After years of marriage, resentment has slowly built between Ivy Rose (Olivia Colman) and Theo Rose (Benedict Cumberbatch) culminating in a divorce battle over the stunning home that Theo designed and built using Ivy’s money. 

After a chance meeting and whirlwind romance the Roses start a life in America where Theo is a lauded architect and Ivy is a loving mum and homemaker. As Theo’s most celebrated architectural project to date is coming to fruition he finds a run down beachside building that Ivy can open a restaurant in and live her dream of being a chef. However a freak storm in California changes their circumstances forever when Theo’s most prominent building collapses and a highway closure routes a revered food critic to Ivy’s restaurant completely reversing the pair’s professional lives. 

What follows is a slow build of tensions and resentments that is represented painfully realistically. Theo misses his career and feels unseen and unappreciated for his position as house husband raising their children. Ivy feels guilt for not being the mother that she wanted to be and dislikes the manner in which Theo moulds their children whilst also feeling the resentment towards her success that Theo harbours. Neither party is wrong, but neither can truly communicate their needs. The result builds into some truly hilarious arguments as the couple become increasingly destructive and vindictive towards each other. 

The Roses is at its absolute brilliant best when Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch are verbally jousting and sniping with each other. They are gloriously foul mouthed and share a spiky sense of humour. Little asides they snipe at each other can spark a belly laugh just as the set pieces where they fight, such as a fantastic dinner party scene, can leave you in fits of laughter. 

The weak point throughout however are all of the auxiliary characters who seem somewhat cursory and also incredibly unlikely to be friends with this couple. That is not to say they are not funny on occasion, just that the film seems to slow down drastically when they are part of the plot. The comedy talent held by Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, Allison Janney, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou, Zoe Chao and Sunita Mao is not in question. But their characters are all rather one note and are purpose built for their comedy delivery rather than feeling like they fit. 

Of course it is worth pointing out that The Roses is based on the 1981 novel, “The War of the Roses” by Warren Adler which spawned the 1989 film of the same name directed by Danny Devito and starring Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas and of course the director. The three stars at that point having built up a brilliant comedic repartee after starring together in Romancing the Stone (1984) and Jewel of the Nile (1985). So for those of us who are an older generation The Roses has a lot to live up to as the 1989 film will have a strong place in our hearts. 

Overall though this is a genuinely funny and sometimes squirm inducing experience marred only slightly by some extraneous characters and a rather large history to live up to.