A British couple moves to the US and starts a family, but professional aspirations and personal insecurities turn them against each other.
You have to love the British humour!
This is a great British reimagining of a very solid American original, The War of the Roses (1989). And what I appreciated most is that it does not try to outdo it or radically reinvent it. Instead, it leans into its British identity and lets tone, performance, and humour do the heavy lifting.
And speaking of performances – this is where the film truly shines. Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman are simply excellent. They understand exactly what kind of film they are in and navigate that delicate balance between comedy and cruelty exactly where the narrative leads them. Their chemistry feels authentic, uneasy, and at times painfully funny – exactly what this story requires. Kate McKinnon, Andy Samberg, Sunita Mani and the rest of the cast support this effort brilliantly!
This is very much a slow-burn comedy, and that may throw some people off at first. But there is a clear reason behind that pacing. Co-writer Tony McNamara and director Jay Roach’s remake takes its time to let the audience absorb the quirks, the awkward silences, the build-up of troubles, and the peculiar rhythms and vernacular of British humour. It wants you to sit with it, to adjust to it, so that when the escalation comes – and it does – it lands far more effectively.
What makes it particularly interesting is how that humour translates. British audiences will immediately recognise the tone – the restraint, the sarcasm, the subtle cruelty wrapped in politeness. For American audiences, it might feel slightly offbeat, even strange at times, but still undeniably funny. And in The Roses, that duality works both ways. The characters themselves seem to be in that same position, reacting to situations in ways that feel both natural and detached.
Importantly, the film retains the morbidity of the original. Beneath the humour lies the slow disintegration of a relationship, the pettiness, the resentment, the quiet warfare that builds over time. It never loses sight of that. If anything, this version feels a little more restrained, but no less sharp.
It is not a film that will make you laugh out loud every minute. But it will make you smile, wince, and potentially offend you or shock you – and that is exactly what it is aiming for.
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