The War of the Roses (1989)

A married couple try everything to get each other to leave the house in a vicious divorce battle.

Director:

Danny DeVito

Writers:

Warren Adler (novel), Michael Leeson (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito

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

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

Storyline

The Roses, Barbara and Oliver, live happily as a married couple. Then she starts to wonder what life would be like without Oliver, and likes what she sees. Both want to stay in the house, and so they begin a campaign to force each other to leave. In the middle of the fighting is D'Amato, the divorce lawyer. He gets to see how far both will go to get rid of the other, and boy do they go far..

---

Plot Keywords:

marital problem | dysfunctional marriage | divorce | married couple | couple | 

---

Taglines:

Once in a lifetime comes a motion picture that makes you feel like falling in love all over again. This is not that movie.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Rosenkrieg

Filming Locations:

119 Fremont Place, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,488,794, 10 December 1989

Gross USA:

$86,888,546

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$160,188,546

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Gracie Films, Regency International Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actor Danny DeVito played a character, Gavin D'Amato, who had a last name that was similar sounding to his own.

---

Goofs

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 ...
[...]

---

Connections

Referenced in Designing Women: The Big Desk: Part 2 (1991)

---

Soundtracks

Only You (And You Alone)
Written by Buck Ram and Ande Rand
Performed by The Platters
Courtesy of PolyGram Special Projects a division of
PolyGram Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Quite a 'War'

From the wickedly clever title to the smashing finale, WAR OF THE ROSES is probably the best dark comedy ever committed to film, Tim Burton and other works by Danny DeVito notwithstanding. A middle-aged couple with marital woes (Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner) fight over possession of their mansion-like home, and I do mean fight. DeVito takes his time building up to the actual fight, and the first half gives us the troubled couple inching along toward self-destruction. The second half -- well, if there's an adult HOME ALONE, this is definitely it. Priceless family heirlooms get smashed, the attic is booby-trapped and a loosened chandelier to rival that from PHANTOM OF THE OPERA becomes the focus of the Roses' final confrontation. It is mentioned early on that Mrs. Rose is a former gymnast, which comes in handy in later scenes where she might have otherwise been a goner. Throughout the movie, Mr. Rose claims to still love his wife, but he sure has some odd ways of showing it, including peeing on a fish dinner she whips up for some very pricey clients. Douglas as always is a wonder. He slips into the skin of this haughty, misguided individual and wears it well. He has given a handful of great performances, in WONDER BOYS, THE American PRESIDENT, FALLING DOWN and THE GAME, but this may be his best. Like Brad Pitt's bumbling Mr. Smith in MR. AND MRS. SMITH, Mr. Rose never quite gets it. It is a highly nuanced performance. Turner looks great and her Mrs. Rose never wavers from her goal, which is to divorce the increasingly unbearable Mr. Smith. You will either love or hate these always believable characters. DeVito as Mr. Smith's lawyer softens the cruel ending by adding a corny physical "gag" as well as a closing moment involving a phone conversation between lawyer and wife. No harm done. No one who has ever seen the chandelier scene is likely to forget it. Douglas and Turner, who with DeVito had done two previous films together, are at the top of their form here.