The War of the Roses (film)

1989 black comedy film directed by Danny DeVito

The War of the Roses

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Danny DeVito
Screenplay by| Michael J. Leeson
Based on| The War of the Roses
by Warren Adler
Produced by| James L. Brooks
Arnon Milchan
Starring|

* Michael Douglas
* Kathleen Turner
* Danny DeVito
* G. D. Spradlin

Cinematography| Stephen H. Burum
Edited by| Lynzee Klingman
Music by| David Newman

Production
companies

Gracie Films
20th Century Fox

Distributed by| 20th Century Fox

Release date

* December 8, 1989 (1989-12-08)

Running time

| 116 minutes[1]
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $26 million[2]
Box office| $160 million[3]

The War of the Roses is a 1989 American satirical black comedy film based upon the 1981 novel by Warren Adler. The film follows a wealthy couple with a seemingly perfect marriage. When their marriage begins to fall apart, material possessions become the center of an outrageous and bitter divorce battle.

The film co-stars Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito. The three actors had previously worked together in Romancing the Stone and its sequel The Jewel of the Nile. DeVito directed the film, which also had producer James L. Brooks and actor Dan Castellaneta working on a project outside of The Simpsons. The opening title sequence was created by Saul Bass and Elaine Makatura Bass.

In both the novel and the film, the married couple's family name is Rose, and the title is an allusion to the battles between the warring houses of York and Lancaster who were contending for the English throne during the late Middle Ages. In Germany, the film was such a huge success that its German title Der Rosenkrieg became synonymous with high-conflict divorce and is now regularly used in the media.[4]

## Plot

[edit]

Harvard Law student Oliver Rose meets Barbara when they bid on the same antique at a Nantucket auction. The pair start a passionate relationship, eventually marrying, having two children, and buying a large house in Washington, D.C. Over the next eighteen years, Oliver becomes a wealthy and influential corporate lawyer, while Barbara dedicates herself to raising their children and creating an aesthetically perfect home filled with material objects. With the children grown and soon leaving for college, Barbara realizes that she is unfulfilled and regrets the sacrifices she made to support her family. Having grown to resent Oliver's workaholism, controlling nature, and obliviousness to her feelings, she starts a catering company to achieve financial independence.

While entertaining a client, Oliver is hospitalized for a suspected heart attack and writes a love note to Barbara in case he dies. Barbara does not visit him or show any concern when he returns home, admitting that the thought of him dying had made her feel happy and free. She tells Oliver she no longer feels anything for him but contempt and wants a divorce; Oliver reluctantly accepts.

While meeting with Barbara's lawyer, tensions rise when she states that she wants nothing except for the house and its contents, and her lawyer uses Oliver's note—saying he owes Barbara everything—against him. Although Barbara regrets sharing the note, Oliver spitefully refuses to let Barbara have the house and stops the proceedings via a legal loophole identified by his lecherous colleague Gavin d'Amato. Oliver unsuccessfully tries to mend things with Barbara but his inability to admit fault only drives her further away. She refuses Oliver's cash offer to surrender the house and attempts to seduce Gavin so he will take her side. When Oliver physically divides up the house into individual areas, a frustrated Gavin advises him to surrender his claim and move on. In response, Oliver fires Gavin as his lawyer.

After Oliver accidentally runs over Barbara's cat and blames her for it, she retaliates by locking him in his private sauna, where he suffers heatstroke. Oliver takes his revenge by interrupting a dinner that Barbara is hosting for her clients, humiliating her and urinating on the food, leading to a fight in which the pair destroy their furnishings and the antique from their first meeting. Though worried, the children leave for college and the housekeeper Susan quits, leaving Barbara and Oliver alone.

Barbara invites Oliver to dinner to talk, but he still refuses to accept she no longer loves him, leading Barbara to falsely claim she made their dinner from Oliver's beloved dog. The pair start fighting again, and Barbara retreats to the attic to loosen restraints on the hallway chandelier, intending to drop it on Oliver while he boards up the house to trap them both inside. Susan returns to collect her last paycheck only to find a manic Oliver and Barbara at each other's throats; she contacts Gavin for help.

By the time Gavin arrives, Oliver's and Barbara's quarrel has culminated in the pair hanging from the chandelier, where Oliver admits that, despite their hardships, he always loved Barbara; she does not respond. The chandelier cable fails, sending Barbara and Oliver crashing violently to the floor. With their final breaths, Oliver reaches out to touch Barbara's shoulder, but she pushes his hand away.

