The Paw Print

By Beatriz Whitford-Rodríguez, Staff Writer

“The Roses” is an American dark comedy film directed by Jay Roach (“Austin Powers”) and released Aug. 29 in theaters. It was adapted from the 1989 film “The War of the Roses” and loosely based on the 1981 novel of the same name; it stars Olivia Colman (“The Crown”) and Benedict Cumberbatch (“Sherlock”) as the titular married couple, supported by a glittering background cast including Andy Samberg (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Kate McKinnon (“Barbie”), and Ncuti Gatwa (“Doctor Who”). 

Before I get any further in, I should note: you can, and indeed I’d go so far as to say you should, walk into the theater without having read or watched either prior Roses; I did, with only the inordinately high expectations set by the cast, and I had a wonderful time. If you do have that background going in, though, don’t expect a perfect adaptation – director Roach referred to the movie as “more about what we do to each other when we’re married,” using the source material just as a starting point – but certainly don’t expect disappointment. 

In the first 10 minutes, it’s already apparent that the Roses are approaching each other from very different places: Ivy has given up her career to raise their children, a choice Theo clearly doesn’t approve of. Early on, her job running a lowly seafood restaurant unexpectedly makes her the biggest up-and-coming chef of the moment on the very same day that his architectural dream project, and career, both literally collapse in front of his eyes. It would seem that this role reversal might ease some of the previous tension in their relationship, but it only makes their problems worse; unbeknownst to them, they’re already ensnared in the framework of what becomes their fatal downward spiral. 

So: Yes, of course, “The Roses” is a comedy. It’s an excellent one, at that. Colman and Cumberbatch have unexpectedly electric chemistry, and every member of the side cast has perfect timing. Both leads are simultaneously likeable and unlikeable – as soon as you pick a side, the script is flipped again. It’s easy to fall into the rhythm, but it never gets boring, because “The Roses” isn’t just a comedy, either. It’s a portrait of two people consumed by pride, trying their best to get back to something that – like it or not – they lost a long time ago. 

Perhaps we haven’t all experienced the occasionally over-the-top twists and turns of “The Roses”; that’s what makes it a comedy, and, without giving anything away, that’s probably also for the best. More than that, though: We’ve all felt that death spiral tightening around a treasured, doomed relationship; that’s what makes it something better. Not just a comedy, but an intricate and thought-provoking study of our humanity, “The Roses” may not be easy to watch, but it is well worth your time.