“The Roses,” a reimagining of Warren Adler’s 1981 novel “The War of the Roses,” is an ill-conceived and ineptly scripted film. While sharing a premise with the 1989 classic starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, it is not a direct remake, featuring a significantly different and erratic plot.
The story opens with Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Olivia Colman) in couple’s counseling, where they trade vicious insults, making it clear to their therapist that the relationship is unsalvageable. The film then flashes back to their first meeting in London. Theo, a successful architect, encounters Ivy, a chef, in a restaurant kitchen, leading to a spontaneous affair in a walk-in freezer. They soon emigrate to the United States to advance Ivy’s culinary ambitions.
Ten years later, the married couple is living with their two children in Mendocino, California. Their fortunes take a dramatic turn when a severe storm destroys Theo’s major museum commission, and viral videos of the collapse ruin his career. At the same time, Ivy’s seafood café, “We’ve Got Crabs,” receives a glowing review from a prominent food critic, launching her to stardom.
Humiliated by this reversal, Theo becomes a stay-at-home father consumed with training their children to be athletes. As Ivy’s career soars, she finances Theo’s design and construction of a magnificent mansion. Yet, this “dream house” only becomes a new battleground for their incessant bickering and palpable resentment.
The film’s attempts at humor consistently fall flat, with dialogue that fails to be amusing. The supporting cast, including Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, Zoe Chao, and Jamie Demetriou as the couple’s friends, cannot elevate the weak material. Only Allison Janney, playing Ivy’s astute divorce lawyer, successfully captures the story’s intended combative essence.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Roses” is a thorny 3, playing in theaters.
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