Gavin, having recounted their tale to his current client, gives him two options: proceed with divorcing his wife—being as generous as possible so it is resolved quickly—and rebuild his life; or go home and remind himself why he fell in love with her. The client leaves, and Gavin, changed by his experience with the Roses, calls his wife to tell her he loves her and is on his way home.

## Cast

[edit]

* Michael Douglas as Oliver Rose
* Kathleen Turner as Barbara Rose
* Danny DeVito as Gavin D'Amato
* Marianne Sägebrecht as Susan
* Sean Astin as Josh Rose
* Trenton Teigen as 10-year-old Josh Rose
* Heather Fairfield as Carolyn Rose
* Bethany McKinney as 10-year-old Carolyn Rose
* G. D. Spradlin as Harry Thurmont
* Peter Donat as Jason Larrabee
* Dan Castellaneta as Gavin's Client
* Peter Brocco as Mourner
* Philip Perlman as Bidder
* Shirley Mitchell as Mrs. Dewitt
* Ellen Crawford as Nurse #1
* Lisa Howard as Nurse #2
* Vickilyn Reynolds as Nancy
* Roy Brocksmith as Mr. Fisk
* Peter Hansen as Mr. Marshall
* Danitra Vance as Manicurist
* David Wohl as Dr. Gordon

## Release

[edit]

The premiere of The War of the Roses took place in Los Angeles on December 4 and in New York at the Gotham Theatre on December 6, 1989.[5] It was released in the United States on December 8, 1989, by 20th Century Fox.[2] The film was preceded in theaters by "Family Therapy", a The Simpsons short from The Tracey Ullman Show that was also included on the film's UK and Australian VHS rental releases.[6]

### Home media

[edit]

The War of the Roses was released in the United States on DVD Special Edition on December 18, 2001. Released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, the film is presented in its original 1.85:1 widescreen format. This THX certified DVD features director commentary with Danny DeVito, deleted scenes, computer sketches, storyboards, still galleries, 4 theatrical trailers, and 6 TV advertisements.[7][8] A Blu-ray Filmmakers 'Signature Series' released on September 18, 2012 ports over old bonus features and adds new featurette interviews in HD about revisiting the film and its musical score.[9] A Blu-ray was released by Fox in the United Kingdom in January 2013 with the same extra features.[10]

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

Upon its release, The War of the Roses grossed $87 million in the United States and Canada,[3] and $73 million in other territories,[citation needed] for a worldwide total of $160 million.

During the film's weekend debut it grossed $9.5 million across 1,259 theaters, finishing number-one at the box office the week ending December 10.[3] The film grossed $6.9 million in its second weekend, representing a drop of just 26.5% and finishing second, and then made $5.5 million on the third. On its fourth weekend the film climbed up to first place again grossing $10,490,781 across 1,526 theaters on New Years long weekend. In its fifth weekend the film made $7 million, bringing its running domestic total to $53.4 million. In its twelfth weekend, its domestic total earnings reached $80.5 million.[3] It was the thirteenth highest-grossing film of 1989.[11]

### Critical response

[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an 83% rating based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "The War of the Roses is a black comedy made even funnier by hanging onto its caustic convictions -- and further distinguished by Danny DeVito's stylish direction."[12] On Metacritic the film has a score of 79% based on reviews from 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[14]

The Chicago Sun Times film critic Roger Ebert gave it three out of four stars, writing "The War of the Roses is a black, angry, bitter, unrelenting comedy, a war between the sexes that makes James Thurber's work on the same subject look almost resigned by comparison. And yet the Roses fell so naturally and easily into love, in those first sunny days so long ago." He concluded "This is an odd, strange movie and the only one I can remember in which the moral is, "Rather than see a divorce lawyer, be generous - generous to the point of night sweats."[15] Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times called it "Biting and vicious, a styptic pencil on the battered face of "civilized divorce." It's also thoughtful, laceratingly funny, and bravely true to its own black-and-blue comic vision."[16] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote: "Under the astute direction of Danny DeVito, who does a sly turn as Oliver's attorney, this acid-dipped epic of revenge is killingly funny and dramatically daring."[17]

### Accolades

[edit]

Award  | Category  | Subject  | Result

|
|
|

BAFTA Awards[18] | Best Adapted Screenplay | Michael J. Leeson | Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear[19] | Best Director  | Danny DeVito | Nominated
Golden Globe Awards[20] | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | James L. Brooks and Arnon Milchan | Nominated
Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Michael Douglas | Nominated
Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Kathleen Turner | Nominated

## Remake

[edit]

Main article: The Roses (film)

