Les Rose

Jay Roach's The Roses is a sharp, stylish, and often brutally honest look at the slow-motion implosion of a marriage. On paper, it has all the makings of a wild, darkly funny ride a modern update of The War of the Roses, with a razor-sharp Tony McNamara script and a powerhouse pairing in Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman. And while the film is undeniably entertaining, it's also a bit of a bait and switch that leaves you wishing it had trusted its chaos sooner.

The film charts the rise and implosion of Theo and Ivy Rose, a seemingly flawless couple whose marriage begins to fray as Theo's career skyrockets. What starts as subtle emotional distance soon becomes an emotional minefield, with small resentments snowballing into a quiet war of neglect, envy, and pride. The early sections of the film, watching them fall in love and build their lives together, are tender and grounded, anchored by the nuanced performances of Cumberbatch and Colman.

And here's where my frustration begins, the marketing for The Roses promises a balls-to-the-wall black comedy where a couple goes to war with each other in increasingly absurd ways. The trailer sells carnage, slapstick, and chaos. But in reality, that level of over-the-top madness doesn't hit until the last 20 minutes and by then, we've already seen most of those "wow" moments in the trailer. The slow build works narratively, adding emotional depth, but it also makes the movie feel like two different films competing for your attention, an incisive marital drama for most of its runtime, and a bonkers satire at the very end.

I can't help but feel a little cheated. If you walked into the theater expecting The Roses to be a wall-to-wall dark comedy, you're likely to leave a little underwhelmed. And that's a shame, because beneath the mismarketing is a smart, well-acted, and deeply cynical look at how success, ambition, and love can combust when left unattended.

The Roses is worth watching for Cumberbatch and Colman alone they elevate the material, turning what could have been a hollow satire into something genuinely compelling. But go in with the right expectations: this isn't the chaotic laugh riot the trailer sold you. It's a slow-burn dissection of a marriage in decay, with just a dash of chaos sprinkled on top.

I think it's really amazing to have a romantic comedy featuring two of the UK's national treasures Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Coleman in the theatres now, especially with all the nastiness going on the world.

This reimagining of the 1989 dark comedy featuring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas, shows what happens when a couple favour work-like ambitions rather than working on communicating with one another. It is genuinely hilarious, sweet and tragic all at the same time.

I won't give away the ending, but while it makes some changes to how the 1989 version ended, it also doesn't take away its cautionary tale aspect. It is also hugely critical of the material wealth that people accumulate when they become successful with their jobs.

The two leads have great chemistry and work excellently together. The film also has an early 2000s vibe, which reminded me of Roach's earlier films such as Meet The Parents or Analyse This. Definitely worth a rewatch!

Benedict & Olivia are incredible actors who flex between comedy and drama so effortlessly they provide a performance masterclass in a film beautifully made and wonderfully written, with hilarious supporting turns from Kate and Andy. Super poignant and powerful with lots of brilliant, laugh-out-loud moments. Highly recommended.

It's a dark comedy about marriage set from 2011 to 2025, briefly in London, England, but mainly in Mendocino, California. Theo Rose (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a frustrated, idealistic architect who wants his designs to reflect their environment. He meets Ivy (Olivia Colman), who dabbles at gourmet cooking and hankers to move to America. They impulsively marry and move to California, where in ten years Theo starts a flourishing career while Ivy raises their twin children, Hattie (Hala Finney/Delaney Quinn) and Roy (Wells Rappaport/Ollie Robinson). We also meet some friends, such as Barry (Andy Samberg) and Amy (Kate McKinnon). As things are going well, Ivy starts a small seafood restaurant with Theo's support.

Suddenly, in 2021, a major disaster turns their lives upside down--Theo loses his position and takes over raising the kids, while Ivy's restaurant suddenly becomes a major success. Their relationship deteriorates amid acerbic dialogue and conflict avoidance, culminating in an explosive climax.

I like both Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman as actors, and believe they deliver excellent performances in "The Roses," as the script features clever, edgy repartee between their characters, and their chemistry is outstanding. However, the secondary characters don't work as well. The Barry and Amy characters are memorable, but most others are not. The Allison Janney character has her best lines in the trailer.

Olivia Colman & Benedict Cumberbatch were sublime as usual. No notes.

Andy Samberg also did the best he could and somehow managed to not make his character seem annoying given the writing.

The movie needed a lot more Allison Janney who was great for the few minutes she was in and a lot less Kate McKinnon whose character was just absurd and over the top for no reason. Did not find her remotely funny.

None of the other characters were fully formed and you couldn't care less about them. Wasted some really talented actors like Ncuti Gatwa in throw away roles.