If you remember the movies, The War of the Roses or The Money Pit and also own a home, you must see The Roses…

It’s the story of a married couple who have decided to divorce and both want the house…
The husband wants the house because he is an architect by profession and has put his soul into creating the perfect house…
The wife is a wildly successful chef who commissions her husband to create the perfect house as a redemption for his career that has taken a disastrous hit…

She paid for it… He created it…

And there is where the battle begins…

Story: This story is evergreen. Take any couple who decide to divorce and both want the house. Every time you tell this story, you can create completely different scenarios and reach the same conclusion – different careers – different countries – kids/no kids – have at it, in the end, the couple tries to kill each other over the house.

This reimagining of The War of the Roses does just that. This is a great, creative retelling of the story. The details truly make all the difference. Tony McNamara remixes the details in a way that makes it seem like this is a different story all together.

Performances: This time it’s an English couple living in America with two kids. Husband is an architect, wife is a chef. Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman. Both deliver outstanding performances – to be expected.

The cherry on top becomes Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon as their couple friends and Allison Janney as the wife’s attorney. Ironically, Andy Samberg’s character is also the husband’s attorney and the scene negotiating the terms of the divorce is a show stopper.

The banter between these couples and the attorneys – together and individually – is priceless.

Visual: This version spans about a 15-year period. Director Jay Roach did a great job of passing time and age in a blink. But most notable is one scene in particular showing a large building collapse which is a good example of storytelling and modern cinematography, mixed in one scene. It was like watching an indie film with one Hollywood blockbuster scene inserted.

Rating: The Roses gets an A-. I think the ending is a bit much but it certainly makes its point. It’s the journey getting to the end that is so filled with unique circumstances, witty banter and unabashed comic relief. And oh yes, it does get a bit raunchy at times…

See this movie. You’ll want to watch it again… I know I do!