Original caricature by Jeff York of Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch in THE ROSES (copyright 2025)
A funny thing happened on the way to the big screen with THE ROSES. The comedy turned into more of a dramedy as the film takes a clear-eyed and caustic take on what causes a marriage to go awry. It may not be the laugh riot you’re expecting; instead it is a much darker and heavier film with loftier goals in mind.
No wonder the posters and ads showcase the goofy supporting cast as much as the two leads; the studio wants you assured it’s a comedy by having the main characters played by Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch share graphic space with comics like Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon. The SNL veterans do get a lot of laughs as they flit about playing silly, self-absorbed Californians, where the tony British duo has much heavier lifting to do. They must make you understand how far this couple falls and they do so never shirking from playing up the tension or gravitas. Such an approach makes for a film that, granted, is often difficult to laugh at. The 1989 version of THE WAR OF THE ROSES was far more knee-slapping as we watched Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner go at it with a far broader sense of comedy, even edging into farce. But here, the story is more grounded – no doggie paté to be found or insinuated – and it feels more like we’re watching the day-to-day disintegration of something once cherished. Indeed, ginormous sins like adultery or criminality don’t do in the Roses. Their marriage is bled dry by a thousand paper cuts.
Director Jay Roach and screenwriter Tony McNamara have often laced their comedies with such weight. Roach’s films GAME CHANGE and BOMBSHELL were as serious as they were amusing, and God knows there was plenty of seriousness contained in the sting of McNamara’s comedic scripts for POOR THINGS and THE FAVOURITE. Thus, the two filmmakers create similar juxtapositions here. The Rose’s marriage withers under the auspices of pride, hubris, resentment, and casual cruelty. Their take is that this marriage could have been saved, but the couple is too stubborn to fight for it.
We can see that the Roses are perfectly suited from the get-go. They’re wildly attracted to each other, have a similarly prickly British wit, and both are successful in their career paths. When they have kids, they become doting parents together too. But then Theo the architect loses his career when the museum he built collapses during a thunderstorm just as Ivy’s seafood restaurant takes off with the public. From there, every element of good in the Rose’s lives will alter, subtly at first, but then more stridently. Theo will come to feel emasculated over the years as he must take care of the kids at home while Ivy becomes the only breadwinner. His take on parenting will also alienate Ivy from the children and ultimately push them away from her. Even their shared veddy British take on things dissolves as their American friends and colleagues do a number on their sense and sensibilities as well. Much of what we watch here is amusing, but most of it is heartbreaking. This is a very tough breakup to watch, but then, aren’t they all? I’ve never seen two people have a good divorce.
I think such destruction is what this film really wants us to think about, not just how good a sight gag is executed, or a pithy one-liner is delivered. And perhaps we’ve all grown too numb to angsty marriage scenarios what with so many sitcoms reveling in it, be it the bitchy Bundy’s, Bunker’s, or Pritchett’s. But putdowns, no matter how witty, are cruel. Using sex and intimacy as weapons in a power struggle are not beneficiary to either party. And losing trust is the saddest fallout of all as once that asset is gone, all is lost. That’s why despite having good kids and rich lives, the Roses grow farther and farther apart. It’s why their gorgeous, state-of-the-art home becomes a prison. And it’s exactly how moral people turn into monsters.
Colman and Cumberbatch play childish and mean without ever becoming hissable. And as bad as they get with each other, aiming guns, ruining dinners or alienating mutual friends, they remain recognizably human. Their war while funny is still a devastating one. That makes THE ROSES a strong and challenging work showcasing a worthwhile love dying a slow and sad death.
It’s a black comedy for certain, but mostly, it’s a tragedy.
