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The War of the Roses
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The War of the Roses (1989) More at IMDbPro »

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The War of the Roses (1989) -- A married couple try everything to get each other to leave the house in a vicious divorce battle.

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   16,136 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Danny DeVito
Writers (WGA):
Warren Adler (novel)
Michael Leeson (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The War of the Roses on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 December 1989 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Thriller more
Tagline:
Once in a lifetime comes a motion picture that makes you feel like falling in love all over again. This is not that movie.
Plot:
A married couple try everything to get each other to leave the house in a vicious divorce battle. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Romancing The Stone To Be Remade
 (From EmpireOnline. 4 December 2008, 12:37 AM, PST)

Emotional DeVito Collects Film Honor
 (From WENN. 10 July 2007)

User Comments:
Works on so many levels more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Michael Douglas ... Oliver Rose

Kathleen Turner ... Barbara Rose

Danny DeVito ... Gavin D'Amato
Marianne Sägebrecht ... Susan

Sean Astin ... Josh at 17

Heather Fairfield ... Carolyn at 17
G.D. Spradlin ... Harry Thurmont
Peter Donat ... Jason Larrabee

Dan Castellaneta ... Man in Chair
Gloria Cromwell ... Mrs. Marshall
Harlan Arnold ... Mr. Dell
Mary Fogarty ... Mrs. Dell
Rika Hofmann ... Elke
Patricia Allison ... Maureen
Peter Brocco ... Elderly Mourner
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Additional Details

Runtime:
116 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby SR
Company:
Gracie Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Cher was considered for the role of Barbara Rose. more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): At the estate auction at the beginning of the film, Oliver and Barbara bid against each other for the figurine of a woman. Oliver's auction book shows a photo with the caption, "Chinese Homunculus". The auctioneer then describes it as an "exquisite Japanese carving". more
Quotes:
Barbara Rose: [after learning that Oliver is moving back into the home] This is the stupidest thing you've ever done!
Oliver Rose: Second stupidest.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Practice: War of the Roses (#8.17)" (2004) more
Soundtrack:
Pretty Lady, Lovely Lady more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful:-
Works on so many levels, 24 October 2005
10/10
Author: MovieAddict2009 from UK

DeVito is a hit-and-miss director. He's turned out some very good films and some very bad ones. Sometimes his satire just falls short ("Death to Smoochy," for example); however, "War of the Roses" is his strongest directorial effort to date.

It's got everything - a clever script, great interaction between its two stars, exciting thrills, funny gags (without ever resorting to unnecessary crudity), and to top it all off, the direction is very effective - DeVito is heavily influenced by Hitchcock and that is very clear in the final sequence, which is reminiscent of "Vertigo" and "Rear Window." Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner play the Rose couple - two once-happily-married people who are now, after many years together, bitter and at the end of their frustration. Deciding upon a divorce, they begin to split apart; however, negotiations regarding belongings begin to go awry as Oliver Rose (Douglas) demands more from his wife, claiming it's his money that purchased their enormous house and all objects inside.

DeVito turns in a performance as the narrator, and Oliver's lawyer, who tells us at the start we are about to watch a sad tale about divorce. By the time the film has ended we've seen events spiral totally out of control - beginning with absolute believability and ending in absolute absurdity.

That's the crucial part of all this. Black comedy relies on whether the dramatic arc of the content - the leap from reality to lunacy - can be believable. Many times in DeVito's film, it isn't. "Smoochy," for example, was clever satire at first, and fairly reminiscent of real-life people and events; then it turned into an over-the-top revenge rampage.

"War of the Roses" is more careful, and the arc is subtler. It's believable because the characters are given such room to grow and their conflict blossoms throughout the picture.

I'd classify "War of the Roses" as one of the funniest, cleverest and most underrated black comedies of the 1980s - it's one of my personal favorite movies and never fails to crack me up. A cult film? Maybe; but I think many more people would enjoy it if they gave it a chance.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The War of the Roses (1989)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Did part of her still love him? jcloud28
Who Would you Cast in a Remake screamtaza
there is a book nank1971
Worst movie I've ever seen! stimpy979797
Did Barbara Really Kill Oliver's Dog? stat_479
Wouldn't it have been attempted murder when Barbara ran over Olivers car jjk488-1
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