The War Of The Roses Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1989

The War of the Roses is an infamous 80's black comedy classic that tells the tale of Oliver and Barbara Rose's bitter divorce proceedings, as related by Gavin D'Amato (Oliver's former divorce attorney) to a man contemplating divorcing his wife. Equal parts humorous and disturbing, this film is a damning indictment about the perils of divorce and taking a marriage for granted.

The War of the Roses was the third collaboration between Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito, the same trio that made Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile two of the best lighthearted action films of the 80's. But beware, for although The War of the Roses is an inspired piece of work, it's anything but light and fluffy. It's black comedy through and through.

As the movie opens, we see Gavin D'Amato (Danny DeVito) chatting with a client that is planning a divorce. Gavin decides to impart some friendly advice off the clock before the formal session begins; advice that may give his client a better idea what can go wrong upon filing for divorce. This guidance is imparted through the retelling of his past experiences with another client; that of Oliver Rose.

Oliver (Michael Douglas) and Barbara (Kathleen Turner) Rose met at an estate sale, and it was love at first sight. Both were young and poor, but they quickly married and had two children. While Oliver began his fledgling career as an attorney in a high-powered law firm, Barbara gave him and the children all the support they needed.

In time Oliver rose through the ranks of the law firm and began earning serious money. The family purchased a beautiful home, and while danger signs cropped up from time to time, the marriage remained strong. That is, until the children grew up and were ready to move on to college, leaving Barbara with empty nest syndrome. Unhappy with her life, she begins to blame Oliver for her unhappiness, condemning him for being so focused on his career rather than her. He in turn becomes frustrated with her, for as far as he's concerned he works hard to give his family a grand lifestyle, and though she spends his money quite freely she complains about his work instead of shows him the appreciation he deserves.

Things come to a head when she demands a divorce out of the blue one evening. Oliver hires Gavin to represent him, and soon thereafter Gavin discovers a legal loophole that permits Oliver to reside within the same house as Barbara. Naturally this infuriates her since she wants the house for herself, and the fireworks begin.

During the start of their divorce their disgust for each other is reflected in minor exchanges such as when the two casually cross paths on a stairwell. Oliver mutters "filthy slut" under his breath; she retorts with an equally smooth "bastard" before brightly greeting their maid who stands shocked by the vulgar exchange. The manner in which such exchanges take place are amusing, though if darker humor isn't your thing you may disagree.

Things continue to become more and more acrimonious, and Gavin suggests to both Oliver and Barbara repeatedly that they should sell the house, split the proceeds and move on with their lives. But Barbara is adamant about keeping the home, and after she betrayed Oliver earlier in the divorce by sharing a personal letter with her attorney he became hurt and equally insistent on keeping the home. Neither party will budge, and so each continually ramps up their vindictive actions against the other in a battle to make the other one give up and leave.

There are a couple instances of lighter humor in the film, such as one scene where Oliver cautions Barbara that it's not a good idea to feed their young children too much candy. She confidently assures him that feeding the kids candy won't make them fat, because if they don't feel deprived they won't overindulge. The scene transitions to a couple years later in their marriage and we see both children again ask their mother for candy. This time they are fat.

Such tongue-in-cheek scenes are fairly rare, for once the marriage starts taking a turn for the worse it hits a much darker tone. Another pre-divorce scene in the kitchen sees Barbara complaining to her husband for taking it upon himself to set up an appointment for her. He responds that at times she's slow to act, so he was just trying to help since sometimes "you just need a little push." When she turns her back to him, he frowns at her cat that is sitting on a stool and pushes it off. It's another amusing scene, but the tone is slowly growing more tense, perhaps made more disturbing by how true to life the exchange takes place.

And that's ultimately War of the Roses' strongest quality: it's realism. Although there are times when Douglas and Turner are quite amusing in their squabbling, you almost feel uncomfortable laughing too hard because the movie hits home. It masterfully captures the bliss of new marriages and the little nuances that can start to annoy spouses and eat away at a marriage if left unaddressed. Towards the end the movie veers back out of realistic territory as both individuals perform over-the-top actions that one wouldn't expect in real life, such as urinating on some cooked fish or running over a classic car with a monster truck.

While some may frown at the more absurd moments of the film, DeVito (who both starred in and directed the film) knew exactly what he was doing by inserting them. Black comedies often fail because they veer so far into the realm of "disturbing" that they leave the realm of "comedy." The War of the Roses isn't always pleasant, and both parties do very mean things to one another, but before the film ever goes too far DeVito pulls back a bit and allows the tension to lighten a bit.

When riding a racehorse, you can't push too hard or pull back too much lest you fail to achieve your goal. If you push too hard you'll burn the horse out before the final stretch, whereas if you play it too conservative you'll still lose. Black comedies are exactly the same; if you become excessively dark you will lose all but the most diehard black comedy fans, whereas if you play it too light it'll become a farce rather than an absorbing film. DeVito realized this, and like a professional jockey he expertly rode this horse straight past the finishing line.

Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner have never been better than they were here in The War of the Roses. In their previous two movies together they proved themselves to be one of the best pair-ups in Hollywood history, and here again their chemistry and comfort with each other just shines through. Just as much is communicated through their subtle facial expressions and body language as through their mouths, and it's so painfully accurate to real spousal life that it will cause many to grimace.

Some criticize the movie (particularly the decidedly non-Hollywood ending) as being too dark and oppressive, claiming the film glorifies mean and vindictive behavior. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, at times the film can be nearly as ugly as it is funny, but if you listen to DeVito's narration throughout and pay attention to the conclusion you'll see that this film thoroughly condemns acrimonious divorces. It stands as a warning to people that they should always try and find the best in their spouses, and if worse comes to worst they should try to put their pride aside and split as respectfully as possible, for allowing anger and hurt feelings to influence one's actions can lead to disaster.

The War of the Roses is one of the best movies ever made, but it's not for everyone. If you absolutely hate all forms of black comedy then you probably will find this film horrifying rather than entertaining, but if you can accept a bit of black comedy in your entertainment then this will rank as one of the essential 80's films to view or own.

Movie rating: 10 stars

If you enjoyed The War of the Roses you may also find the following films to be of interest:

• Romancing the Stone

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