The War of the Roses (1989)

Director:

Danny DeVito

Writers (WGA):

Warren Adler (novel)
Michael Leeson (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 December 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

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.

Plot Keywords:

Divorce | Couple | Lawyer | Law | Love

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

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
Philip Perlman	...	Bidder at Auction
Susan Isaacs	...	Auctioneer's Assistant
Trenton Teigen	...	Josh at 10
Bethany McKinney	...	Carolyn at 10
Shirley Mitchell	...	Mrs. Dewitt
Ellen Crawford	...	Nurse #1
Michael Adler	...	Dr. Hillerman
Lisa Howard	...	Nurse #2
Jeff Thomas	...	Orderly
Jacqueline Cassell	...	Gavin's Secretary
Vickilyn Reynolds	...	Nancy - Oliver's Secretary
Eunice Suarez	...	Latin Woman
Julia Elliott	...	Latin Assistant
Tony Crane	...	Teenage Boy
Ryan Wickers	...	Josh at 3
Shaun Wickers	...	Josh at 3
Catherine Donohue	...	Carolyn at 3
Mary Donohue	...	Carolyn at 3
Sue Palka	...	Anchorwoman
Morris Jones	...	Anchorman
Popeye	...	Benny
Tyler	...	Kitty Kitty
Roy Brocksmith	...	Mr. Fisk
Peter Hansen	...	Mr. Marshall
Robert Harper	...	Heath
Prince Hughes	...	Bleeding Man
Danitra Vance	...	Manicurist Trainee
David Wohl	...	Dr. Gordon

Directed by
Danny DeVito

Writing credits (WGA)
Warren Adler		(novel)
Michael Leeson		(screenplay)

Produced by
James L. Brooks	....	producer
Doug Claybourne	....	executive producer
Michael Leeson	....	co-producer
Arnon Milchan	....	producer
J. Marina Muhlfriedel	....	associate producer
Polly Platt	....	executive producer

Original Music by
David Newman

Cinematography by
Stephen H. Burum		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Lynzee Klingman

Casting by
David Rubin

Production Design by
Ida Random

Art Direction by
Mark W. Mansbridge		(as Mark Mansbridge)

Set Decoration by
Anne D. McCulley		(as Anne McCulley)

Costume Design by
Gloria Gresham

Makeup Department
Stephen Abrums	....	makeup supervisor
Kathryn Blondell	....	key hair stylist (as Kathy Blondell)
John M. Elliott Jr.	....	makeup artist (as John Elliott)
Bunny Parker	....	additional hair stylist (as Bernadette Parker-Adamson)
Gina Rylander	....	body makeup
Audrey L. Anzures	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Robert Latham Brown	....	unit production manager
Richard Sakai	....	executive in charge of production: Gracie Films

