a candle to the 1989 film. DeVito’s adaptation cleverly encapsulates yuppie culture of a ‘dog eat dog’ mentality and applies it to his co-stars, Turner and Douglas as Barbara and Oliver Rose, respectively. Their vicious dissatisfaction with each other plays into the enjoyment of the film, and yet Devito’s assured direction maintains a self-awareness of the chaos. He presents it as a cautionary tale, playing Oliver’s mentally scarred lawyer who recalls the couple’s story in front of his new client. But the genius of Douglas and Turner’s performances is how The War of the Roses ‘flips the script’ on their on-screen dynamic, turning them into full-blown haters having played romantic love interests in the adventurous Romancing the Stone and its sequel Jewel of the Nile, which is by no means an easy feat.

Roach’s film already has an uphill battle among those who are already familiar with or hold DeVito’s film close to heart. By comparison, The Roses simply lacks bite. Its tame, lukewarm approach is far too subtle to fully convince its audience they’re entering an ego-centric and toxified battleground and far too lightweight to channel the darker elements of its predecessor. It’s more of a light slap on the wrist than a gut punch, whereby the war is not between Theo and Ivy – it’s a war within the film itself on what it wants its remake to be.

That identity crisis takes the shine away from Tony McNamara’s screenplay, which possesses the witty sharpness to harness both Britishness and Americanisms, but is frustratingly undone by the editing and direction. The dragged-out pacing slows down the film to a crawl before audiences experience the fun parts, and by the time it reaches its inevitable “war”, the antics are reduced to a rushed clip montage featuring live crabs, hallucinogenic mushrooms, allergic reactions and deepfake AI.

It’s like watching a film scared of ‘going for the jugular’, spending the majority of its executed remit slowly dissecting Theo and Ivy’s love-hate relationship. McNamara’s overcrowded script updates the formula to reflect the modern anxieties and insecurities of coupling and social media/technology to amplify both Theo and Ivy’s growing separation. But on this evidence, it’s an uneven watch with many of its supporting characters given very little to do. Allison Janney is in it for one scene and is never seen again, in comparison to Kate McKinnon, who understood the SNL assignment for awkward comedy and draws out the biggest laughs. Samberg also delights as Theo’s friend as he works through his own relationship problems.

Still, for the parts that do work, Colman and Cumberbatch are the ‘sure bet’ assurances holding the film together. Colman’s comedic energy is well known, thanks to Peep Show and Hot Fuzz. As Ivy, her free-spirited behaviour while dropping one-liners to describe her husband as a “bottomless pit of need” shows an actress at the top of her game. The surprising turn comes from Cumberbatch, channelling into Theo his neediness for validation and affection to feed his bruised and jealous ego. Together, they make a good double act, even though they’re following tough footsteps to Douglas and Turner or when the direction occasionally falls out of sync to match their on-screen energy.

Instead of the sinking ship IP remake this could have easily been, it’s the playfulness that keeps The Roses floating just above the waters. But in adding nothing new, its safe and bizarrely flat execution stops it from being the modern-day classic it should be.