Thirty-six years, millions of divorces, and significant cultural shifts have passed since Danny DeVito's dark comedy “The War of the Roses” captivated audiences. Now, director Jay Roach, known for “Meet the Fockers,” and writer Tony McNamara offer a fresh, 21st-century perspective with “The Roses,” a modern reinterpretation that, while not a direct remake, retains the biting wit and anti-romantic-comedy essence of Warren Adler’s novel. The film stars Olivia Colman as Ivy Rose, a chef, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Theo Rose, an architect, as they navigate the treacherous terrain of a marriage that devolves from passionate connection to bitter acrimony.

“The Roses” opens with Ivy and Theo in couple’s therapy, where their relationship’s foundation of sharp, mutually deprecating humor is on full display, leading to a therapist's horror but their own shared, wicked amusement. Despite this, some critics noted a missing spark in the on-screen chemistry between Colman and Cumberbatch, particularly when compared to the scorching passion delivered by Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas in the 1989 original. However, the film is keen to establish the Roses' initial insatiable attraction, depicted through a steamy meet-cute and quick intimacy, contrasting sharply with their jaded married friends, Barry and Amy (played by Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon), whose bed has clearly gone cold.

The narrative skillfully recaps the highs and lows of Ivy and Theo's journey, including their distinct parenting styles for their two children. Their seemingly enviable and uncomplicated life, much like those in Nancy Meyers films, takes a dramatic turn when Theo’s major architectural project collapses, jeopardizing his career. Concurrently, Ivy’s long-held dream of opening a crab shack begins to boom with buzz and success. This swift role reversal—with Theo potentially becoming a stay-at-home dad and Ivy a flourishing career woman—ignites jealousy and depression in Theo, testing the very foundation of their once-strong relationship.

This shift in power and professional identity forms the core of the film’s exploration into how matrimony can unravel, a theme McNamara initially had reservations about revisiting. He felt DeVito’s film was “perfect” but was convinced by the opportunity to focus more deeply on marriage itself, rather than just the “war” of divorce, with the verbally brilliant performances of Colman and Cumberbatch. Director Jay Roach infused the project with personal insights into the hypocrisies and challenges of romantic relationships, highlighting how both Ivy and Theo accuse each other of ego-driven career obsessions while being equally culpable.

The film boasts a stellar ensemble cast, including Allison Janney as an intimidatingly deadpan divorce lawyer who suggests they give up on their union, Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon as a humorously mismatched couple, and appearances by Jamie Demetriou, Zoë Chao, and Ncuti Gatwa. Benedict Cumberbatch noted that the role of Theo offered a “new” challenge, allowing him to explore a character who is emotionally intuitive, impulsive, pragmatic, and capable of great depth of love, hurt, pain, and hatred, while also being well-groomed. Despite some initial skepticism about the need for a new version, “The Roses” has been praised as a “hilariously funny and viciously feisty” take, proving that even a story about acrimony can be sweet by any other name, offering a skirmish rather than a full-blown war.

The film’s premiere in New York saw a vibrant red carpet event, with Cumberbatch, Colman, Janney, Samberg, McKinnon, and other cast members in attendance, celebrating a story that candidly asks whether the modern couple can truly have it all amidst career aspirations and shifting dynamics.