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The War of the Roses

  • 19891989
  • RR
  • 1h 56m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
53K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito, and Kathleen Turner in The War of the Roses (1989)
Home Video Trailer from 20th Century Fox
Play trailer0:26
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Comedy
  • Romance

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

IMDb RATING
6.8/10
53K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Danny DeVito
  • Writers
    • Warren Adler(novel)
    • Michael Leeson(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Michael Douglas
    • Kathleen Turner
    • Danny DeVito
Top credits
  • Director
    • Danny DeVito
  • Writers
    • Warren Adler(novel)
    • Michael Leeson(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Michael Douglas
    • Kathleen Turner
    • Danny DeVito
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 119User reviews
    • 47Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 2 wins & 9 nominations total

    Videos1

    The War of the Roses
    Trailer 0:26
    The War of the Roses

    Photos104

    Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito in The War of the Roses (1989)
    Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in The War of the Roses (1989)
    Michael Douglas in The War of the Roses (1989)
    Kathleen Turner in The War of the Roses (1989)
    Michael Douglas in The War of the Roses (1989)
    Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito, and Kathleen Turner in The War of the Roses (1989)
    Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito, and Kathleen Turner in The War of the Roses (1989)
    Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in The War of the Roses (1989)
    Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito, and Kathleen Turner in The War of the Roses (1989)
    Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito, and Kathleen Turner in The War of the Roses (1989)
    Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito, and Kathleen Turner in The War of the Roses (1989)
    Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito, and Kathleen Turner in The War of the Roses (1989)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Michael Douglas
    Michael Douglas
    • Oliver Roseas Oliver Rose
    Kathleen Turner
    Kathleen Turner
    • Barbara Roseas Barbara Rose
    Danny DeVito
    Danny DeVito
    • Gavin D'Amatoas Gavin D'Amato
    Marianne Sägebrecht
    Marianne Sägebrecht
    • Susanas Susan
    Sean Astin
    Sean Astin
    • Josh at 17as Josh at 17
    Heather Fairfield
    Heather Fairfield
    • Carolyn at 17as Carolyn at 17
    G.D. Spradlin
    G.D. Spradlin
    • Harry Thurmontas Harry Thurmont
    Peter Donat
    Peter Donat
    • Jason Larrabeeas Jason Larrabee
    Dan Castellaneta
    Dan Castellaneta
    • Man in Chairas Man in Chair
    Gloria Cromwell
    • Mrs. Marshallas Mrs. Marshall
    Harlan Arnold
    • Mr. Dellas Mr. Dell
    Mary Fogarty
    • Mrs. Dellas Mrs. Dell
    Rika Hofmann
    • Elkeas Elke
    Patricia Allison
    • Maureenas Maureen
    Peter Brocco
    Peter Brocco
    • Elderly Mourneras Elderly Mourner
    Philip Perlman
    Philip Perlman
    • Bidder at Auctionas Bidder at Auction
    Susan Isaacs
    Susan Isaacs
    • Auctioneer's Assistantas Auctioneer's Assistant
    Trenton Teigen
    Trenton Teigen
    • Josh at 10as Josh at 10
    • Director
      • Danny DeVito
    • Writers
      • Warren Adler(novel)
      • Michael Leeson(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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.. —Rob Hartill
    • marital argument
    • man and woman in a bed
    • sexuality
    • daily routine
    • marital problem
    • 100 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • This Film Is Not For The Lover In Us All
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      While shooting the scene where Michael Douglas (Oliver Rose) and Kathleen Turner (Barbara Rose) are sitting in the chandelier, director Danny DeVito pretended to break for lunch while the two actors were 30 feet above ground.
    • Goofs
      In the final scene in the chandelier, Barbara goes from being barefoot, to shod, back to barefoot again.
    • Quotes

      Oliver Rose: I think you owe me a solid reason. I worked my ass off for you and the kids to have a nice life and you owe me a reason that makes sense. I want to hear it.

      Barbara Rose: Because. When I watch you eat. When I see you asleep. When I look at you lately, I just want to smash your face in.

    • Crazy credits
      The fanfare in the 20th Century Fox logo at the beginning of the movie segues into the opening theme of the movie.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation/Roger & Me/Triumph of the Spirit/Mystery Train/Thelonius Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      Only You (And You Alone)
      Written by Buck Ram and Buck Ram (as Ande Rand)

      Performed by The Platters

      Courtesy of PolyGram Special Projects a division of

      PolyGram Records, Inc.

    User reviews119

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    HE is HER victim
    A classic feature of Danny DeVito's (far too few) works as a director is that they are utterly evil. Cruel. Wicked. Merciless to their characters and merciless to the viewer. Although this is often combined with slight exaggeration, it is exactly what I love about them.

    After seeing The War of the Roses the second time after having grown a little older, I still feel that particular satisfaction. But this time, there are a few more things I think about, a few more questions I ask myself. For instance: who is the bad guy in the film? Who is `to blame'? And although it's clear that the Roses both have extremely unmoveable and stubborn characters, which partly leads to the catastrophe, I came to the conclusion that Barbara is the driving force of the whole divorce story. She announces her wish to divorce upon grounds that are not quite convincing. Maybe people who do not like Michael Douglas can sympathize with her but her reasons are not fair. She invariably follows her instinct without paying any respect to other people. Kathleen Turner portrays her most believably in this insufferable phase.

    Oliver Rose, on the other hand, is one of those people who are proud of doing everything in a perfectly correct manner. He is therefore very sensitive and easily confronted if one doesn't acknowledge his correct behavior. He then becomes completely helpless and unable to react properly. That makes him an ideal `victim' to Barbara's striking egoism.

    I'm mentioning this only because it is a new aspect I found during second viewing, and I am sure it was also DeVito's intention to develop characters like this, so for him, the turbulent divorce story is not just a parable on how stupid people are in general. He of course reserved the best role in the film for himself – he is the wise man who tells the parable and who emerges victorious in the end.

    The War of the Roses with its merciless cruelness remains one of my favourite comedies of all time.
    helpful•81
    30
    • Mort-31
    • Oct 16, 2002

    FAQ9

    • What is "The War of the Roses" about?
    • Is "The War of the Roses" based on a book?
    • Is this the third movie in the 'Romancing the Stone' series?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 8, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • War of the Roses
    • Filming locations
      • Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, Whidbey Island, Washington, USA
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Gracie Films
      • Regency International Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $26,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $86,888,546
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,488,794
      • Dec 10, 1989
    • Gross worldwide
      • $160,188,546
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 56 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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