The Roses

This movie was really funny. I loved seeing Olivia Colman become a fierce girlboss and reversing the gender norms with Benedict Cumberbatch having to be the stay at home dad. The kid actors (Ollie Robinson and Delaney Quin) did an incredible job playing American kids who grew up in the US but had the caustic wit of a Brit.

Kate McKinnon and Alison Janey are hilarious in their roles. I was just sad Alison Janey wasn't in the film more.

Overall it was fun, hilarious and a really good movie. Highly recommend you go see it.

I always thought nothing could top Kathleen Turners and Michael Douglas portrayal of 'the Roses', and even if the original is a tad more 'stingy ' the nee version holds it own!

Olivia Colman is a natural comedian and Benedict really surprised me with his comedic timing.

Some really black jokes and some really hilariously written dialogues make this one a cinema hit for sure!

If you want to cry laughing go see it and try not to compare it too much to the original.

I don't know that I've ever seen a genuinely funny, adult movie with comedy that felt equally British and American.

I laughed. Out loud. In the theater.

It was a little raunchy at times but it didn't rely on raunchiness, which was refreshing. There were real heartbreaking, award-caliber moments between a couple that had lost their way, but it was still CLEARLY a comedy.

I was expecting more of a climax after all the buildup but I appreciate the ending.

I also wish Allison Janney had a bigger part, just because I really like her.

Kate McKinnon did everything right and she needs to be in more movies like this that can accommodate her style of comedy.

But the drivers were 2 brilliant actors, Colman and Cumberbatch, whose supporting cast members had just the right amount of screen time so that we had other interests, but the story remained on them. Both did a very good job of portraying how 2 deeply flawed people over 40 navigate a rocky marriage...actually "rocky" may be underselling it a bit based solely on the last 20ish minutes. You decide.

Imagine this movie as the next step for Olivia Colman's character after The Bear and it becomes even more entertaining.

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.

POSITIVES:

1) Colman and Cumberbatch are both sensational in the lead roles. Their performances are both brilliant and they have fantastic chemistry with each other. They really get to flex their acting muscles too, bring great during both emotional scenes and comedic scenes.

2) The film is VERY funny. People were laughing hysterically in the screening I was in and I found this to be the funniest film I've seen in quite some time. It's a very British sense of humour which is perfect for me and I loved how graphic the swearing and the jokes were.

NEGATIVES:

1) Outside of Colman and Cumberbatch, none of the other performances stood out well to me at all. I actually found Samberg and McKinnon to be quite bad and annoying whenever they were on screen.

2) The film is just ultimately too absurd for me, especially by the end. I think something slightly more grounded would've been better and wouldn't have taken away from the story or the humour at all. It's outrageous some of the things that occur without apparently any police getting involved?? Also, the film's whole crux stems from both characters wanting to be career people rather than stay home with the kids, so why on earth do neither of them suggest just hiring a nanny?! They're clearly rich enough to do so and it's such a simple solution that I couldn't get out of my head the whole time?!