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matt Bearson	....	second assistant director
Jeffrey M. Ellis	....	second assistant director
Lynda Gilman	....	second second assistant director: Washington
Thomas Lofaro	....	first assistant director
Robert Rooy	....	first assistant director: second unit, Philadelphia
Paul F. Schlichting	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Robert A. Blackburn	....	supervising foreman (as Bob Blackburn)
Roger Burford	....	location prop foreman
Oscar Delgadillo	....	swing gang
Stacy Doran	....	swing gang
Chuck Eskridge	....	set painter
Mark Fabus	....	set designer
Perry Gray	....	set designer
Kirk D. Hansen	....	paint foreman (as Kirk Hansen)
David Harris	....	greensman
Kenneth Heil	....	swing gang (as Kenny Heil)
Mentor Huebner	....	painter: water color paintings in Gavin D'Amato's office
Sherman Labby	....	sketch artist
Bob Laux	....	labor foreman
Robert B. Lindsay	....	propmaker foreman (as Bob Lindsay)
Suzanne Caplan Merwanji	....	painter: selected original paintings (as Suzanne Caplan)
Craig Nycz	....	location painter
Bob Riggs	....	leadman: Washington (as Robert Riggs)
Paul Rylander	....	assistant property master
Stephanie Sandston	....	art coordinator
Mike Seefus	....	labor foreman
Terry Shugrue	....	second assistant props
Stan Tropp	....	set designer
Butch West	....	supervising foreman
Kenneth L. Westcott	....	leadman (as Kenny Westcott)
Steven Westlund	....	property master (as Steve Westlund)
Steven Braund	....	property maker (uncredited)
Robert Misetich	....	set paint foreman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Christopher E. Bennett	....	apprentice sound editor
Bill W. Benton	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Brilhante	....	sound recordist (as John W. Brilhante)
Clayton Collins	....	sound effects editor
Don Coufal	....	boom operator
Valerie Davidson	....	assistant sound editor
John Duvall	....	foley editor
Gary Gegan	....	foley mixer
Sarah Goldsmith	....	dialogue editor (as Sarah Rothenberg)
Laura Graham	....	assistant sound editor
Douglas Greenfield	....	consultant: Dolby
Hilda Hodges	....	foley walker
Matthew Iadarola	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Keating	....	sound transfer
Kerie Kimbrell	....	assistant sound editor
Michael J. Kohut	....	sound re-recording mixer
Elliott Koretz	....	dialogue editor
Michael Magill	....	dialogue editor
Randy McDonald	....	cable person
Chuck Michael	....	foley editor
Jeanine Schaack	....	apprentice sound editor
Dan Sharp	....	sound recordist (as Daniel Sharp)
Leslie Shatz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Leslie Shatz	....	supervising sound editor
Rachel Shaw	....	first assistant sound editor
Mary Ann Skweres	....	assistant sound editor (as Maryann Skweres)
Alicia Stevenson	....	foley walker
David E. Stone	....	sound effects editor (as Dave Stone)
Renee Tondelli	....	assistant sound editor (as Renée Tondelli)
Jennifer L. Ware	....	assistant sound editor (as Jennifer Ware)
Jeff Wexler	....	sound mixer
Marian Wilde	....	foley supervisor
Marty Church	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Marty Church	....	foley mixer (uncredited)
Bill Rojas	....	sound facility supervisor (uncredited)
Renee Tondelli	....	adr supervisor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Lyle Carolus	....	special effects technician
John Frazier	....	special effects supervisor
Rocky Gehr	....	special effects technician
Richard L. Hill	....	special effects technician (as Richard Hill)
Frances Pennington	....	special effects technician (as Francis Pennington)
Paul Ryan	....	special effects technician
Harold Selig	....	special effects technician (as Hal Selig)
David Wischnack	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Donald Hansard Sr.	....	process projection coordinator (as Donald Hansard)
Don Hansard	....	process engineer (as Donald Hansard Jr.)
Robert Hansard	....	process gang boss (as Robert C. Hansard)

