Movies-TV

Unpleasant, but probably true to a degree

A movie where Danny DeVito is the good guy. Hard to believe. This movie is basically about passive-aggressive relationships. Mrs. Rose (Turner) gives it her all to make her household livable. Mr. Rose (Douglas) is a mild mannered man, but one who only cares about career/financial success. The Roses' are snobs of the worst order, thinking only about their possessions. They represent the 80s. However, Mrs. Rose is the most unhappy. She is stuck in the house. Her husband doesn't seem to care or appreciate anything she does. He only cares about his career goals in his law firm. It is hard to completely blame Mr. Rose. The law firm demands everything from him. He always has to be fit and at their beck and command. Mrs. Rose's depression at her state finally reaches a boiling point when her two children leave for college. That's when the war begins. Mr. Rose hires his buddy (Devito) to be his lawyer. Devito regrets it, realizing that he has to be the go-between two crazy people. Neither of the Roses' sees the silliness and pettiness over fighting over a simple house. The house, however, represents their egos, and their entire self-worth. In the end, they both die, but not before understanding that they really did love each other all along. The sadness is that this didn't stop them for fighting over material gain. I guess the message is that the Roses' represent the values of the 80s, money and power over love.

DeVito's best work !

What a great movie this is ! DeVito is a truly underrated director whose every movie has been outstanding. His director's commentary is one of the best you'll ever get to hear. This is easily the best DVD I bought during 2001 and it's hard to figure out why it's not more of a bestseller.

A failed marriage!

I saw this movie about a week ago and thought it was quite interesting. "The War of the Roses" is a very fitting title for this movie since it tells about the unbelievable quarrel between Oliver and Barbara Rose (played by outstanding actors like Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner). This story is just incredible and unexpected. It was thoroughly entertaining and different from other love stories, which are just pathetic. It's completely true that it's not about falling in love with somebody else forever. It was more than that!
The story is well told and acted. I liked the way Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner carried out their roles. They were amazing!I like it because it shows what's a failed marriage like. I couldn't believe when they were fighting everywhere inside the house. SPOILERS They just got to wreck their house and kill themselves. That was the outcome of this failed marriage. It was sad to see it. What will happen to their children? Barbara knew what she was getting into before marrying Oliver, so it didn't make sense that she hated him after a while. She chose her fate, therefore I consider it was all her fault for having hated him without any convincing reasons.As for Oliver I think he was a person who just loved Barbara too much without realizing that she didn't love him any more. He just wants to get the house and destroy everything I thought this movie was made only a few years ago, but I was utterly impressed after seeing that it was made in 1988. It doesn't look that old. I mean it's not that old, but it just didn't seem like it was made in 1988. Overall, It was an entertaining movie. I really had a good time seeing this movie; nevertheless the ending was very disappointing. At least it leaves everybody a message about failed marriages. "Don't ever marry somebody if you're not going to bear that person in the future". 7/10

I never liked writing a summary, read the comment.

The War of the Roses is about certain stage on the lives of Oliver and Barbara Rose (Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner). Turner wants the divorce, and she is willing to do anything to get away with everything she wants. Douglas is the one who feels bad about it and wont let Turner get away with everything.Danny DeVito is a friend of them. He is narrating the story too.Through the movie you see a lot of crazy things, some laughs, in general a pretty good plot.Seems like DeVito can direct. We all know he can act, of course. Douglas and Turner both gave great performances.There is not much I can say in here, just that the film is mostly about all the problems Douglas and Turner go through while they divorce. Some mean things are done, some crazy stuff, some unusual stuff. It's pretty nice to see Turner playing sort of an obsessed woman. I give this film an 8 out of 10, it keeps you entertained all the time. I promise you it wont disappoint you.

Really great

I loved the movie, it kept me glued to the screen. Romance gone really bad, it's not a "chick flick", the guys would love this movie too, I did. The ending was the best for me, complete irony.

Great husband and wife story

Great DVD. Amazon delivered this dvd on time (Before the expected date), in great condition and kept me posted from the time it left them, to the time it was put into my Mailbox. Highly recomend, and definatly will be shopping with Amazon agan.

one of the best

all the chemistry douglas, turner and devito displayed in "romancing the stone" and "jewel of the nile" are on display - with a dark, dark twist.
and this has to be among the absolute best last 15-20 minutes of a movie ever made!

Must see for everyone

How do you hold on to someone who want stay and how do you get reed of someone who want leave?

