Danny DeVito's dark dramatic movie of a crazy soon divorced couple who spend the movie trying to kill each other. Billed as "dark comedy" but has no jokes, so really isn't comedy. This is really a horror thriller movie, and not a very good one.
This is the story of the marriage of the "Roses" (Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas) told through the words of a lawyer (Danny DeVito, who also directed) who relates the story to a potential client (Dan Castellaneta in a non-speaking role).
I do not understand why Yahoo Movies say I would like black comedies, because they are only worth a couple of chuckles. And this one is no exception.
Although the movie has a good cast, three members of which have worked together twice before -- in better movies, they only give a fair performance.
Another problem with this movie is that only the "Roses" have any character development. The "Rose" children, who are seen in three stages of their lives, and the rest of the cast are not used well at all. They are mostly there, and aren't used well to advance the main storyline.
One thing that I liked was the use of camera angles. Some of them were pretty unique like the one where the waring couple were shown looking out separate windows that were only a few feet apart. There were also a couple of extreme close-ups to show the anger of the "Roses" that were also pretty nice.
Another thing that was not good was that the realism of the movie was horrible. You would think with a relationship that was this volatile, the neighbors would have called the cops at least once. Yes, many divorces can end this bad, but this just didn't feel realistic to me at all.
This was certainly over-the-top, but it's not funny if you ask me. In fact, I don't even understand why this would be considered "comedy" even a black comedy. I probably chuckled at a couple of allegedly comedic moments.
As for the music. None of it is memorable, and it didn't enhance any of the scenes or the fights between the "Roses". In fact, the music is so forgettable, I don't even remember hearing music until the closing credits.
Save this one for a rainy day when you are desperate to see a movie.
This movie never gets boring, not even after seeing it a dozen of times. In my opinion the best work that Danny de Vito, Kathleen Turner & Michael Douglas ever did together.
Very long. Ninety minutes is a sufficient amount of time for a movie--it took over 30 minutes for these two to even start arguing when the title is the WAR of the Roses. The acting is really good and the lengths that both husband and wife go to?very original and dark.
I couldn't stop laughing. War of the Roses is a funny,dark comedy. Kathleen Turner,& Michael Douglas are magnificent as the divorcing couple. After seeing this movie, you might decide it is in your best interest to get a prenuptial agreemant prior to marriage. I highly recommend this movie.
Another Michael Douglas-Kathleen Turner movie I love...I think he loved her more than she loved him....he still wanted to reconcile, she was absolutely stubborn...probably hurt and couldn't forgive. Good movie!
AWESOME,they r so funny. Its like Mr. & Mrs. Smith,they r trying to kill each other,except they r not secret agents or whatever. It is a really funny movie
Live, love and get even no matter what...a dark comedy about a wealthy couple with a seemingly perfect marriage. He is a successful lawyer and his wife is building her own catering business. When their marriage begins to fall apart, material possessions become the center of an outrageous and bitter divorce battle...2 thumbs way up...Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner were perfect...!
Douglas and Turner, in career-best performances, are the materialistic, consumer-driven Roses of the title (Oliver and Barbara) whose seemingly perfect marriage has soured beyond repair; their only point of contact, aside from their two college-bound kids, is their meticulously maintained dream house, which Douglas bought and Turner decorated to perfection. When Turner gets a taste of financial independence, she asks Douglas for divorce--all she wants is the house and everything in it (aside from his clothes and shaving kit). He laughs at her and she punches him in the face. Things only get worse from there, as nasty divorce proceedings (with DeVito as Douglas's lawyer) give way to insults, threats, ruined dinner parties, and pet abuse. And through it all, the Roses begin destroying their beloved home and its contents, just to spite each other. While Michael Douglas is often looked at as a dramatic actor, I don't think many people realize that he's very adept at doing comedy. Here Douglas finds just the right tone between lustful revenge and placid frustration to make Oliver a memorable character. Turner plays Barbara with all the iciness of the North Pole, while continuously staying sexy. This is a movie that finds chuckles in some unusual areas; turning a dog into pate, biting a man's penis and publicly urinating on the main course at a dinner party.
