MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Satirical Dark Comedy/Stars: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Marianne Sägebrecht, Sean Astin, Trenton Teigen, Heather Fairfield, Bethany McKinney, G. D. Spradlin, Peter Donat, Dan Castellaneta, Peter Brocco, Philip Perlman, Shirley Mitchell, Ellen Crawford, Lisa Howard, Vickilyn Reynolds, Roy Brocksmith, Peter Hansen, Danitra Vance, David Wohl/Runtime: 116 minutes
If there was ever a concept that the vast majority of people out there will tell you was designed with the objective in mind of reaffirming that there are still things in this world that can be positive and/or uplifting to the heart and soul I have no doubt that those people would name the concept of marriage as one of their top 5 answers. Of course, can you really blame them? I mean not only are weddings by themselves usually beautiful affairs (including the best part in the form of the cake and catering, but I digress) with both the bridal and groom parties decked out in their best attire, the place where the ceremony is to be held also looking truly gorgeous, the vows written by both people really tugging on the ol’ heartstrings a fair deal, and just the overall feeling of love and warmth in the air, but there are also the internal aspects to consider that are just as touching. By that I mean when most of us as individuals make the choice to marry someone not only are we saying to that person that we want to spend the rest of our lives with them, but we also want to share perhaps the ultimate bond of love, trust, commitment, and happiness with them as well. As touching as all of this sounds however, I must admit that I am a very cynical person and, while I do appreciate the concept of marriage and will cherish the day where I myself join the group known as “married people”, I do have a soft spot for movies that show just how terribly and horribly awry the concept of a relationship, or even a marriage for that matter, can truly go and the impact it can have on both parties. Yet besides such entries as 2014’s Gone Girl, 1967’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind which I still feel Jim Carrey deserved an Oscar nomination for, there is one slice of cinema that deals with this that I sadly do not feel has gotten nearly as much attention as the others that I have mentioned. That being a 1989 slice of cinema, and film I happen to be reviewing for you today incidentally, known as The War of the Roses and I must warn you now dear reader: if you are the kind of person who loves a happy story with happy people then I strongly suggest watching The Happiest Elf over at the theater next door because that is not what you are going to get here. On the other hand, if you are someone like me who can appreciate a pitch-black dark comedy about 2 people taking their rapidly disintegrating marriage to a point that even Jerry Springer might think was too extreme then you are going to love this. To be sure, it’s not for everyone, but with the aid of top-flight work on both sides of the camera, this is one bitter-humored cinematic battle of the sexes that is definitely entertaining from beginning to end and every wonderfully hostile minute in between
The plot is as follows: An adaptation of a 1981 novel of the same name by Warren Adler, The War of the Roses tells us the lovely and idyllic story of a boy named Oliver and a girl named Barbara. A pair of people who meet one day at an auction taking place during a particularly rainy afternoon and, finding within themselves that most delightful of ailments known as a mutual attraction, decide to give in to said attraction and see just where it could wind up. A choice that over the passage of time leads to not only a beautiful relationship, but also a whirlwind marriage and even the birth of a pair of equally as wonderful children respectively. Also worthy of note during said passage time is the appearance of two distinct paths for this couple as well. Paths that take the form of Oliver doing everything he can to become an impeccable individual amongst that distinct community known as lawyers albeit at the cost of spending quality time with his family and Barbara trying to balance maintaining the homestead with the aid of devoted housekeeper Susan, and even trying to get a catering business off the ground respectively. Suffice it to say that it definitely sounds like a fairy tale and honestly in most cases I could definitely see this being the end of the story with the phrase “and they lived happily ever after….” being the last line, or among the last lines uttered. Thankfully, we soon see that is definitely not the case. This is because, as with a lot of other couples, we soon see that things are far from