The Roses (2025) Review — When Marriage Becomes a Warzone

If you’re looking for a darkly funny, sharply observed take on marriage’s collapse — with stellar performances and ruthless wit — look no further than The Roses. Directed by Jay Roach from a screenplay by Tony McNamara, this 2025 satirical black comedy is a re-imagining of the 1989 film The War of the Roses, itself adapted from the novel by Warren Adler. Released theatrically in August and arriving on Disney+ on December 3, it’s a portrait of ambition, resentment, and one couple’s slow burn into warfare.

🏡 Plot: When Everything Looks Perfect, the Bomb’s Already Ticking

Theo Rose (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a successful architect; Ivy Rose (Olivia Colman) is an aspiring chef who finally hits her stride. For a time, their life in Mendocino, California, feels ideal — twin children, good careers, a dream home. But life unravels. Ivy’s restaurant takes off while Theo’s career collapses, forcing him into the role of stay-at-home dad. The power dynamic inverts, tempers flare, and what started as love becomes sharp as a weapon.

Their marriage devolves into sabotage, humiliation, and irreconcilable ambition. Even the household morphs into a battleground: rigid exercise regimes, secretive legal moves, a home defense gun left loaded. The rise of resentment is meshed with dark humour, until the final twist sees them flirting with violence, even as a gas leak in their smart home threatens to finish them both.

👏 What Works — And Why It Hits

Performances That Elevate the Material

Colman and Cumberbatch carry this film. Colman’s Ivy is equal parts warmth and venom — a woman whose dreams were sidelined until now. Cumberbatch’s Theo is charming, insecure, and terrifyingly logical in his rage. The chemistry between them is electric — so much so that when things go south, you feel the impact of every fractured promise.

Supporting actors bring flavour: Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon offer comedic relief with bite; Allison Janney adds moral weight as a divorce lawyer; and the ensemble around them completes the picture of a social circle complicit in the breakdown.

Sharp Satire with Emotional Teeth

The film doesn’t just mock the institution of marriage — it dissects it. Under the laughs, there’s an honesty about jealousy, change, and the cost of success. It’s satirical, yes — but also heartbreaking. When you laugh, you recognise something inside yourself.

Strong Directorial Voice

Jay Roach balances the tone beautifully. The movie moves quickly, but you sense the decay of the relationship in the little details: the home décor shifting, the smiles thinning, the sounds of kids echoing in the distance. The satire is sharp; the drama is real.

⚠️ What Holds It Back

Mixed Critical Response

Despite the strengths, the film didn’t land for everyone. Reviews ranged from warm to lukewarm; on Rotten Tomatoes it shows a middling average, reflecting the fact that its tone might not match all tastes. Some critics felt the satire slipped into mean-spiritedness, or that the emotional stakes wavered.

Box Office Performance

At the box office, The Roses underperformed relative to their star power. It grossed $51 million worldwide — respectable, but below expectations given the cast and studio backing. Analysts attribute the outcome to limited marketing appeal, tonal ambiguity (is it comedy? drama? both?), and the challenge of selling a dark marriage story in the age of lighter rom-coms and franchise blockbusters.

📺 Streaming Info & What’s Next

• Release Date: Hibited theatrically in the U.S. on August 29, 2025.

• Digital Purchase/Rent: Available from October 21, 2025.

• Streaming On: Disney+ internationally (from December 3) and expected on Hulu in the U.S., though no official date yet.

• Runtime & Rating: 1 h 45 min, Rated R.

According to streaming-release trend analyses, the film is likely to land on Hulu a few weeks after its digital release, potentially around late November or early December.

🎯 Final Verdict

⭐ 4 .2 / 5 – The Roses is a smart, darkly funny film about love losing its way. It doesn’t play it safe, and that’s the point. For viewers looking for big stars doing something messier and more real than you expect — this is your film.

If you stream it on December 3, settle in for witty jabs, heartbreaking truths, and a reminder that sometimes the real war isn’t on the battlefield — it’s at home.