Hello and welcome to my in-depth review of “War of the
Roses”.
There is a video version of this review you can WATCH HERE.
This review will contain spoilers so consider yourself
warned. If you haven’t seen the film you should watch it first. This review is much
more enjoyable if you’ve seen the film and want to listen to my opinion on the
script, the performances, directing and so on. Maybe compare to what your own
thoughts are on the film.
“War of the Roses” is directed by Danny DeVito and it stars
Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. It came out in 1989. It’s a black comedy about
a couple going through a very bad divorce. After 17 years of marriage, Barbara played by Kathleen
Turner and Oliver Rose played by Michael Douglas want out. The trouble is,
neither one wants to part with their opulent home. So begins a long war between
husband and wife, reaching farcical heights that leave much of the house -- not
to mention their lives -- in shambles. The couple's children watch in horror
while lawyer Gavin D'Amato played by Danny DeVito tries his best to stem the
bloodshed.
I’ll go right ahead and say that I think this movie is absolutely perfect. I don’t
think I know anyone who’s seen this film and not like it. It’s one of those
cases where everything fits perfectly and works beautifully.
The script is so fine tuned and the fantastic duo: Michael Douglas and Kathleen
Turner elevate it to even higher levels of quality. I love the ambience of the
film too from the very first scene to the last. The greyish tone of a rainy day
in Gavin’s office has always been so cozy for me every time I watch the movie.
Oliver and Barbara’s relationship is like a bubble that slowly grows and then finally
bursts. You see all the small details mounting up and filling up that bubble as
the story progresses. That’s a key word for me when taking about this film:
Details. “War of the Roses” is filled with small delicious details and I’m
going to point out as much as I can.
The first part of the film where we see a happy couple getting together is what
you’d expect. It’s just right. It’s believable and not over the top. It’s a
simple romance blossoming into a marriage. However the first scene when we see
Barbara and Oliver already married with tow kids is when you start seeing the
bubble grow. That scene contains two key moments that hint what eventually
happens to their marriage. First, Oliver disapproves of the kids getting so
many sweets and candy and of course he is proven right when we later see them
all bloated and fat. The second detail is when they are decorating the tree and
Oliver doesn’t like the tinfoil star Barbara got for the top of the tree. We
can sense she just agrees with him out of insecurity and submission to him. “You’re
right. It doesn’t make it. I’ll learn.” “I’ll learn” is very carefully put in
that line for obvious reasons. The film does this constantly. Details like this
help build and solidify the character’s main arch.
Another scene to highlight is the dinner with the senior partners on which Oliver
interrupts and corrects Barbara when she’s trying to tell the story go they got
the Crystal they are displaying. On the last shot you can see Barbara giving
Oliver the finger as she flicks the crystal.
It’s soon after that the film establishes what I like to call the pet parallel.
Barbara has the cat and Oliver the dog. You see Oliver pushing the cat down
from a chair while trying to convince Barbara to hire a live-in housekeeper…
and a bit later you see Barbara teasing the dog with treats but giving them to
her cat instead. It’s like an outlet for how she feels about Oliver. I could go
further and say that the way Oliver pushes the cat away can be seen as metaphor
of how he treats Barbara. Like she’s just part of the house and can sometimes
be an annoyance. But that might be me reading too much into it.
The very next scene is, in my opinion, one of Kathleen Turner’s finest moments in
the film. Her monologue explaining how she feels about hiring a live-in is absolutely
perfect. It’s almost like Barbara is in therapy talking to a psychiatrist and I
love how the whole speech leans toward not hiring Susan but at the very end she
ends up doing it. This scene is a good example of something Kathleen Turner
does exquisitely well through out the film. She projects Barbara as a
determined and cold woman but at the same time lets out a slight vulnerability.
You can always feel her inner struggle, how she sometimes second guesses
herself. The contrast with Oliver is always there. Oliver on the other hand is
simply living his life oblivious to what Barbara is going through and Michael
Douglas just cruises dealing with his character. Like fish in the water. Again,
these two actors are impeccable in their respective roles.
It’s lovely to see Kathleen Turner slightly over act the moment where she gets the
phone call about Oliver’s medical emergency. It’s really Barbara trying to act
worried because it’s what’s expected of her at that moment. A role she hates
more and more. Again one of the many details the fill up this movie with
unmatched quality.
Then comes one of the best scenes in the film. The moment Barbara says she wants a
divorce. It’s such a well written and brilliantly acted scene. I’ve even seen
videos on youtube of fans reenacting the scene. It’s like a beautifully written
symphony being played by the best orchestra in the world. Only here the
orchestra is composed by writers, actors and an inspired director and the music
is a wonderfully crafted scene in a film.
It’s also here you can notice Barbara’s slight vulnerability even though she’s as
cold as ice the entire scene. Right after she punches him you can see her
hesitate for a split second.
The rest of the film is what you’d expect. Extremely funny but also tapping in
serious issues with great elegance and subtlety.
At the end of the film it’s heartbreaking to see Barbara push Oliver’s hand away
just before they die. It’s sad to see how Oliver, in spite of his flaws never
truly gives up on the marriage. He really loves Barbara. But I suppose it works
better if Barbara is portrayed as sort of an antagonist. Wouldn’t be in
character if she did grab his hand or something so the choice is wise and it
only elevates the film.
With that said, it’s a good time to talk about Danny DeVito. I haven’t seen all the
films he directed but just by browsing his director credits on IMDB I think
it’s safe to say this is his highlight as a director. This film is beautifully
shot and his relationship with acting is of course very intimate. I love Danny
DeVito as an actor but I think if he made more films like this I would quickly
change that to I love Danny DeVito as a director. His compositions are very
creative and most of all very effective. The cinematography and the editing are
top notch and always service the story. I can’t even stress how important that
is. There are many directors out there who work only for the shot and the
action. Ask Michael Bay to direct this film. See what you end up with. I would
pay to watch him fail catastrophically. I say this because it’s very easy for
Danny DeVito’s work to go unnoticed because it’s so seamless. Brilliant none
the less. Of course his role as Gavin is perfect and he’s a delight to watch. I
love the scenes between him and Michael Douglas and they way he handles the
exposition scenes with his client in his office. With such great writing you
can do wonders.
It’s also curious to see a very young Sean Astin we all recognize as Sam in “The
Lord of the Rings” trilogy. In this film he has a very small role playing one
of the kids.
David Newman’s score is perfect and it works wonderfully setting just the right mood.
It’s a light warm score with only hints of suspense and action never truly
crossing over to something more serious. I love how he uses the melody of “Only
You” by the Platters and fits it in the score very discretely. Like everything
else in this film, the music just blends in.
That’s probably the best way to describe “War of the Roses”: Everything works because
of everything else. The actors are great because the script is great which it
turn works because of how beautifully it’s directed and produced. It’s not the
type of film where you might say that the cinematography is good but the script
or the actors are terrible. No, “War of the Roses” works across the board in
every aspect. It’s a perfect little gem of a film and it’s an enormous pleasure
for me to sit here and write about it while it’s playing in the background. I
sincerely hope you enjoy this film as much as I do. I don’t think it will ever
become dated. The themes are universal and the dedication and work put into it solidify
its place as one of the best black comedies of the 80s and I dare say ever
made.
I will shut up now and let you grab a copy of it. It will always be time well spent.
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