Because Petrol is so grim, its few moments of repentance and reconciliation don't feel as contrived as they might otherwise; if any film has earned the right to be sentimental, it's this one.
Comment
09/12/08
Rate this Movie 
- Showtimes & Tickets
- Write a Review
- Read Reviews
- Add to List
- Get this Movie
- Buy Poster
- Visit Official Site
Red Roses and Petrol (2008)
8
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:12
Fresh:1
Rotten:11
Average Rating:3.8/10
Rated: R [See Full Rating]
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:2008
Synopsis: Based on a successful Irish play by acclaimed writer Joseph O’Connor, and directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs, Red Roses and Petrol is a darkly comedic drama and a tour-de-force showcase for Malcolm... [More]
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Susan Lynch, Max Beesley, Greg Ellis
Director: Tamar Simon Hoffs
Get This Movie
Reviews for Red Roses and Petrol
1 - 13 (sorted by fresh rating)
In Red Roses and Petrol, a soused, post-funeral postmortem on a dysfunctional Dublin family, the misery seeps from the screen in cold, damp waves; by the end you’ll be grabbing for the bottle yourself.
06/27/08
Tamar Simon Hoffs's bland-as-boiled-cabbage adaptation of Joseph O'Connor's play finally hobbles into theaters, reminding us every 15 seconds that just because it looks distinctly American and was shot in California, it's a fookin' Irish movie.
06/25/08
Hoffs locks down her characters in unimaginatively framed medium shots, while mixing in a few monochromatic flashbacks, some video footage of the dead patriarch and two fast-cut sequences in a vain attempt at visual variety.
06/08/08
I’d rather just sit in on one of my own families squabbles; we’re much more entertaining.
10/27/07
Solid performances and a literary feel help turn a standard family-rift drama into a dry but saucy narrative.
06/27/08
As bland and effortless to consume as a Fig Newton (sickly sweet goo included), this rote entry in the dysfunctional-family-gathers-at-a-funeral genre makes no demands on its viewers beyond a limp appeal to the tear ducts.
06/26/08
Little about the Doyles makes you want to partake of their sour hospitality, even if it’s only for an hour and a half.
10/18/08
With her static camera, director and co-writer Tamar Simon Hoffs has done little to move it out of its staginess.
06/27/08
If, as Tolstoy observed, happy families are alike, and each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, the Dublin-set film Red Roses and Petrol didn't get the message, being a dysfunctional clan movie that feels dispiritingly like all the others.
06/27/08
Top CriticMired by cliché and oddly beset by a sense of false Irishness.
06/27/08
As even a novice moviegoer would expect, they argue and drink, then argue and drink some more.
06/27/08
Click to read the article
10/18/08
1 - 13 (sorted by fresh rating)
Latest News for Red Roses and Petrol
June 15, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review
More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Best Dozen of the Decade
Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!
Top 50 of 2009
Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.
Santa's Naughty List
Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
RSS Feeds