The Roses | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Jay Roach |
Screenplay by | Tony McNamara |
Based on | The War of the Roses by Warren Adler |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Florian Hoffmeister |
Edited by | Jon Poll |
Music by | Theodore Shapiro |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Searchlight Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 105 minutes [1] |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Box office | $32.3 million [2] [3] |
The Roses is a 2025 satirical black comedy film directed by Jay Roach from a screenplay by Tony McNamara. It is loosely 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 and Olivia Colman as a successful couple whose seemingly pitch-perfect marriage begins falling apart. Andy Samberg, Allison Janney, Belinda Bromilow, Sunita Mani, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou, Zoë Chao, and Kate McKinnon appear in supporting roles.
The Roses was released in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on August 29, 2025. It has received mixed reviews from critics.
One afternoon in London, architect Theo meets aspiring chef Ivy. She tells Theo her dream of moving to America to start her own business, to which he responds with a proposition that he move with her.
Ten years later, Theo and Ivy have relocated to Mendocino, California, and are married and have twin children, Hattie and Roy. They have different parenting styles as Ivy spoils the kids with cakes and fun activities while Theo prioritizes their health. With Ivy having sacrificed her business plans to raise their children, Theo buys her a piece of real estate with his own money where she can finally open her restaurant.
One night, during a severe storm, Theo's newly designed naval history museum is destroyed, just as Ivy's new restaurant receives a ton of customers seeking shelter. Due to a positive review from a renowned food critic, Ivy's business grows rapidly, making her the new breadwinner of the family, while Theo loses his job and agrees to be a stay-at-home parent. Taking advantage of it, he puts the kids on a strict diet and imposes regular physical exercise. As a result, Ivy begins to feel shut out from her children's lives, while Theo becomes jealous of Ivy's success.
Feeling a rift in their relationship, the two make several attempts to reconcile, including a romantic trip to New York City and marriage counseling, but all fail. They begin to feel resentment for each other and blame the other for their problems. As a last attempt to save their marriage, Ivy uses the profits from franchising her restaurant to give Theo an opportunity to build their dream house.
Three years later, the house is complete, and the 13 year-old Hattie and Roy are prodigies accepted into a school in Miami on sports scholarships. Without the kids to distract them, Ivy and Theo's frustrations turn into a feud. Ivy mocks and humiliates Theo in front of their friends during a housewarming party, discrediting his hard work. Theo, after saving a beached whale and experiencing an epiphany, realizes he is not in love with Ivy anymore and seeks a divorce. He asks only for the house, but Ivy wants to leave him with nothing.
Facing an impasse, they decide to make each other's lives unbearable using cruel tactics, which results in Theo being blacklisted from architecture and Ivy's restaurants being closed for health violations. Ivy has an allergic reaction after Theo tricks her into eating a raspberry dessert and will only cure her with an EpiPen if Ivy signs the papers. She only pretends to sign them, but he saves her nonetheless. Ivy then tries to shoot him with their home defense gun in response. They chase each other around the house, breaking Ivy's beloved oven that belonged to Julia Child in the process. Overwhelmed, Theo admits he still loves Ivy despite everything that has happened between them. Ivy says she feels the same and puts down the gun.
As the two become intimate, a gas leak occurs due to the damage to Ivy's oven. Unaware of the situation, Theo asks their smart home system to turn on the fire, and the screen cuts to white.
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 Fox), with Jay Roach set to direct and Tony McNamara writing the screenplay. [4] In June, Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg were among several additions made to the cast. [5] McNamara revealed he used both Warren Adler's novel and the 1989 film as jumping-off points, although only the novel is credited. He explained "I thought, Why don't we make a movie that's more focused on what we do to each other while we're married, and still sort of pay homage to the original?” [6]
The Roses was released in the United States and the United Kingdom on August 29, 2025. [9]
The film made $800,000 during Wednesday and Thursday night previews. [10] The film is expected to make more than $7 million during the four-day Labor Day weekend. [10]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 65% of 174 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "The Roses' blend of broad comedy and dark satire makes for an uneasy marriage, although watching Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch trade barbs is a treat onto itself." [11] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the film holds a score of 58/100 based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. [13] Film critic Linda Holmes opined that director Jay Roach's background in comedy movies resulted in this adaptation failing to capture the satire of the novel and 1989 film. [14]