‘The Roses,’ a hilarious British satire of domestic life

Two great British actors locked in a love-hate marriage in a dark comedy, delivering dry, understated, sardonic humor. It’s a recipe for the perfect endorphin hit at the cinema — if British humor is your thing.

Humor is deeply subjective, and enjoyment of this dark satire depends on your “funny vocabulary.” If you grew up with BBC comedies, British novels, or have cross-cultural exposure, this is a must-watch for a cinematic de-stress.

A reimagining of the 1989 Michael Douglas-Kathleen Turner film The War of the Roses, itself based on Warren Adler’s novel, The Roses is a marital-war black comedy. It follows Theo and Ivy Rose, played by Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, two of the most critically acclaimed British actors of their generation.

But what begins as a love story quickly turns thorny after their lives shift dramatically.

Their romance begins accidentally. Architect Theo escapes a creative clash at a work lunch and sneaks into a restaurant kitchen and meets the chef, Ivy. There, impressed by each other’s wit, they instantly fall in love.

The film then charts their married life as immigrants in the US Written by Tony McNamara (The Favourite), the film is a slow-burn destruction of a marriage built on mutual admiration for acerbic wit and creativity.

As the marriage deteriorates, their talent for caustic humor turns into mordant insults, hilarious in a way only the British could pull off. When their American friend (Zhoe Chao) attempts the same style in a dinner scene, it comes off as cruel rather than witty, and cringe-inducing for the audience.

Watching Colman and Cumberbatch exchange insults is a joy. Their microexpressions convey both admiration for each other’s intelligence and the sting of hurt. It’s layered: “That hurts, but it’s clever!”

The first half is sheer pleasure, dissecting Theo and Ivy’s marital dynamics while offering a sharp study of creative individuals in domestic life. Both are artists: he designs buildings, she designs dishes. Their work is more than a source of income; it is a form of personal expression.

The dramatic shift in the marriage comes as Ivy rises to fame as a chef while Theo loses his job following a viral architectural mishap. Theo becomes a stay-at-home dad, and Cumberbatch captures the emasculated husband with nuances that evoke both sympathy and recognition of personal failure.

Colman hilariously portrays Ivy, who is drunk on excitement, pressure, and sudden fame. She must balance her career, her husband’s emotional collapse, and the growing distance from her children, who have grown closer to their dad, fueling her jealousy.

The Roses also examines different parenting styles and the challenges of marriage: compromise, sacrifice and balancing personal ambition with family life. Her rise and his fall create the perfect conflict in the story, perfectly captured by director Jay Roach (Meet the Fockers), and questions of money, house, and children add deeper layers.

The transition in tone, however, feels abrupt. The first half revels in verbal jousting and hidden resentment, consistently patched over by the couple but still lingering. Then, suddenly, the film shifts into Mr. & Mrs. Smith — style physical comedy, which feels jarringly out of place.

There are also illogical moments, such as an unstable building despite engineers or Ivy doing all the kitchen work without a sous chef.

These flaws, however, are balanced by the film’s comedic peaks. The American supporting characters add an extra layer of humor, portrayed as goofy compared to the more sophisticated Brits, which works well in context. SNL alums Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg are equally funny as the Roses’ friends, a dysfunctional couple dealing with their own issues. McKinnon’s relentless sexual humor is hilarious, though it occasionally veers into discomfort.

Overall, The Roses delivers priceless banter, sarcasm, sneering, and ridicule. It makes you laugh every minute while also evoking sympathy for the underlying tension, resentment, insecurity, loneliness, and pain. It is a satisfying, darkly comic British experience on the big screen.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Now showing in cinemas