Review: ‘The Roses’ is a broadly appealing bouquet of banter and black comedy
2025 / Dir. Jay Roach
☆ 3.5/5
In this loose remake of Danny DeVito’s 1989 black comedy The War of the Roses, Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch play spouses Ivy and Theo Rose slowly driving each other to madness after their relationship dynamic shifts. The two play perfectly off each other, driven by their witty banter, along with many hit-or-miss side characters—even if it’s a rather uneven experience overall.
Ivy and Theo first have a meet-cute in their native London before quickly quitting their jobs (he’s an architect and she’s a chef), moving to California to pursue new opportunities and raise a family. They seem happy with life, sharing a playful, mischievous energy. He focuses on completing a ridiculous, sailboat-inspired new museum, while she primarily raises their twins and works here and there at her sleepy coastal restaurant We’ve Got Crabs.
A once-in-a-lifetime storm changes their lives, causing We’ve Got Crabs to become a national sensation. Soon, Ivy’s partying across the globe with David Chang while Theo puts his career on the back burner and, in one of the funnier running gags of the movie, becomes a drill instructor father, putting all his energy into turning his kids into world-class runners who sign contracts to cut out sugar and shout bland motivation platitudes like “The work goes on!”
Over time, he becomes resentful of her success and his inability to follow his career, while she struggles to balance her growing need for fame and no longer recognizes her family. Unable to communicate and work with each other, the two gradually snipe more and more over the years. The Roses deal with many relatable issues facing real-life couples in today’s world, although it’s better not to think too hard about how their increasing wealth could have solved a lot of their problems.
In between the marital sniping, Ivy and Theo hang out with a variety of dysfunctional co-workers and friends. Many either don’t make much of an impression or are upstaged by Kate McKinnon, who steals every scene she’s in as she tries harder and harder to have Theo step out of his dysfunctional marriage.
It takes until practically the end of the film for things to really boil over, when the more outrageous shenanigans depicted in the trailer to ensue. Still, due to the pacing mismatch, they come across as too silly and over the top in contrast to the more playful and witty tone of the rest of the movie, which lacks the same silliness—or a desire to explore true marital darkness—to land the ensuing mayhem.
If you’re a fan of either Benedict Cumberbatch or Olivia Colman, though, you’ll find The Roses to be charming and fun. There’s also just something nice about having an adult-oriented comedy with broad appeal in theaters again.
Watch if you like: BBC sitcoms, Meet the Parents, cameos by former SNL cast members, and the idea of Benedict Cumberbatch, at his most British, raising American children.