The Roses ★★★
Love doesn’t grow but withers spectacularly in Jay Roach’s black comedy of a relationship gone very sour, The Roses.
Stars:
Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman, Allison Janney, Adam Samberg, Kate McKinnon.
Director:
Jay Roach
Writer:
Warren Adler and Tony McNamara
Where:
In Cinemas from Aug 29
Jay Roach’s The Roses plants itself somewhere between the farcical family awkwardness and the barbed satire of his previous efforts Meet the Parents and Bombshell. The result is a bone dry effort that mostly blooms, yet is less sure-footed at convincing just why a picture-perfect relationship turned so viciously toxic.
British stalwarts, Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, star as English couple, Theo and Ivy Rose, who relocate to the US. Despite differences in their attitudes to parenting they remain rock solid. But when the couple see a flip in their professional fortunes, events start to turn very savage indeed.
Stellar as ever, Cumberbatch and Colman are given ample opportunity to bare their considerable flare for comedy with a side order of emotional chops. Their venomous back-and-forths are delivered with such conviction that the cruellest barbs often land with a shiver to match the laughs. A supporting cast that includes the likes of Adam Samberg and Kate McKinnon was only ever going to be a plus, although Allison Janney feels somewhat underused given her scene-stealing potential and prominent promotional billing.
Taking more of a lead from Warren Adler’s 1981 novel, The War of the Roses, rather than its Danny DeVito-directed 1989 film adaptation, Tony McNamara’s script is sharp and playful, if a little more restrained than audiences might anticipate. Those expecting the anarchic surrealism of Poor Things will instead find a darker-than-average but still relatively mainstream black comedy. Clever twists, sly one-liners, and Colman’s now mandatory C-bomb party trick keep the humour ticking, though genuine belly laughs are relatively scarce.
The Roses does offer some bravura set-pieces, however. An excruciating dinner party sequence stands out, as does a hilarious clash between the couple’s divorce lawyers. But the film falters when it comes to charting the decline of the relationship itself. The sudden gear-shifts from affection to vitriol sometimes feel unearned, more told than shown. Without a fully convincing build-up, the nastiness sometimes jars rather than rivets.
Still, with two leads on cut-glass form, and Roach’s sure feel for dark-tinged farce, The Roses may not have the deepest roots but emerges a stylish, acerbic watch.
Offering as many thorns as blossoms, Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman
make this spiky comedy just about worth picking
– ★★★ 3 stars
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