Oliver and Barbara (Douglas and Turner) meet at the auction. With instant chemistry between the two they are soon married. Typical American family - perfect house, 2 children, work-slave husband and bored wife. As time goes by, Barbara realizes that she no longer likes Oliver and asks for a divorce. Unfortunately for her Oliver is still crazy about her, but agrees to give her the divorce. And as we all though this would be just another civilized split, all hell breaks loose. Barbara wants to keep the house that she found and decorated, but Oliver (who paid for it) will not give it up either. And after an advice from his lawyer (DeVito) he moves back into the house. While Barbara is determined to get Oliver to leave and Oliver is trying to rekindle the romance, there civilized coexistence quickly becomes very interesting.

Believe it or not I have not given much of the movie away. Yes, you now know what the basic story is, but to watch it is a completely different. Three of the return after two successful movies and deliver performances that's unmatched by anything else in there carriers. This film is one of the darkest comedies you'll ever watch. And I believe that everyone should watch it at least once. It'll make you think twice about a lot of things in life. Absolutely brilliant. An ending that will stay with you for a long time.

And when a person making $400.00/hr wants to tell you a story for free, you should listen to it.

Wickedly Funny

This has to be the funniest movie I have ever seen! Kathleen Turner's and Micheal Douglas's on-screen chemistry is incredible....for those who loved "Romancing the stone", and the "Jewel of the Nile" trust me when I say you have never seen these two's chemistry until you see the "The War of the Roses", even though "Romancing the Stone" is my favorite Romantic Comedy....This is my favorite Dark Comedy! It's a must for Douglas and Turner fans!

A real battle of the sexes

Divorce is an ugly business. Just ask any married couple who've gone through it. It breaks up families. Its hell on the kids. But I think the worst part of divorce proceedings is that the whole act only reveals the ugly side of human nature. And Danny DeVito's The War of the Roses seems to understand that. Which is why its such a brilliant examination of marital bliss gone to hell. Its also an hilarious and merciless black comedy that spits and claws to the bitter end without ever holding back.The couple in this film are Oliver and Barbara Rose (Michael Douglas & Kathleen Turner). The story of their marriage and eventual split is told to us through their lawyer, Gavin D'Amato (DeVito). He is consulting with one of his clients about the pitfalls of ill-advised marriages. And the Roses are a perfect example.They first met at an auction. They were both bidding for the same item. And it turned into a fierce competition. Barbara won out, but it sparked the flames of desire, and before you knew it, the two fell madly in love. They eventually got married, bought a nice home, had two lovely children, a cat and a dog. And they lived happily ever...Hold it right there! That's not the story being told here. If it were, Danny DeVito would never have agreed to direct. Oh sure, things started off well. As they always do. But over time, the cracks started to appear, and before long there was trouble in paradise.Tiny details blossom into big problems. Oliver became a successful partner at his law-firm. But Barbara was stuck in the role of the dutiful housewife. Something that caused no end of frustration. Oliver is quite content with the way things are, and when Barbara tries to assert her independence, he's indifferent to her needs. Tiny things start out as minor irritations that become vehement hatred. Like Oliver's fake laugh at dinner parties. And Barbara embellishing details while telling a story. And when it looks like Oliver might die, Barbara is surprised to find she didn't care in the slightest. And one suspects, vice versa. That's the last straw. And so begins divorce proceedings.Its at this stage in the film where things really pick up steam. Oliver and Barbara refuse to leave their magnificent, opulent mansion. And it sets the stage for what will become a battlefield between the Roses. A fight that rotates between spite, barbs and eventually attempted murder.The War of the Roses is my favourite of all of Danny DeVito's black comedies. Because his direction here is so excellent and controlled. In some of his films, he has a tendency to overplay his hand to the point that what starts out pleasingly spiteful turns into unnecessarily farcical. Death to Smoochy was a particularly guilty offender.But that's not the case here. DeVito's direction is assured, and gradual. He allows things to build slowly and surely and he never deviates from that. The material is quite attuned to his sensibilities too, and he's served by two excellent performances from Michael Douglas and (especially) Kathleen Turner.DeVito made the canny choice of reuniting with his Romancing the Stone co-stars, because he understands their abilities, and he knew how well they would compliment each other. TWOTR is a complete polar opposite of RTS. Where that film had them as two different people who fall in love, this film has them as two people who start out in love and drift further and further apart.Douglas and Turner get right into their roles with pure, undiluted relish. They bring the same energy and enthusiasm that fired up a lot of Romancing the Stone, and watching their rivalries explode into violence provides us with a source of great entertainment.The part of an inattentive husband is something that Michael Douglas could play in his sleep. But he doesn't. He recognises the potential in the screenplay, and he plays straight to the hilt. He knows he's got great chemistry with Kathleen Turner, and the sparks that fly from the two are truly superb.Turner has an equal amount of fun. Playing the role with a real arch sensibility, she positively sizzles. Barbara increasingly comes to dominate the picture. The mansion is her domain. And she knows it. Turner doesn't fly into the OTT theatrics that scuppered her later film, Serial Mom. Her performance here is more subtle and grounded in reality. And the film is all the better for it.Mention should also be made of Danny DeVito's wonderful humour. He's not afraid to plumb the real depths of people going through a messy divorce. Physical violence is one thing. But DeVito goes even further than that. At the height of black humour, Oliver ruins a swish dinner party for Barbara's posh friends by peeing on the main course. And she returns the courtesy by turning his beloved dog into pate on a cracker.But TWOTR is more than just bitchy oneupmanship. It is a cautionary tale. Otherwise we wouldn't have DeVito pulling double-duty as the lawyer telling us the cold hard facts behind the bitchiness. And its this element that allows the film to transcend its origins to become a surprisingly powerful fable in its closing scenes. Like most divorces, there is no happy ending, and this one ends on a real downer. Kudos to Danny DeVito for having the courage to keep things harsh and fatalistic, instead of resorting to anodyne clichés at the end.The War of the Roses is fun, witty, gutsy and most of all true to life. And its an astounding rarity among black comedies. This one actually has something to say.

