Back in 1989, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner starred in the film adaptation of Warren Adler’s book The War of the Roses, about a well-off couple whose happy marriage descends into chaos and a bitter divorce battle.
Now, Austin Powers and Bombshell director Jay Roach has remade the black comedy with Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, as expat Brits living in Northern California.
The Roses begins with familiar, cosy rom-com tropes of the successful couple (Theo, the architect, and Ivy, the restaurateur) and all their Richard Curtis middle-class niceties and eccentric friends (SNL alumni Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon).
The leads charm as they banter and bicker their way through relatable family situations in a hilarious first two-thirds of the film.
However, the Roses then somewhat loses its way as the relationship begins to break down and the comedy turns both absurd and nasty in a jarring tonal shift. Suddenly, the believability is out the window, and the audience is left with a divisive ending that will leave many disappointed, considering the strong first half. What a shame.
The Roses is out now in cinemas.