The Roses Review

Prequels, sequels, even threequels, are regular features of the cinematic landscape. They do what they say on the tin. As do remakes, until you get into that grey area underneath the heading: “re-working”, “re-boot”, “re-imagining” and “inspired by” are at the top of a growing list, but each one implies something different. If Jay Roach’s The Roses, which is described as a re-imagining of 1989’s The War Of The Roses, is anything to go by, then the dividing lines between those descriptions can be thin, to say the least.

One of the most popular comedies of the late 80s  – and only one place behind When Harry Met Sally at the box office – Danny DeVito’s The War Of The Roses cast Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as a wealthy but warring couple, ruthlessly determined to come out on top in their divorce settlement. And, while the basic concept of Roach’s film is much the same and he scatters it with delicious little easter eggs, his story of Theo and Ivy Rose (Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman) still manages to be its own movie. Much of that boils down to the relationship between the couple themselves, which, even when it starts to sour, takes on the sweeter flavour and humour of a screwball comedy.

While Douglas and Turner were competitive from the start, bidding against each other at an auction, there’s never any doubt right from Theo and Ivy’s meet-cute in a restaurant kitchen that they genuinely love each other. Their eyes meet, and moments later, they’re nearly defrosting the walk-in fridge with more than enough gusto to silence an outraged Gordon Ramsay. Fast forward to when their children are approaching their teens, the couple have a picture-perfect marriage and Theo’s landed the biggest contract of his career as an architect. But it all goes disastrously wrong, and he’s suddenly a stay-at-home dad in the house he built for his family, while the restaurant he bought for Ivy has become a spectacular success and she’s the toast of the culinary world. The cracks in their marriage soon begin to show, things spiral out of control, and it seems that the only thing the future holds is divorce.

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Yet you still cling to the hope that they’ll stay together simply because your belief in their love never goes away. This is, after all, a couple who go to counselling, descend into childlike giggles when they insult each other and stare at their therapist in disbelief when she says there’s no hope for them. The savagery of over 25 years ago is replaced by a softer tone, despite the many insults, most of which are delivered in the ripest of language. It’s still essentially a double-hander, with Olivia Colman reviving her comedy instincts and mixing them with her dramatic talents to give us a rounded, funny and endearingly contradictory Ivy. When she and Cumberbatch share scenes – which is often – she leads the way, creating the warmth between the two that gives the film its appeal and makes her so enchanting. It’s not that he’s off his game; it’s just that she’s at the top of hers.

All of which makes their Greek chorus of friends surplus to requirements. They’re essentially there to make sure the audience understands what’s going on. But it doesn’t need telling, so talents like Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon and Jamie Demetriou go to waste. Worse still, the formidable Allison Janney is squandered in a solitary scene as a one-note divorce attorney. Like the gaggle of friends, she’s so sketchily written that we never get the chance to know her. Roach’s re-imagining of the story has taken away some of the venom and replaced it with a softer tone, so while there are times when it’s well off target, it still marks a welcome return for the screwball comedy. A good year for The Roses? Yes – but mainly because of Olivia Colman.

★★★

In cinemas from August 29th / Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kate McKinnon, Andy Samberg, Ncuti Gatwa, Allison Janney, Jamie Demetriou, Zoe Chao / Dir: Jay Roach / Searchlight Pictures / 15

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About the Author

Freda Cooper

Editor

Freda is a Senior Writer at The People's Movies. A lifelong movie fan and a film critic for over ten years, Freda’s natural habitat is the darkened rooms frequented by fellow cineastes. She can also be found asking questions of some of the biggest names in the business – from Cate Blanchett to Daniel Craig or Mike Leigh to Pete Docter – or crafting reviews for a number of sites and publications, including The People’s Movies. And listeners to BBC Local Radio can catch her views on the latest releases. She always – and probably always will – cite The Third Man as her favourite film of all time. Her top ten? That’s a moveable feast …..

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