Stunts
M. James Arnett	....	stunt person (as Jim Arnett)
Janet Brady	....	stunt person
Richard Drown	....	stunt person
Marcia Holley	....	stunt person
Tracy Keehn-Dashnaw	....	stunt person (as Tracy Keehn)
Patricia M. Peters	....	stunt person (as Trisha Peters)
Chuck Picerni Jr.	....	stunt person
Michael Runyard	....	stunt coordinator (as Mike Runyard)
Cris Thomas-Palomino	....	stunt person (as Cris Palomino)
Sammy Thurman	....	stunt person
Scott Wilder	....	stunt person
Jon H. Epstein	....	stunts (uncredited)
Lane Leavitt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Keith Tellez	....	utility stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bob Apger	....	second assistant camera
Norman Ash	....	lamp operator
Alan S. Blauvelt	....	assistant camera (as Alan Blauvelt)
Dustin Blauvelt	....	camera operator
Neil S. Buckhantz	....	video assist operator (as Neil Buckhantz)
Doug Cook	....	best boy
James B. Crawford	....	lamp operator (as James Crawford)
Robert Dalva	....	director of photography: second unit, Philadelphia
Glen Davis	....	dolly grip (as Glenn Davis)
François Duhamel	....	still photographer (as Francois Duhamel)
George Dye	....	additional assistant camera
Brad Edmiston	....	panaglide assistant
Rick Favazzo	....	crane technician: Louma crane (as Richard Favazzo)
Domenic Giorgio	....	grip
Jimmy Godber	....	lamp operator (as James Godber)
Kim Guthrie	....	additional assistant camera
Clyde Hart	....	key grip
David Hennings	....	crane technician: Louma crane
Steven C. Hodge	....	lamp operator (as Steve Hodge)
Alfred E. Kalous	....	lamp operator (as Alfred Kalous)
Michael Laws	....	best boy
Joe R. Marquette Jr.	....	additional camera operator (as Joseph R. Marquette Jr.)
Charles L. Morgan	....	best boy (as Charles Morgan)
Toby Phillips	....	panaglide operator
Alex Skvorzov	....	gaffer
Frank Tobin	....	best boy
Rhett Wooden	....	grip
Rick Fee	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
David Wayne	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Scott C. Williman	....	lamp operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Lisa Beach	....	casting assistant
Debra Zane	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Oda Groeschel	....	key costumer: women
Janis Mekaelian	....	costumer: women
G. Tony Scarano	....	key costumer: men

Editorial Department
Reid Burns	....	color timer
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
John Ganem	....	assistant editor
Lawrence Jordan	....	associate editor
L. James Langlois	....	apprentice editor (as Jim Langlois)
Maria Lee Silver	....	assistant editor (as Maria Silver)
Matthew Peerce	....	apprentice editor
Kelly J. Quinn	....	assistant editor
Nicole Shugrue	....	second assistant editor
Nicholas C. Smith	....	additional editor

Music Department
Tim Boyle	....	scoring mixer
Maria Newman	....	musician
Jamey Turner	....	musician: musical glass performance
Tom Villano	....	music editor: Segue Music
Sandy DeCrescent	....	orchestra contractor (uncredited)
Steven L. Smith	....	music preparation (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Ken Bellanca	....	transportation co-captain (as Kenny Bellanca)
James C. Taylor	....	transportation coordinator
Skip Wilson	....	transportation captain
Gina August	....	driver (uncredited)
James Nordberg	....	transportation (uncredited)

Other crew
Elaine Bass	....	title sequence
Saul Bass	....	title sequence
Vicky Berglund-Davenport	....	location manager: Washington (as Vicky Berglund)
Jed Blaugrund	....	production intern
Diane Brooks	....	senior production associate
Thomas R. Burman	....	body double creator: Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner
Paul A. Calabria	....	animal trainer (as Paul Calabria)
Ruth Cameron	....	dialogue coach: Ms. Sägebrecht
Carol T. Carr	....	assistant: Mr. Milchan (as Carol Carr)
Mary Courtney	....	production coordinator
Wendy Davies	....	stand-in
Bari Dreiband-Burman	....	body double creator: Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner
Charles R. Eulo Jr.	....	production assistant (as Charlie Eulo)
Leigh French	....	group adr coordinator
Wilma Garscadden-Gahret	....	script supervisor
Jane Hamsher	....	production assistant
Don Henry	....	production auditor
Peter E. Jackson	....	production assistant (as Peter Jackson)
David Klein	....	production assistant
Robinson Kurth	....	accounting assistant
Cindy Lasher	....	nurse
Jane LeGate	....	production intern
Patty MacDonald	....	executive assistant: James L. Brooks
Wm. Barclay Malcolm	....	assistant: Mr. DeVito
Taman McCall	....	location manager
Karin McElhatton	....	head animal trainer: Studio Animal Services (as Karen Dew)
Rob McEntegart	....	production legal
Carol Miyaoka	....	production assistant
Heather Murphy	....	production secretary: Washington (as Heather Terzieff)
Jeffrey A. Okun	....	title coordinator (as Jeffrey Okun)
Linda Parker	....	assistant: Mr. Leeson
Errol Reichow	....	assistant location manager
Mark Reilly	....	stand-in
Lana Repp-Lewis	....	assistant: Mr. Sakai
David Ian Salter	....	production intern (as David Salter)
Fred Scialla	....	stand-in
Jill Simpson	....	special assistant to producers
Shauna Skidmore	....	animal trainer (as Seana Skidmore)
Paul Sullivan	....	assistant auditor
Mark Suveg	....	craft service
Julie Offer	....	location projectionist (uncredited)
Paul Rahmes	....	personal assistant to Michael Douglas (uncredited)
Paul Rahmes	....	personal assistant to director (uncredited)

