The War of the Roses (1989)
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82% of critics liked it
(38 reviews) -
65% of users liked it
(40,070 ratings)
Divorce lawyer Danny De Vito warns his prospective client that the story he's about to tell isn't a pretty one, but the client listens with eager intensity -- as do the folks out there in the movie in the audience. The War of the Roses can best be described as a slapstick tragedy concerning… More Divorce lawyer Danny De Vito warns his prospective client that the story he's about to tell isn't a pretty one, but the client listens with eager intensity -- as do the folks out there in the movie in the audience. The War of the Roses can best be described as a slapstick tragedy concerning the decline and literal fall of a marriage. After 17 years, Oliver (Michael Douglas) and Barbara (Kathleen Turner) Rose want a divorce. Not for this couple is there anything resembling a "civilized understanding": Barbara wants their opulent house, and Oliver isn't about to part with the domicile. Barbara nails the basement door shut while Oliver is downstairs, Oliver disrupts Barbara's fancy party by taking aim at the catered dinner, Barbara lays waste to Oliver's sports car....and so it goes, culminating in a disastrous showdown around, about and under the living room's fancy chandelier. DeVito and screenwriter Michael Leeson never let us forget that the couple's self-indulgent imbroglio exacts an awful price upon their children (Sean Astin and Heather Fairfield). The War of the Roses was adapted from the novel by Warren Adler. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Danny DeVito
- Genres
- Comedy
- In Theaters
- Dec 8, 1989 Wide
- Studio
- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
DeVito's taste for unorthodox camera angles and striking camera movements occasionally verges on overreaching but for the most part admirably serves the action.
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Variety Staff, Variety
Trying to wring yocks from a deranged couple locked in mortal combat over possession of their house is more suited to film noir than black comedy.
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, Time Out
De Vito's quirky camera angles and Kathleen Turner's steely-eyed spite inject a sadistic comic-strip madness into a film that for once has the nerve to see its nastiness through.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
DeVito's direction is distinctively odd (with a lot of low-angle shots looking up at things), enjoyably mischievous and always somehow mindful that there may be, at the heart of all this comic mayhem, something substantial going on.
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Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
DeVito triumphs by instilling this caustic satire with truth and consequence.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Michael Douglas
as Oliver Rose
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Kathleen Turner
as Barbara Rose
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Danny DeVito
as Gavin D'Amato
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Marianne Sägebrecht
as Susan
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Sean Astin
as Josh Age 17
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Heather Fairfield
as Carolyn Age 17
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G.D. Spradlin
as Harry Thurmont
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Peter Donat
as Larrabee
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Trenton Teigen
as Josh Age 10
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Bethany McKinney
as Carolyn Age 10
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Robert Michael Adler
as Dr. Hillerman
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Patricia Allison
as Maureen
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Harlan Arnold
as Mr. Dell
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Peter Brocco
as Elderly Mourner
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Roy Brocksmith
as Mr. Fisk
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Dan Castellaneta
as Man in Chair
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Tony Crane
as Teenage Boy
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Ellen Crawford
as Nurse
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Gloria Cromwell
as Mrs. Marshall
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Mary Fogarty
as Mrs. Dell
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Peter Hansen
as Mr. Marshall
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Rika Hofmann
as Elke
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Lisa Howard
as Nurse
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Prince Hughes
as Bleeding Man
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Philip Perlman
as Bidder at Auction
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Vickilyn Reynolds
as Nancy Oliver's Secretary
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Fred Scialla
as Stand-In
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Jeffrey Thomas
as Orderly
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Tyler the Cat
as Kitty Kitty the Cat
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Danitra Vance
as Manicurist Trainee
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David Wohl
as Dr. Gordon
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Jacqueline Cassell
as Gavin's Secretary
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Mary Donohue
as Carolyn Age 3
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Julia Elliott
as Latin Assistant
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Morris Jones
as Anchorman
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Shirley Mitchell
as Mrs. Dewitt
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Sue Palka
as Anchorwoman
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Popeye the Dog
as Bennie
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Eunice Suarez
as Latin Woman
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Shaun Wickers
as Josh Age 3
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Robert Harper
as Heath
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Susan Isaacs
as Auctioneer's Assistant


