- Director: Jay Roach
- Screenwriter: Tony McNamara
- Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman, Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, Allison Janney
- Cinematography: Florian Hoffmeister
- Editing: Jon Poll
- Score: Theodore Shapiro
- Genre: Satirical black comedy
- Runtime: 105 minutes
Warren Adler’s novel ‘The War of the Roses‘ has been adapted twice; the first time had Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner at each other’s throats. Now, it’s the turn of Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman to stand toe-to-toe. Two British actors in a sea of American accents. It couldn’t work better; the Brits are so good at delivering barbed witticisms compared to their cousins across the pond. Dropping the ‘The War of‘ prefix doesn’t guarantee a gentler look at a couple’s relationship – a rose by any other name.
Married for a decade and the parents of two kids (more American accents), Theo (Cumberbatch) and Ivy Rose (Colman) are at opposite ends of the spectrum work-wise. Theo is a successful architect while Ivy’s restaurant struggles to attract customers. One freak Californian storm changes everything. Theo’s devoted wife becomes a thorn in his side when her eatery blows up with popularity overnight. She’s in full bloom, he’s wilting after a building he designed is totally destroyed and he’s blacklisted. Unable to keep his fragile male ego in check, his simmering resentment of Ivy boils over.
The petals start falling off; the pair go from petty squabbles to an embarrassingly unsubtle dinner party fuelled by a gallon of alcohol. Never has the disintegration of someone’s marriage been so wickedly humorous. Cumberbatch and Colman are excellently matched as the warring spouses, bolstered by Tony McNamara’s biting screenplay. They don’t sell the idea of matrimony being a bed of roses but what a sparring match it is to behold.
My rating: 8 / 10
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