The Roses | Full Movie | Movies Anywhere

In Jay Roach’s adaptation of The War of the Roses, he gives us decidedly less thorny carnations: pretty enough to look at, but lacking anything pointed and no sense of danger.

What is best is what is underneath the surface of the film ... twists of fate, the inability for the couple to work on themselves (thus blaming the marriage), and the American capitalism and excess that steals time from their lives, and all our lives.

The mood swings are pretty wild with this one, and whether the bitter exchanges are funny or exhausting is in the ear of the beholder. “The Roses” is one nasty middle finger salute to marriage.

So the causes of war have been updated, from basic inequality of roles to the stresses created by both striving for career fulfilment. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t work on any level. The English/American gambit is completely off-target.