LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- The Roses, in theaters Friday, is quite a different adaptation of Warren Adler's novel The War of the Roses, which previously inspired the 1989 film by Danny DeVito. Written by Tony McNamara (The Favourite) and directed by Jay Roach, this new approach is scathing in its observations about what makes couples grow apart.
The movie follows Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Ivy Rose (Olivia Colman), a couple who meet at a restaurant in England and move to California together to start their family. The pair have two kids, Roy (Ollie Robinson and Wells Rappaport) and Hattie (Delaney Quinn and Hala Finley).
Theo and Rose both support each other's ambitions at first, with Theo buying Ivy a restaurant and encouraging her to share her talent for cooking. Poor planning of a major design costs Theo his architecture career, however, so he stays at home with the kids while Ivy's restaurant takes off.
In this film, McNamara essentially only took the premise of Adler's book, in that there is a couple with the surname Rose whose marriage falls apart. The specifics are all different but very relevant.
Roach's version shows how a well-intentioned couple can grow apart. Theo tries to put on a smile after his dreams fall apart, but suppresses his legitimate emotions regarding a traumatic failure.
