Remakes can breathe new life into old stories — or expose their flaws. Jay Roach’s The Roses, a reimagining of Danny DeVito’s 1989 classic The War of the Roses based on Warren Adler’s novel, sits uncomfortably in between. With Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman delivering typically strong performances, critics note that the stars’ chemistry can’t fully save a film that struggles with tone and freshness.
Critics Praise the Lead Performances
According to David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter:
“You couldn’t ask for a more skilled demonstration of how it should be done than the deliciously withering repartee lobbed back and forth by Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman as Theo and Ivy Rose… The lead actors’ combative chemistry is what keeps Jay Roach’s overcrowded remake zingy even when it threatens to turn from savage to sour.”
The biting exchanges between the leads anchor the film, but many reviewers argue the script doesn’t give them enough fresh material to elevate the story.
Criticisms of Stale Comedy
For some critics, the remake’s humor feels forced. Nick Schager of The Daily Beast writes:
“These gags are so stale you can practically smell them… The clash between their stiff-upper-lip Englishness and seething ugliness seems ripe for exploitation. Yet the headliners are undone by material that lacks cleverness, resorting to lame bits involving setting things on fire, food fights, and two separate bouts of puking.”
Supporting Cast: A Mixed Bag
The supporting cast also divided critics. William Bibbiani of The Wrap praised Andy Samberg’s more subdued performance but felt Kate McKinnon was out of place:
“Everyone else is in a sharp, dark comedy. McKinnon is in a Saturday Night Live sketch, and not one of the good ones.”
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A Glossy Yet Uneven Experience
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian compared the dynamic between Colman and Cumberbatch to a “Borg-McEnroe tie-break”, noting the film’s glossy aesthetic resembles a Nancy Meyers romcom, which undercuts its darker themes.
“The movie has a high gloss and sheen… yet it flinches from the recognisable, tragicomic reality of a bad marriage.”
Critical Consensus
On review-aggregation sites, the verdict reflects the critical ambivalence:
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Rotten Tomatoes: 63% “Fresh”
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Metacritic: 59% “Mixed/Average”
With A-list leads and stylish direction, The Roses promised a smart, modern update of a beloved dark comedy. Instead, critics found a film torn between sharp satire and broad slapstick. While Colman and Cumberbatch shine, the uneven script and mismatched tone leave The Roses stuck in middling territory.
