★★★★★

starring: benedict cumberbatch, olivia colman, kate mckinnon, and andy samberg

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REVIEWER: lyall carter

A tinderbox of competition and resentments underneath the façade of a picture-perfect couple is ignited when the husband's professional dreams come crashing down.

In the age of streaming it’s a rare thing to get a ‘grown up’ drama starring arguably the most celebrated British acting duo of their generation in Colman and Cumberbatch on the silver screen. While these kinds of films were dime a dozen in the 90’s, nowadays they are a very rare and delectable cinematic treat. With sharp, witty black humour that will have you roaring with laughter, The Roses treads the line between comedy and an honest reflection on the fraughtness and beauty of long term relationships with perfection. Anchored by some of the most outstanding performances you’ll witness this year in Colman and Cumberbatch, this is one of the best films of 2025. 

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Life seems easy for picture-perfect couple Ivy (Olivia Colman) and Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch) in The Roses, a reimagining of the 1989 classic film The War of the Roses, based on the novel by Warren Adler. They have successful careers, a loving marriage, great kids. But beneath the façade of their supposed ideal life, a storm is brewing – as Theo’s career nosedives while Ivy’s own ambitions take off, a tinderbox of fierce competition and hidden resentment ignites. 

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Throughout the first act of the film we get a glimpse of life before Ivy and Theo were caught up in a bitter struggle between the two of them. When, on one particularly stormy night both of their lives are impacted in sharply different ways, we begin to see them slowly drift apart from love to a loathing of one another. 

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But what makes The Roses so reflective of long term relationships is the way in which it lays out how they get to a place where they can’t stand one another. It’s not one argument that tips things over. It’s the pressure of modern life, juggling jobs, careers, and kids and with that missing one another in the busyness. There is a beauty in its incredible subtly which adds a real feeling of lived experience to proceedings

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It will not be a surprise to anyone that Colman and Cumberbatch are both brilliant here. They bounce off each other in the comedic parts of the film with such fervour that you truly believe that they have been a couple for years. But it's in the more quiet moments that their performances will get you. When other, less intuitive actors would have cranked the volume up during their verbal sparring sessions, Cumberbatch and Colman tackle this with a subtle that humanises proceedings. 

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With sharp, witty black humour that will have you roaring with laughter, The Roses treads the line between comedy and an honest reflection on the fraughtness and beauty of long term relationships with perfection. Anchored by some of the most outstanding performances you’ll witness this year in Colman and Cumberbatch, this is one of the best films of 2025.

★★★★★