Either I haven’t seen or I don’t remember seeing ‘The War of the Roses’, the 1989 film that was the first screen adaptation of Warren Adler‘s novel, starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito, so I can’t contribute with anything to the discussions about the opportunity of the remake called ‘The Roses‘, with a script written by Tony McNamara and starring two of the best or among the best British actors today – Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman. So I will only be able to say about what I saw, which is a sparkling and witty comedy, with brilliant dialogues in many moments, about a couple in which the partners love each other so much that they end up hating each other to death, leading their marriage to a divorce extreme in every way. It is a film in which the actors and the quality of the text manage to overcome the predictability of the relationship that is exposed to us on the screen, and in which the couples who love each other and live happily ever after and those who have loved each other and broken up have a good chance of recognizing themselves to the same extent. The director is Jay Roach, with a fame built up from the Austin Powers comedies but also from the more serious ‘Bombshell’.
Theo is an architect on the rise, Ivy is a chef. Both are top-notch professionals, ambitious and passionate about their jobs. They meet in London a moment before she leaves for the United States, experience a ‘coup de foudre’ and decide to leave together. Ten years later we find them installed on the shores of California. He is already quite famous and is preparing the inauguration of the avant-garde building of a museum on the oceanfront. She runs a small seafood restaurant, which is not very successful, but which leaves her enough time to take care of her two twins, a boy and a girl. Fate decides that things will happen differently than planned. An unusually intense storm destroys the building designed by Theo, but – due to the road closures – brings ‘captive’ customers to Ivy’s restaurant. Among them is an influential food critic, who writes a laudatory article and launches the chef’s national career. Theo’s bad luck coincides with Ivy’s good luck. She will now be busy bringing money into the house, while he will dedicate time to the children, transforming them into champions of sports and healthy eating. These changes slowly crack what seemed to be a perfect marriage. The villa that Theo had designed for the family becomes the setting and the main object of discord. The intensity of hatred grows and ends up competing with that of love. Which of the two sentiments will prevail?
‘The Roses‘ will satisfy many categories of viewers. Serious themes such as the reality of gender inequality even in the most liberal professional environments in today’s world or the balance between life and profession in our hectic and competitive society are treated relaxedly and with humor. I was especially pleased by the presence of the two main protagonists, who manage to be sparkling, witty and funny both separately and especially together. I also noticed Kate McKinnon in the risky role of a hilariously annoying girl. The script can be criticized for heading towards a somewhat predictable romantic comedy ending, but I still recommend that viewers wait for very the last scene before giving a verdict in this regard. The excellent trailer was a promise that ‘The Roses‘ would be the best comedy of the summer. It wasn’t exactly like that, but it is certainly a film worth seeing.