La Guerre des Rose

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.

I was genuinely excited to see The Roses, especially with two acting giants like Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman sharing the screen in a comedy. I'm a big fan of both, and their performances are, unsurprisingly, excellent. But sadly, the film itself left me disappointed.

The core message-that a successful marriage requires moving beyond ego and embracing the "we" instead of the "me"-is clear and perhaps one of the few valuable takeaways. But as a comedy, the film just doesn't land. I went in ready to laugh, and aside from a few exceptions, the humor fell flat.

The inclusion of the surrounding friend group, meant to serve as comic relief (with Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg), only made things worse. Their roles feel forced and unfunny, adding little to the film and often taking away from the central story.

In the end, The Roses feels like a drama disguised as a comedy-and it doesn't quite succeed at either. Maybe the real problem was walking in with high expectations. Unfortunately, they were never met.

The Roses is a remake of the 1989's movie and book, The War of the Roses. I never read the book or watched the movie so I had no expectations walking into this movie. The Roses is about the slow descent of a marriage between a successful architect and a successful cook. This movie is really held together because of the lead couple played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman. They have great chemistry and snark so I enjoyed every scene they are in together. The story is also good where you can see how their marriage slowly crumbles and it is slow. It is not like a lot of romantic comedies where it happens fast, there is a lot of small pieces that pile up for the eventual blow out. The actual divorce blow up doesn't happen until the third act so some viewers may be disappointed if they saw the trailers. For me, I like the slow progression. That being said probably the weakest elements are the supporting cast. Andy Samberg & Kate McKinnon are two of the more well known actors that play friends of the Roses and a lot of their jokes miss. All the friends are not funny or just rude and you never understood why they were friends with any of them in the first place. The children also are pretty forgettable. I did enjoy the movie overall but that is only because of how strong the leads are. You can definitely wait to see this at home.

The film struggles with pacing, as its first half feels sluggish and uninspired, offering little to capture attention. The second half fares no better, unfolding like an elongated trailer. Since nearly all the standout moments are already showcased in the trailer, the movie ultimately lacks real impact.

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.