Thanks
Clayton Brown	....	the producers wish to thank: Amtrak
David Davis	....	the producers wish to thank
Peter DePalma	....	the producers wish to thank
William Goldman	....	the producers wish to thank
Nikki Allyn Grosso	....	the producers wish to thank
Harvey Miller	....	the producers wish to thank
Christine Rogers	....	the producers wish to thank
Ed. Weinberger	....	the producers wish to thank
Remus Yazoo	....	the producers wish to thank

Production Companies

• Gracie Films
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1995) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• 20th Century Fox (1990) (France) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox (UK)
• Abril Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Fox Video (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Amtrak  the producers wish to thank
• BT Industrial Supply  expendables (uncredited)
• Can-Do Island Services  the producers wish to thank
• Cerruti 1881  suits and selected wardrobe: Michael Douglas (as Cerruti 1881, Paris)
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies (as Chapman)
• Charles Jourdan  the producers wish to thank (as Charles Jourdan, Inc.)
• Kona Cutting  negative cutting
• Lorimar Studios  re-recorded at
• Meg McComb & Co.  food styling
• PMK Public Relations  publicity (as PMK, Inc.)
• Pacific Title  opticals
• Panavision  lenses and Panaflex camera (as Panavision®)
• Segue Music  music editing
• Studio Animal Services  animal training
• Varèse Sarabande  score album released by (limited edition) (uncredited)
• WTTG  the producers wish to thank (as WTTG/Washington, D.C.)
• White Light Casting  location extras casting (as White Light Productions, Inc.)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:16 | Iceland:12 | USA:R (certificate #30033) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade)

Filming Locations:

119 Fremont Place, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Gracie Films

Trivia:

Cher was considered for the role of Barbara Rose.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Oliver and Barbara are eating dinner, the cutlery which Barbara is holding changes hands depending on the angle of the shot.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Gavin:[Gavin is talking to a client] You have some valid reasons for wanting a divorce.
[blows his nose with a handkerchief]
Gavin:Excuse me. My sinuses are very sensitive to irritants.
[sprays nasal decongestant up his nostrils]
Gavin:In the past five months, I think I've breathed freely with both sides working maybe a week total.
[pulls a cigarette out of a pack]
Gavin:I gotta cut this out. It's gonna kill me.
[lights his cigarette]
Gavin:I hadn't smoked for thirteen years. I kept the last cigarette from my last pack. I said if I never smoked this one cigarette I'll never smoke again, period. Thirteen years I kept that cigarette.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of Jon Lovitz (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

not your typical Hollywood yukfest

Director Danny Devito and the writers are to be credited for following this story's dark premise straight to its grim conclusion, and not opting for a cop-out 'happy ending'. Maybe that accounts for the movie's relatively low user rating. Whatever. Turner and Douglas are superb here. I saw Douglas on the Carson show after the movie came out, relating how, after a day's shoot, he and Turner would get together to remind each other that they were still friends. Seeing the movie shows why they had to do this. Note how the movie begins in the openness and light of Nantucket in summer and gets progressively darker, ending in the claustrophobic closeness of the nailed-up house. A classic black comedy for grownups. Don't watch this one with your spouse unless you are on really good terms.