While some dramedies focused on romantic relationships feel like they tend to lose the plot as the movie progresses. “The Roses” is not one of them. Jay Roach’s 2025 dramedy “The Roses” is a bittersweet film that explores what a bumpy marriage looks like in a very dramatized manner while still managing to feel very real and human. It’s based off of the 1981 novel “The War of the Roses” by Warren Adler, which had previously been remade into a movie one other time in 1989, titled “War of the Roses,” directed by Danny Devito. It takes place in Northern California and focuses around Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Olivia Colman), a married couple whose relationship is the central focus of the film.
Theo is a successful architect, and his wife Ivy is a mostly stay-at-home mom with a passion for cooking and has a small restaurant she runs on the side. The dilemma of the film begins when a disaster destroys Theo’s most recent work, resulting in him getting fired from his job. At the same time, Ivy finds massive success in her restaurant and becomes a renowned chef, essentially swapping the couple’s roles in their marriage. Both of them have an ego to fulfill, and now have to find a way to navigate through this new reality, while trying not to destroy their marriage in the process.
The movie makes for a very good textbook dramedy and it’s consistently funny throughout its entire runtime, even in some of the more serious or downbeat bits. Despite this, it never feels forced or out of place, and it actually compliments a lot of the scenes really well, elevating the serious dialogue. It’s refreshing since it feels that some dramedies can lose their plot in exchange for absurdity, shock value and spectacle, but this movie manages to provide all that sort of engagement in a natural way that does not feel like it’s losing the plot in exchange for it. The movie has a crude sense of humor, and it is rich in dialogue, moving you between laughter and tears seamlessly. Every word will force you to reflect on how every relationship has its highs and its lows, and it is up to us to either hold tight to one another through the storm or let the wind blow you away–and your marriage with it.
To say that Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman have amazing chemistry in this movie would be a gross understatement. The way they are able to flawlessly parry each others’ dialogue is nothing short of amazing, and in many moments, you may even forget you’re watching a movie. The supporting actors in this movie are also very entertaining, especially Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg, they mesh in really well and their interactions with the main cast are so natural. It never feels like any one character is trying to compete for more screentime than another. Kate has a recurring gag with Benedict Cumberbatch regarding being very touchy with him, and Andy Samberg has this harsh bluntness with playful delivery throughout the movie that really suits the movie and almost feels as if it would be incomplete without it.
There isn’t much to talk about in the category of music, since it’s not used much throughout the film aside from one or two pop culture songs in the beginning and towards the end of the film. Most of the movie doesn’t have music to back it, and it works perfectly fine without it, which is quite a surprise.
The cinematography is middle of the road for the most part and pretty on par with most modern films. A few parts where it stands out such as the collapse of the building at the beginning of the movie and the confrontation at the end of the movie.
It’s definitely worth watching and you will not be disappointed with what this film has to offer, as it leaves little to be desired. You will laugh, you will be touched and sometimes, you may even be on the verge of tears.
Rating: 4/5
