Wildly funny and deeply disturbing.
The War of the Roses (1989)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 36
Fresh: 29
Rotten:7
Average Rating: 7/10
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Danny DeVito directs this black comedy about a long-married couple in the throes of divorce at the height of the materialistic 1980s, and his second feature far surpasses his first effort, THROW... Danny DeVito directs this black comedy about a long-married couple in the throes of divorce at the height of the materialistic 1980s, and his second feature far surpasses his first effort, THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN, in style, substance, and comedic impact. Barbara and Oliver Rose were the perfect couple--he was a prominent Washington lawyer, she had a wildly successful catering business, they had a great house, great art, great cars and great kids. But when Barbara begins to wonder about life without Oliver, she likes what she sees and sues for divorce; unfortunately, neither of them likes the prospect of life without their opulent home, and war is waged to determine who will keep it. The pair become increasingly outlandish in their battle tactics, moving from cunning to cruel to outright surreal, and DeVito's camera echoes this mood with its unorthodox angles and movement. DeVito himself narrates the action as Oliver Rose's lawyer, and Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas prove once again their chemistry as a passionately antagonistic couple (ROMANCING THE STONE, JEWEL OF THE NILE). [More]
Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Heather Fairfield
Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Heather Fairfield, Sean Astin
Director: Danny DeVito
Director: Danny DeVito
Composer: David Newman
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Reviews for The War of the Roses
One of the most durable -- and characteristic -- comedies of the 1980s.
DeVito's taste for unorthodox camera angles and striking camera movements occasionally verges on overreaching but for the most part admirably serves the action.
Trying to wring yocks from a deranged couple locked in mortal combat over possession of their house is more suited to film noir than black comedy.
The film just keeps getting darker and more claustrophobic, like sliding down the center of a spiral.
De Vito's quirky camera angles and Kathleen Turner's steely-eyed spite inject a sadistic comic-strip madness into a film that for once has the nerve to see its nastiness through.
DeVito exerts a control behind the camera that is otherwise almost nonexistent in contemporary American film comedy.
DeVito's direction is distinctively odd (with a lot of low-angle shots looking up at things), enjoyably mischievous and always somehow mindful that there may be, at the heart of all this comic mayhem, something substantial going on.
Fun little dark comedy from the days when DeVito still knew how to make a dark comedy fun.
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