Delightful.

A very good movie, one that holds up well after repeated viewings. Even if you're familiar with the story, DeVito's methodical and precise direction makes it thoroughly absorbing all over again. This movie has the directorial perfection of a good Alfred Hitchcock thriller, but it's not either a thriller or a comedy; it's a unique mix of elements from several genres, that does contain some laughs and sardonic humor, but also has serious undertones, mostly thanks to Michael Douglas' three-dimensional character and surprisingly sensitive performance. Strongly recommended.

Marriage is just that:Two becoming One!! One can't war, only two can!!!

This movie may be kinda funny but it conveys deep truths about the probabilities and tendencies of annihilating each other in marriage. Once one has not reached the stage of allowing one's desires and tastes to be shaped by the other partner (and vice versa), there'll always be a further episode to the war of the roses. Once an issue begins, the movie teaches that it has to be discussed thoroughly, understood by both parties and resolved as soon as possible before it assumes unpleasant dimensions. The ripple effects of an atmosphere devoid of compromise and forgiveness are unavoidable:no intimacy, lack of trust, apathy and insensitivity to each other's feelings, family breakdown and ultimate destruction. The labors over the years are all wasted. A movie every married couple should watch at one point or another in their marriage life, probably at the beginning of their marriage.

A great film, but the DVD apparently has a defect!

I won't add details - just my 5 stars for this film. One very serious defect with the DVD, apparently. I have had 2 replacements from Amazon, and all 3 copies of the DVD have the same defect - the "Director's Commentary" feature under bonus features doesn't play. You click on "Director's Comment," and it just leads you back to the menu. I suggested that Amazon contact the manufacturer - this should definitely be corrected. Everything else on the DVD plays fine.

A War is a War is a War

And this will leave you with the odor of napalm, not fresh-cut roses. Possible Spoilers:Douglas and Turner are great in their roles as the Roses, happily married art collectors whose marriage slowly derails. Douglas is a successful lawyer, and his wife Turner, playing a bright, intelligent character, is a housewife for 17 years, slowly becoming bored and unhappy in the role. She sells a pound of liver pate to neighbors, who ask her to make more, and she finds enthusiasm again. Her husband derides her idea for a budding enterprise, and reveals himself to be a stuffy, self-satisfied bore.
Eventually, Turner wants out of this suffocating marriage and asks for a divorce. She also wants half the house. Douglas is horrified. He wants the whole house all to himself. After all, he paid for it. Just because she took care of it for 17 years doesn't mean she's entitled to anything.
Douglas proceeds to become more and more noxious as the movie continues; the movie's title is War of the Roses, but it's not a war: Turner simply reacts in self-defense every time Douglas does something hostile, and outraged at her refusing to give in, he proceeds to become more destructive, infantile and vicious. It plays more like a long documentary on spousal abuse where you already know the sad ending; the wife will get butchered, and the husband will serve the standard three years in prison. The movie does not go that far, but almost. The "comic" scenes are very well-played, but are *not* funny; they are painful and uncomfortable. If any movie portrays what mysogynistic pigs men can be, this does. It never shows Douglas hitting his wife, (to the best of my memory) because then we would lose all empathy with him. Douglas proceeds to ruin Turner's plans to expand her business by ruining a party for potential clients. By the end of the movie, they both tragically die. But it is hard to forget that it is from Douglas' actions, not both of them, and this makes this movie hard to stomach. Danny Devito, who directed the movie, gives himself far too many closeups (shot from low-angle) that actually become an annoyance. The movie did not leave me, my partner, or anyone else who saw it with a good feeling; aggravated irritation was the only way to describe it. