The Roses - Film - Harrow Vue Cinema - Wed 3rd Sept 6.00pm

Join me and fellow members to watch ‘The Roses’. We'll meet beforehand in the bar of the cinema at 6.00pm so that we can all say 'hello' and those wanting a drink/snacks can buy them, watch the film at 6.10pm and then meet again afterwards. For those that would like, we can go for a drink and a chat and to reflect upon the film after. Look forward to meeting some of you soon. I'll let you know my seat number when I have booked it so that hopefully we can sit together. My mobile no. for anyone that cant find us is: 07986276684. Tickets can be bought online or by phoning the box office or on the day. Tickets cost £
Film Synopsis:
A reimagining of the hit 1989 comedy sees two powerhouse actors playing a couple whose marriage devolves into a hilarious divorce battle.
The Roses is an upcoming satirical black comedy film directed by Jay Roach from a screenplay by Tony McNamara. It is based on the 1981 novel The War of the Roses by Warren Adler, and a remake of the 1989 film. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman, Andy Samberg, and Kate McKinnon.
It was announced in April 2024 that Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman were set to star in and produce a reimagining of the 1989 film (made by Searchlight's sister studio 20th Century Studios), with Jay Roach set to direct and Tony McNamara writing the screenplay.[2] In June, Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg were among several additions made to the cast.[3]
Filming began on June 10, 2024 in Devon.
A tinderbox of competition and resentments underneath the façade of a picture-perfect couple is ignited when the husband's professional dreams come crashing down.
Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy (Colman) and Theo (Cumberbatch): successful careers, great kids, an enviable sex life. But underneath the façade of the perfect family is a tinderbox of competition and resentments that's ignited when Theo's professional dreams come crashing down.
Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy (Olivia Colman) and Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch): successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids. But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing -- as Theo's career nosedives while Ivy's own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites. The Roses is a reimagining of the 1989 classic film The War of the Roses, based on the novel by Warren Adler.
Ratting: 15
Genre: Comedy/drama
Runtime: 1hour 45mins
Link to the trailer/website:
Reviews:
“The film is a parable of two people who loved each other intensely, then ended up hating each other intensely and missing the middle ground,” Cumberbatch says. “Much of it is shockingly recognizable: how we struggle to show love toward the people we love the most, and how this can all go wrong very quickly if we're not careful about nurturing and nourishing the relationships at the center of our families.”
In this new take, Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star as a couple living on the California coast. Though they start out very much in love, as tension grows between them, they begin to wreak havoc on each other in increasingly chaotic ways. Directed by Jay Roach, the movie, which Searchlight will release in theaters August 29, showcases two powerhouse actors joyously diving into smart, bold comedy. The central theme from the 1989 film—how a loving couple’s marriage can so intensely fall apart—remains intact while Colman and Cumberbatch introduce a more modern dynamic.
In this new version, Colman plays Ivy, a chef whose career begins to eclipse that of her husband Theo, an architect. What at first comes off as witty banter between two British expats living in California soon transforms into sharp barbs and physical one-upmanship as their competitive natures get the best of them.
Other Reviews:
The Roses traces the couple’s relationship over 20 years. It also changes the power dynamic from the original film, which centered on Douglas’s character as the family’s breadwinner. In The Roses, it’s Ivy’s career that is taking off and Theo who loses his job. “That’s what so many couples understand now, how the balance between two careers is such a trick to solve in a marriage,” McNamara says. “These two people who are very creative, very ambitious—how are they going to balance staying married and staying in love?”
Roach says McNamara is a master of tone, which allowed him to strike the right balance for this story. “There’s a reality to it and a groundedness to it and a very relatable predicament that I think this couple gets caught up in,” Roach says. “I just wanted to make sure it had that nice balance, and that we actually want to care about these people.”
In The Roses, both actors get to embrace bold comedy and bring forth the sense of mischief that’s been central to much of their past work. “Olivia is as good on the first take as she would be on the 40th,” Cumberbatch says. “She’s great at taking direction and is such an acute instrument of joy and drama, as well as an immediate human mood enhancer. She has a lot of vulnerability for someone who’s the funniest person in the room.”
What to Bring:
A smile and sense of friendship, support, interest and enjoyment :)