When I first saw the trailer for The Roses, I thought: This looks fantastic. Two wickedly good British talents in the leads and a witty script practically had me salivating. But after a second viewing, a worry crept in: what if that’s all the film really has going for it?
The Roses, based on Warren Adler’s novel The War of the Roses, stars two of my favourite English actors: Doctor Strange himself, Benedict Cumberbatch, as architect Theo Rose, and Oscar-winner Olivia Colman as his wife, restaurateur Ivy Rose. Their whirlwind romance is built on biting wit and cool confidence, but when we meet them again years later—with two children in tow—the charm has curdled. What follows is an all-out domestic war.
The assembled talent is something to take note of. Alongside Cumberbatch and Colman, we have American comedy heavyweights Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, and Allison Janney, plus Sunita Mani (GLOW), Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who, Sex Education), Jamie Demetriou (Fleabag), and Zoë Chao (The Afterparty). Each character has a moment or two to shine, but don’t deliver anything we haven’t seen them do before – except Gatwa’s American accent, which leaves a lot to be desired. Behind the camera sits Jay Roach, a director equally at home with sharp drama (Bombshell, Trumbo, Game Change) and broad comedy (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents). On paper, this should soar. On screen, though, it rarely climbs above “above average.”
There are a few flashes of brilliance. Olivia Colman’s facial expressions alone always make me cackle, and the film does land moments of genuine tenderness. The leads prove how versatile they are, pivoting from absurd meltdown in one moment to raw emotion in the next. The problem is tonal: the film wants to be both razor-witted satire and slapstick farce. Those comedic registers seldom harmonise, mostly because they’re generally aimed at different audiences. The story can sustain both styles, and you will get a few good laughs, but in an age where audiences are selective about what’s worth a night at the cinema, is “good enough” really enough?
That said, I did enjoy myself and suspect I would’ve enjoyed it even more in a more crowded theatre, laughing alongside friends. If you’re looking for escapism and relish the sound of deliciously barbed insults flying across a lavish set, The Roses will tick those boxes. Just don’t expect it to bloom into anything more than a decent night out.