tranquil and harmonious in the Rose household. Rather, and in that time-honored way, cracks have begun to appear in the couple’s, what had been most likely falsely advertised to them as shatterproof, relationship in the form of Barbara beginning to really dislike Oliver’s consistent devotion to work, his “my way or the highway” style, and the fact that he seemingly doesn’t care about her feelings in any way whereas Oliver….just seems completely lost in his own little world if I’m being honest. It isn’t long though before Oliver has his eyes open to this when, following an unexpected emergency, Barbara in no uncertain terms makes it clear that the time has come for them to go their separate ways. In not so many words dear reader: she wants a divorce. Yet when Oliver discovers that the only thing Barbara wants in the settlement is nothing less than their home and all its contents, we see that this results in the couple engaging in conflict with the aid of various dirty and underhanded schemes to try and get the other to give up the property. Thus, with the fight escalating to the point of physical damage to both home and person can our couple find a middle ground or are things about to go from bad to worse? That I will leave for you to discover……
Now right off, it should be said that the work done by the various departments behind the camera on this cinematic outing is fairly impeccable across the board. This starts with the work done at the helm by Danny DeVito (who also has a pivotal co-starring role in the film) and honestly this is genuinely great work from him. Indeed not only does DeVito do a fantastic job of really building up to the absolutely glorious and darkly comedic chaos and mayhem which occur from about 46 minutes on, but he also excels at ensuring that, despite Oliver and Barbara transforming into the most vengeful cartoony pair this side of Tom and Jerry and the relatable core concept of a spiteful divorce being taken to the most outlandish points possible, the 2 main characters are still given moments where they act less like that and more like human beings much like you or me. In addition to DeVito’s stellar work at the helm, this slice of cinema also features a fairly well-penned screenplay from the late Michael J. Leeson (1983’s underrated to a degree The Survivors among a host of iconic TV work including The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi). To be sure, a lot of the secondary characters here do seem to be a bit on the underwritten side. Even so however, there is no denying that Leeson nevertheless not only captures the delightfully dark vibe of the source material, but he also manages to give this cinematic adaptation its own distinct style and tone that really permit it to be its own thing as well. Alongside the work done by DeVito in the director’s chair and Michael J. Leeson on the fairly well-written screenplay, this slice of cinema is also the blessed recipient of skillful work from the cinematography department as headed by Stephen H. Burum (St. Elmo’s Fire, The Untouchables, Casualties of War, and the first Mission: Impossible among others). Indeed not only does Burum’s work here feel like a fantastic throwback to films from the 40s and 50s, but it also does a fantastic job of really immersing us as movie goers into the world that the characters are a part of with particular regard to the truly beautiful estate that they call home (before its transformation into the worst stage in Mortal Kombat ever) whilst also ensuring that we are able to feel virtually every single bit of both the rising tension between the couple to say nothing of the emotional, and even physical, misery that they inflict on each other fairly consistently throughout the film. Lastly, I definitely think that this section would most assuredly be incomplete if I didn’t take some time to praise the work done on this film’s musical accompaniment by gifted composer David Newman (The Brave Little Toaster, The Sandlot, and the first 2 Bill and Ted movies among many others). Indeed Newman (the cousin of one Randy Newman incidentally) has long been an immensely talented composer in his own right and here he undeniably proves that by giving movie goers a score here that is a wonderful blend of tense, ominous, and yet gleefully madcap which synchs up with the rest of the work done behind the camera beautifully. Suffice it to say that, when taking into account well done work from the editing department as headed by Lynzee Klingman and outstanding work from the set design team among others, I think it can safely be said that there might be a few hiccups here and there, but overall there really is no denying that this is a very solidly made slice of cinema all things considered.
