The Roses Movie Review (2025)

A fresh revamp of the 1980s story, The Roses is a black comedy about a married couple who love each other, hate each other, and try to destroy each other, sometimes on the same day.

I remember watching The War Of The Roses in the movie theater when it first came out. Starring Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas – who I loved together in Romancing The Stone – this was a dark comedy turn that was fairly unique. They loved each other, but later worked to destroy each other and the house that they loved. This is a new iteration.

The Roses is about Ivy, a chef, and Theo, an architect – a couple that meets in her work kitchen and begins a romance that leads to a family. Ivy is a brilliant chef, but hasn’t had the opportunities she’d like, and Theo has built a huge career and monumental building. When things go wrong with the weather, fate changes the course of each of their paths. Ivy is suddenly launched into a star-making career and Theo ends up at home, raising the kids. Resentment builds and rarely lets up.

Both The Roses and The War Of The Roses were inspired by the 1981 novel The War Of The Roses. The 1989 film holds a little more closely to the story in the book, but this 2025 version does a great job of modernizing the story.

Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch steal the movie. There are a number of other actors in the film, but they are by far the highlights (except for Ncuti Gatwa, who always lights up the screen. He’s so great). Playing Ivy and Theo, Colman and Cumberbatch equal each other’s energy in a way that you never feel like one is pulling ahead of the other. They are a perfect match in banter, tone, and presence. It’s a fantastic pairing.

The story focuses a great deal on the breakdown of the marriage over many years. I really appreciate that choice because you feel it the entire time. You see where this is going and you watch the slow destruction of what started off strong. A lot of it has to do with their individual issues, and if they would just communicate… but I digress.

The Roses is a black comedy, but I never found myself laughing out loud. There are some amusing moments and it kept me interested, but most of what I found funny was already aired in the trailer.

Also, I am usually a big fan of Kate McKinnon, but I didn’t love her here. Much like some of the awkward comedic moments throughout the rest of the film, I felt more uncomfortable with her than amused. Her character choices just didn’t land the way I was hoping they might.

A fun vehicle for Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, The Roses has an easy narrative and some cute moments. I can only imagine what a great time they had when the cameras stopped rolling.

Runtime: 104 minutes

Motion Picture Rating: R

Languages Spoken In The Film: English

Should You Watch It? Sure

Did I Cry? Nope

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Available: Free on Hulu and Disney+, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms