We can all remember a movie (or several movies) where, on paper, it had all the elements to succeed, only to end up disappointing.
The Roses, on paper, has all the elements you'd want: excellent cast, led by British titans Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch; an award-winning writer in Tony McNamara, well-known for twisted dark relationship comedies; and the eagerly-awaited return to comedy for director Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents and more).
And The Roses, on screen, manages to take that promise and turn it into one of the funniest comedies of the year. No disappointment here as watching two of our finest actors slinging brutal insults at each other proves to be as delicious as it sounds.
A modern-day reimagining of 1989's The War of the Roses (and the 1981 novel of the same name that movie was based on), The Roses centres on picture-perfect couple Ivy (Colman) and Theo (Cumberbatch). They have a loving marriage, two adorable children and with Ivy choosing to largely be a stay-at-home mother, Theo is excelling in his career.
But when Theo's career is ruined by a freak storm, leading to a viral video that captures all his pain, Ivy takes on the breadwinner role in the family. Her seafood restaurant, We've Got Crabs, might have started as a side-hobby, but one food critic visit later, Ivy becomes one of the hottest chefs around.
Resentment soon starts to brew between the pair as Theo's stay-at-home parenting style grates with Ivy, while Ivy's enormous success turns Theo bitter for what he's lost. There's only one way for it to end: all-out war.
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The Roses might follow similar beats to the '80s movie, but McNamara has done an brilliant job freshening it up even if you have seen the original. It delivers exactly what you want from a McNamara script, including sharp witty insults and liberal creative swearing, and yet there's also heart – even if it is often a black, twisted heart.
Like with The Great, the movie just wouldn't work as effectively if it was just insults all the time. It spends the time building Ivy and Theo's relationship – with Colman and Cumberbatch sharing an immediate, genuine chemistry – so that when the breakdown comes, the insults have a maximum impact.
There are genuinely shocking lines peppered throughout McNamara's script, even if the initial shock is followed by you laughing anyway in spite of the darkness. It won't convince anybody that's not on McNamara's wavelength already, but perhaps they'll still appreciate Ivy insulting Theo's "suicidal attention-seeking whale friend".
The leads are back up by a talented comedic supporting cast, including the likes of Andy Samberg, Ncuti Gatwa and Zoë Chao, who get to shine especially in an excruciating – and hilarious – dinner party scene. In her one-scene cameo, Allison Janney comes along and steals the movie from everybody though as Ivy's intense divorce lawyer.
If there's a complaint to be had, it's that the trailer is too heavily weighted to the big fall-out between Ivy and Theo, which really is only the final act. It's not the movie's fault that the marketing revealed some of the best lines, but it does lessen the impact of certain scenes if it's fresh in your mind.
That's not enough to stop The Roses from being a consistently funny dark comedy right through to its audacious finale. It's an unmissable chance to see two of Britain's greats on top form in a war of words where the real winner is the audience.
The Roses is released in cinemas on 29 August.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