Alongside the absolutely impeccable work done by the various departments behind the camera, it should also be said that this slice of cinema is reinforced spectacularly well by the work done by a truly game and extremely well-chosen cast of talent in front of the camera also. Without a doubt in my mind, this starts with none other than screen icon Michael Douglas and this is easily one of the 7 best performances of his career. Indeed in the role of family patriarch Oliver Rose, we see that Douglas does a terrific job of giving us a guy who yes is a workaholic, is controlling, and definitely someone who does push aside his family in order to have a shot at the good life that he feels he so rightfully deserves. Along with that, it should also be pointed out that Oliver, as portrayed by Douglas, is someone who can also be a petulant and petty child at times to say nothing of a sarcastic jerk and a half and who really does have a spectacular ability when it comes to failing to see the obvious when it is presented right in front of him. Even with such bitter attributes to his name however, we also see that Douglas does a terrific job of also giving Oliver moments of surprising sensitivity and humanity especially in moments where he makes it clear that, despite everything they are doing to each other, he still does love Barbara and would like if perhaps they could just talk this out. Indeed it’s an incredibly multifaceted turn and one that Douglas plays incredibly well. Working fantastically well off of Douglas’ performance here would have to be the one given by Kathleen Turner who, as Barbara Rose, is phenomenal. Yes the character of Barbara is one that, when taking into account her husband’s behavior, definitely deserves a bit of sympathy as well. With that said however, what Turner does so well here is provide us with a character that is so spiteful, resentful, and just plain wrathful in terms of dialogue and actions that you are constantly left wondering if not only does she still care about Oliver to say nothing of their marriage, but also if she is even worthy of sympathy given her near-constant exacerbation of the conflict between them. Lastly, this section would be woefully incomplete if I didn’t take the time to praise the work done here by the film’s director Danny DeVito in the pivotal co-starring role of Oliver’s friend/work colleague Gavin D’Amato. Yes D’Amato starts out as your typically slimy lawyer in his own right, but as the film goes on we see that DeVito does a terrific job at having him evolve to become the increasingly exasperated voice of reason here who desperately tries to get this couple to just come to the table and hash things out before there isn’t even a table to come to (probably because they destroyed it). Indeed it’s a wonderful performance from an actor who has definitely given us his fair share of those and more over the years. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in wonderful efforts from Marianne Sägebrecht who is delightful as the Roses’ increasingly concerned (to say nothing of caught in the middle of their vicious feud) housekeeper Susan, Sean “Samwise Gamgee” Astin as their son Josh despite his character being a bit on the underwritten and one dimensional side, Dan “Homer Simpson” Castellaneta, a wonderfully lecherous and sleazy G.D. Spradlin who does wonders with his 5-10 minutes of screentime as Barbara’s attorney Harry Thurmont, and even a brief yet welcome performance from Peter Donat (The China Syndrome) among others it’s clear that this slice of cinema might have a few issues here and there, but thankfully the cast is able to do what it can to help make up for those.
All in all and at the end of the day is The War of the Roses a perfect slice of cinema by any stretch of the imagination? Sadly that is most assuredly not the case though certainly not for lack on the part of anyone involved in the making of it. Having said that however, is this the worst film in any of the respective talents involved’s individual filmographies? Oh no. Absolutely not. Not by a long shot. To be sure, this is most definitely a film that is not going to be for everyone due to not only the subject matter or the current of dark humor running through it all, but also because of the manner in which it is told to say nothing of both the mean spirited/cynical tone of the film to say nothing of how the two people at the heart (?) of this particular story wind up treating each other respectively. Should you be the kind of individual who either loves dark comedy with a passion and/or is able to hitch a ride on this film’s rather distinct wavelength however I am absolutely positive that, like myself, you should find a significant amount to truly enjoy here. Indeed the work at the helm is top-flight, the score is absolutely magnificent, the cinematography is jaw-droppingly remarkable, the script extremely well-written, and the performances by Douglas, Turner, and DeVito are absolutely top notch in every sense of the word. Suffice it to say then dear reader that it might not be the “feel-good rom com of the year 1989 or any year for that matter”, but there is still no denying that The War of the Roses is one gleefully and unapologetic dark comedic gem that is sure to make you thankful the next time you and your significant other find yourself getting into a spat over who snores the loudest, who pays more of the bills, who does more around the house, or for that matter over small things like who has more clothes that go into the laundry at the end of every week to name a few examples. Not just because you and your significant other are (fingers crossed) logical and decent people at heart who can deal with such matters like mature adults, but because unlike the couple in this slice of cinema I can honestly say that at least the spat in question won’t end with one of you deciding to (among other things) transform the other’s car into an automobile-shaped pancake…..hopefully. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give The War of the Roses “89” a solid 4 out of 5.
