I liked this movie better when it was called Marriage Story. While I applaud a studio trying for a big budget r rated comedy like The Roses, I wish the execution was just a little better than the movie we got. I guess the floor is low though, as “two Brits snipe at each other” has become movie making bread and butter.
The two Brits in this case are Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Olivia Colman) Rose. They have been an upper class California couple for a while now, with Theo’s architecting allowing Ivy to spend time with kids Hattie (Hala Finley) and Roy (Wells Rappaport). But things flip on a dime, when one of Theo’s buildings is a disaster and Ivy’s restaurant “I Have Crabs” becomes a sensation, forcing the couple to switch roles. And what was already a mildly caustic relationship gets put through the stress ringer; not a great time to start firearm target practice eh?
Jay Roach has been making studio comedies for so long, he’s gonna go back to what’s worked in the past. That usually means what a producer might call “4 quadrant comedy”, where all the jokes have to hit as broadly and appeal to as many people as possible. Broad comedy usually means simpler, surface level jokiness; for The Roses, that means we’re in for a slapstick comedy like the ones they’ve been making since the 1930s. Expect short shorts on Benedict Cumberbatch who runs in a funny way, or Olivia Colman hard reacting to a particularly cruel remark. Walking in on someone hooking up. Food fights. You get the idea. Those set pieces usually get a chuckle or two, but the best parts of a comedy usually come from the hyper specificity of the characters. The Roses doesn’t have enough of this, sadly so, because what’s there is quite funny. Anything involving Theo or Ivy’s kids works, because of the runner about how regimented/unregimented their lives are depending on who’s parenting them. The divorce lawyer and therapist meetings also pop, because of the placement of a rottweiler, or the very acid tongued conversation juxtaposing a clear friendship outside of the room. Or just even letting the intimidating supporting comedic cast like Jamie Demetriou, Kate McKinnon, or Ncuti Gatwa cook. Roach tries to thread the needle to deliver something for every type of comedian, but I’m certain no movie, not even one with the cast of The Roses, can pull that off.
That the movie works at all is because of our 2 leads, because of their wonderfully specific repartee. Olivia Colman, queen of the silly facial expression and off color remark, constantly at battle with the wordy Benedict Cumberbatch. He is new to this type of comedy and acquits himself decently so, but it’s Colman that’s born to be a slapstick comedian, giving this movie everything she’s amazing at, carrying scenes or happily playing second fiddle depending on what the situation needs. It’s their specific relationship that stirs The Roses pot, with the pair walking the near impossible line of clearly loving one another, but also from the outside coming across as pure enemies ready to kill each other if it means winning an argument. Roach and writer Tony McNamara play with their chemistry, see sawing the power dynamic between the couple to mine as much comedy as possible by exploring every situation possible. It’s nowhere near perfect, but neither are Theo and Ivy, who happily settle for, well, content I guess.
With a raspberry allergy EpiPen. Smart choice Jay Roach, making Olivia Colman a chef, bringing over what she was already learning on the set of The Bear. I’ll say it again: all great comedies at some point owe a debt to the great city of Chicago, my city!