Many of us GenXers will recognise only too well a lot of the marital warfare in this film

The simmering resentments, the unspoken rivalries, the caustic one-liners that only two people who once adored each other could ever inflict. The Roses, opening in cinemas this weekend, captures all of that – only louder, sharper, and with a lot more collateral damage.

Directed by Jay Roach (Bombshell, Meet the Parents), the film pairs Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman on screen for the first time, playing Theo and Ivy Rose. At first glance, theirs is a charmed life: two successful careers, a seemingly solid marriage, children, and a dream home.

But then Theo’s architectural career implodes. He’s on the verge of fame with a high-profile nautical museum in San Francisco, but on the day of its unveiling, a storm hits. The building collapses due to a structural flaw, instantly ruining his reputation.

To make it worse, the same storm reroutes traffic to Ivy’s seafood restaurant, where a prominent critic happens to dine. Her career takes off overnight, just as his falls apart.

As Ivy’s culinary success and ambitions soar, that picture-perfect façade fractures. What begins as witty sparring escalates into full-blown emotional combat.

It’s a modern reimagining of Warren Adler’s novel and the 1989 black comedy The War of the Roses. But this version, scripted by Tony McNamara (The Favourite, Poor Things), digs into contemporary pressures: ambition, perfectionism, social media success, and the capitalist grind pulling couples apart.

 

“Real life, only turned up”

Director Jay Roach is clear about what drew him to the project. “The tone is unique, it’s basically real life,” he explains. “I often use humour to navigate tough moments, and I think people in relationships who can joke and tease their way through awkward situations show signs of a healthy bond. But this film explores how that love language can turn from teasing to outright attack – and sometimes, it’s hard to tell the difference.”

That grey area – when affection mutates into cruelty – is something McNamara’s script skewers with savage wit. Cumberbatch loved it from the outset. “This is a laugh-out-loud script, filled with bad behaviour,” he says. “It’s so much fun, so inventive and so witty.”

Colman agrees. “Tony is so good at doing proper hilarity that you forget there’s also this intense emotion in there. He sprinkles it in, and it breaks your heart.”

Theo and Ivy: recognisable, messy, real

Cumberbatch sees Theo and Ivy as characters audiences will immediately recognise. “As a couple, they are very identifiable,” he says. “This film will have something recognisable in it for everybody, whatever stage their relationship is at. Hopefully not too much, though. This is a cautionary tale at the end of the day.”

For Colman, Ivy was a joy to play. “Ivy Rose is ace; she’s quite a free spirit. She’s a chef, she’s funny, passionate, loving, a good mum. When Ivy and Theo meet, it’s explosive. Then they have children, and it all goes a bit wrong. Both Ivy and Theo are brilliant at what they do, but it’s hard for them to find a balance between their careers and family life.”

Theo, meanwhile, is as magnetic as he is flawed. “I love his directness,” Cumberbatch says. “He knows what he wants and goes for it. Some of those decisions are devastating, some heartbreaking, some funny. At times he’s his own worst enemy. He gets lost in retribution and in his emotional state and can’t see the other people involved. He’s just not that self-aware.”

In short, they’re the sort of couple you might admire across the dinner table – until you realise their witty banter is really a declaration of war.

Fun hating each other

What makes The Roses irresistible is not just the script but the pairing of its two stars. Although Cumberbatch and Colman have been friends for years, this is their first project together. And both threw themselves into the escalating venom with relish.

“I think really it’s because in this film she gets to be the very worst version of Olivia Colman there could ever be,” Cumberbatch says. “And I’ve relished watching her do it.”

Colman agrees. “Yes, it has been lots of fun, hating each other. There’s something rather therapeutic about getting to be utterly horrible to someone, and then having a good laugh about it later.”

Their chemistry on set was instant. Writer Tony McNamara recalls the first day of shooting: “In their first scene, we were like, ‘Oh my God, they feel like they’ve been married for so long.’ They had such a connection and rhythm. It felt incredible.”

Even the crew found themselves divided in their loyalties. Producer Michelle Graham recalls: “It was fascinating to see who related to Theo or Ivy at various stages of the story.”

A Gen X cautionary tale

For those of us who came of age in the late 80s and 90s – who maybe watched the original War of the Roses with both horror and fascination – this new version feels more relatable. McNamara points out that the pressures on modern couples are different. “Today’s world is different… ambition, desire for perfection, individualism, and the capitalist system pull people apart. It’s not great for a happy marriage.”

That’s the sting in the comedy: the very real challenge of holding a relationship together while careers, kids, and self-image all compete for space. As Colman puts it, “Both Ivy and Theo are brilliant at what they do. But it’s hard for them to find a balance between their careers and family life.”

And as McNamara notes, the story works because it doesn’t let either character off the hook. “I want people to root for Theo and Ivy to be together but recognise how difficult that is. I don’t think as an audience you want them to suddenly be nice to each other.”

Why it matters now

By the end, audiences may laugh, wince, and perhaps eyeball their partners a little too knowingly. Roach hopes the film prompts reflection. “I hope this film causes every person watching it to turn to their partner and say, ‘Wow, we need to talk honestly and drop the surface stuff, because if we don’t, we might misunderstand each other.’”

For Cumberbatch, the takeaway is simpler: “This is a cautionary tale.”

For Colman: “It’s about human mess in all its glory.”

And for married couples watching, perhaps the most sobering recognition is that the line between playful banter and destructive warfare is a lot thinner than we’d like to admit.

The Roses
In cinemas from 29 August 2025