Movie: The Roses
Director: Jay Roach
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman, Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, Allison Janney, Sunita Mani, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou, Zoë Chao, Belinda Bromilow, Hala Finley, and Akie Kotabe.
Run Time: 1hr 45mins
Jay Roach’s The Roses, with a screenplay by Tony McNamara, is a sharp, satirical black comedy that reimagines Warren Adler’s The War of the Roses for today’s world. At once hilarious and heartbreaking, it digs into the chaos of marriage, ambition, and ego with biting precision.
The film follows Ivy and Theo Rose (Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch), a couple who look perfect on the surface. But when Theo’s architectural career collapses—after a disastrous project literally comes crashing down—he retreats into reluctant homemaking, while Ivy’s culinary talent catapults her into stardom. Their diverging fortunes tip the power balance, fueling resentment and jealousy until the relationship explodes.
What sets The Roses apart from its predecessor is its realism. Colman and Cumberbatch don’t glamorize marriage; they embody its exhaustion, pettiness, and unspoken hurts. Their chemistry shines both in absurdly funny set pieces—arguments turning into slapstick chaos, household objects repurposed as weapons—and in quieter devastations, like a post-run revelation that signals the beginning of the end.
Roach balances comedy and melancholy with remarkable control. A blunt therapy session sets the tone, while a divorce negotiation played with biting humor underlines just how irretrievable their bond has become. McNamara’s script crackles with wit but never loses sight of the emotional fallout, ensuring the satire always feels grounded.
Colman captures the vulnerability beneath Ivy’s ambition, while Cumberbatch gives Theo a raw mix of wounded pride and reluctant domesticity. Together, they make the Roses’ unraveling feel as painful as it is absurd. Andy Samberg, as Theo’s jittery lawyer friend, adds levity, Kate McKinnon brings scene-stealing bite, and Allison Janney, as Ivy’s unflinching attorney, slices through with precision. The supporting ensemble—Sunita Mani, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou—rounds out a cast that feels messy, flawed, and alarmingly real.
At its core, The Roses isn’t just about a marriage coming undone. It’s about ambition, exhaustion, and the thousand tiny cuts that turn affection into resentment. The film nails the unglamorous side of love—the bins that still need taking out, the unpaid emotional bills, the negotiations over who sacrifices what. You laugh at Ivy and Theo, yes, but you also feel the sting: these are wounds that could belong to any couple.
Roach balances comedy and melancholy with remarkable control. A blunt therapy session sets the tone, while a divorce negotiation played with biting humor underlines just how irretrievable their bond has become. McNamara’s script crackles with wit but never loses sight of the emotional fallout, ensuring the satire always feels grounded.
Colman captures the vulnerability beneath Ivy’s ambition, while Cumberbatch gives Theo a raw mix of wounded pride and reluctant domesticity. Together, they make the Roses’ unraveling feel as painful as it is absurd. Andy Samberg, as Theo’s jittery lawyer friend, adds levity, Kate McKinnon brings scene-stealing bite, and Allison Janney, as Ivy’s unflinching attorney, slices through with precision. The supporting ensemble—Sunita Mani, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou—rounds out a cast that feels messy, flawed, and alarmingly real.
At its core, The Roses isn’t just about a marriage coming undone. It’s about ambition, exhaustion, and the thousand tiny cuts that turn affection into resentment. The film nails the unglamorous side of love—the bins that still need taking out, the unpaid emotional bills, the negotiations over who sacrifices what. You laugh at Ivy and Theo, yes, but you also feel the sting: these are wounds that could belong to any couple.