In 2024, it was announced that Searchlight Pictures is set to remake the film, simply titled The Roses. The new film will be directed by Jay Roach and star Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman.[21] In June 2024, Ncuti Gatwa, Kate McKinnon, Andy Samberg, Sunita Mani, Zoë Chao, Jamie Demetriou, and Belinda Bromilow also joined the cast.[22]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The War of the Roses (15)". British Board of Film Classification. January 4, 1990. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
2. ^ a b "The War of the Roses (1989)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The First 100 Years 1893–1993. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
3. ^ a b c d "The War of the Roses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
4. ^ "Rosenkrieg". Educalingo.com.
5. ^ "Premiere of 'The War of the Roses'". Getty Images. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020.
6. ^ "There's nary a thorn in DeVito's 'War of the Roses'". The Orlando Sentinel (Calendar). December 8, 1989. p. 12 - via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
7. ^ Horn, Steven (January 18, 2002). "War of the Roses, The". IGN. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
8. ^ "The War of the Roses DVD".
9. ^ "The War of the Roses Blu-ray".
10. ^ "The War of the Roses Blu-ray (2013)".
11. ^ "Domestic Box Office For 1989". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
12. ^ The War of the Roses at Rotten Tomatoes
13. ^ "The War of the Roses". Metacritic.
14. ^ "War of the Roses, The (1989) B". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
15. ^ Ebert, Roger (December 8, 1989). "The War of the Roses movie review (1989)". Retrieved November 15, 2019.
16. ^ Benson, Sheila (December 8, 1989). "MOVIE REVIEWS : Till Death Us Do Part : Movies: Director Danny DeVito's 'War of the Roses' takes a biting look at marriage and divorce". Los Angeles Times.
17. ^ Travers, Peter (December 8, 1989). "The War of the Roses". Rolling Stone.
18. ^ "Film in 1991". BAFTA Awards. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
19. ^ "Berlinale: 1990 Programme". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on May 8, 2005. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
20. ^ "Winners & Nominees 1990". GoldenGlobes.con. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
21. ^ Kit, Borys (April 1, 2024). "Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman to Star in 'War of the Roses' Remake for Searchlight". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
22. ^ Kroll, Justin (June 4, 2024). "Kate McKinnon And Andy Samberg Join Benedict Cumberbatch And Olivia Colman In 'The Roses' At Searchlight". Deadline. Retrieved June 4, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* The War of the Roses at IMDb
* The War of the Roses at Box Office Mojo

* v
* t
* e

Danny DeVito

Films directed|

* The Selling of Vince D'Angelo (1982, short)
* The Ratings Game (1984)
* Throw Momma from the Train (1987)
* The War of the Roses (1989)
* Hoffa (1992)
* Matilda (1996)
* Death to Smoochy (2002)
* Duplex (2003)
* St. Sebastian (2012, unreleased)
* Curmudgeons (2016, short)

Films produced|

* Reality Bites (1994)
* 8 Seconds (1994)
* Get Shorty (1995)
* Sunset Park (1996)
* Feeling Minnesota (1996)
* Gattaca (1997)
* Out of Sight (1998)
* Living Out Loud (1998)
* Man on the Moon (1999)
* Erin Brockovich (2000)
* The Caveman's Valentine (2001)
* How High (2001)
* Camp (2003)
* Along Came Polly (2004)
* Be Cool (2005)
* Even Money (2006)
* Relative Strangers (2006)
* Freedom Writers (2007)
* Reno 911!: Miami (2007)
* A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)

* v
* t
* e

Gracie Films

James L. Brooks

TV series|

* The Tracey Ullman Show (1987–1990)
* The Simpsons (1989–present)
* Sibs (1991–1992)
* Phenom (1993–1994)
* The Critic (1994–1995)
* What About Joan? (2001–2002)

Feature films|

* Broadcast News (1987)
* Big (1988)
* Say Anything... (1989)
* The War of the Roses (1989)
* I'll Do Anything (1994)
* Jerry Maguire (1996)
* Bottle Rocket (1996)
* As Good as It Gets (1997)
* Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)
* Spanglish (2004)
* The Simpsons Movie (2007)
* How Do You Know (2010)
* The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
* Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)

Short films|

* The Longest Daycare (2012)
* Playdate with Destiny (2020)
* The Force Awakens from Its Nap (2021)
* The Good, the Bart, and the Loki (2021)
* The Simpsons | Balenciaga (2021)
* Plusaversary (2021)
* Te Deseo Lo Mejor (2021)
* When Billie Met Lisa (2022)
* Welcome to the Club (2022)
* The Simpsons Meet the Bocellis in "Feliz Navidad" (2022)
* Rogue Not Quite One (2023)
* May the 12th Be with You (2024)
* The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2024)

* 20th Television
* Sony Pictures

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template