Magnificent dark,very dark comedy about love grown cold and the brutal absurdity of marital warfare.There are many double over laughing moments,yet the film leaves one feeling vague discomfort and shock at the end.
A perfect accompanyment to Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe,for an interesting movie night! Douglas and Turner have such wonderful chemistry.
Not awful but pretty average. Mr. and Mrs. Smith basically ripped this movie off as it has similar fight scenes between husband and wife. I mean, Michael Douglas has his nut sack chewed on by Kathleen Turner. Yowch.
I used to obsess over this movie and compare myself to Kathleen Turner when plotting my revenge on people! I love that she killed the dog and turned it into pate'
Wow! What a crazy couple! This movie is too much! Kathleen Turner's character is such a you know what! Michael Douglas' character wasn't that bad but he shouldn't have let her get to him like he did. She was just too muccch! I couldn't stand her myself! I do recommend this movie to anyone who's thinking about getting married soon. Watch this movie before you do anything! Kathleen Turner's character is the reason many men aren't married. You just have to see this movie to understand what I'm talking about. All and all it was a good solid film.
Jeg har ikke sett denne siden den kom ut, og grunnet min da nokså unge alder falt ikke filmen så godt i smak. Forståelig nok, da dette er en nokså dialog tung film, med voksen humor. Danny DeVito er en svært dyktig regissør, og det får han vist svært godt her. Filmen er også velskrevet og man kan ikke gå galt med Douglas og Turner, som har en kjemi fremfor kameraet som de fleste mangler. Jeg finner lite å sette fingeren på her, men jeg hadde gjerne sett ting bli dratt enda lengre. Men dette er trossalt en komedie, og jeg skjønner selvsagt valgene som er blitt tatt her. Helt klart en av de mer intelligente komediene fra 80-tallet.
The is a really bizzare spin on divorce however, after going through it, I can say, it's very realistic. It really could be this bad. Loved the movie. Kathlene Turner and Michael Duglas together again is always a good things. So much passion between them. It just works! Great movie. Danny DeVito is great once again in his supporting roll.
This divorce comedy has a good setup but doesn't quite deliver as it should. The comic and dramatic potential of the marriage break-up never properly ignites, and as a cautionary tale it doesn't work since the moral is obvious and rather patronising. The fun screwball sections undercut the moralistic denouement anyway, which makes it frustrating that DeVito doesn't go down that route more often here, as the humour sections are the most effective parts of the film. DeVito makes an interesting narrator, though I'm not sure of the efficacy of the framing narrative he inhabits, and Douglas and Turner do the job as warring ex-spouses. I want to like it more, as there is undoubtedly good film-making on show here, but somehow this doesn't do quite enough.
It's been a while since I had seen this flick so I popped it in this weekend and gave it another viewing. It wasn't as good as I thought it was. The story is a bit rushed at parts that you are wondering how the characters got so far in their development to being the crazy people seen in the end of the flick. Upon watching the deleted scenes I saw cut parts that explained the transformation but for the most part we don't get to see the whole story. It's called a dark comedy but the funny parts were few and far between. It's an interesting movie but not really one I would recommend to folks.
The best divorce comedy ever!
I'm surprised Danny hasn't done more as a director. This and Hoffa are two of my favourite films. He's always interesting, he's visually very inventive and his humour is as black as pitch.
There are some hilarious moments in this and somehow he had me laughing out loud at some stuff that cut pretty close to the bone. Not only that but by the end he manages to put a positive spin on things without pissing all over what went before.
Michael and Kathleen have never been better - or funnier.
Is this the way it always is? The guy just going along thinking everything's alright while the woman fills up with contempt and disdain? Him continuing to love her even when it's clear that she probably never loved him? Seems like it.
I guess it's funny 'cause it's true.
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