The War of the Roses (1989)

Awesome Movie

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Blistering performances.

Well-made but not much fun. This is a dark comedy starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as a couple whose relationship takes an ugly turn when she wants a divorce. Danny DeVito co-stars and also directs. It's a very interesting movie, although not particularly enjoyable for my tastes. The characters aren't that likable despite the actors' charms. There's also some mean-spiritedness that made me wish the eventual fate of these two would happen an hour sooner than it does. Large parts of the movie, particularly in the first half, feel a bit like a stage play filmed on old-fashioned sets. There's something quaint about that I like but it's also a little distracting. I can certainly understand why others would like, if not love, this movie. I don't regret watching it but it's something I'll probably never watch again.

Usually, the romance story is a fairy tale. Here it's a scary and bloody break-up: I can't say that i found that funny, especially when the characters are neatly defined: Katlheen wants her freedom while Michael expects undying love. It was also painful to follow as it's 2 hours and it's a bit long. However De Vito is really inspired as a director (as well as a cool actor): i got the feeling that he did it as a dark tale and with some strange camera work and his exterior narration, it looks like a Tim Burton movie (except the fantastic ingredient). In addition, this big mansion is really fit to become a battlefield so i could watch it entirely! NB: i expected the scene in which they divide their house by painting frontiers and i didn't see it, also in the trailer: Did i dream it ???

I've seen this movie many times before, but not in a very long time. This is a black comedy about a couple, from the moment they meet, through the little stuff that make them start hate each other and up to a complete war that grows worse and worse.This movie is much darker than I remembered, but it's still very funny - and while it obviously fabricates and exaggerates certain situations, it actually shows how awful a divorce process can be, how two people who loved each other come to hate each other and how the process makes them hurt each other as much as possible. It may be fiction, but it's not very far from real life (in fact, there are WORSE divorce situations in real life).Beautiful cinematography by the great Stephen H. Burum (Brian De Palma's regular DP).

The War of the Roses (1989) is so mean-spirited and dark that at times it's easy to forget it's a comedy. There are moments where it even feels heartbreaking. Much like The Great Gatsby, this is about the failure of the American Dream, how a happy couple is torn apart by the corruption of wealth and materialism.Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner have great chemistry as the quarreling couple. Danny DeVito is in top form behind and before the camera.The War of the Roses is an underrated gem and one which will likely reward repeat viewings.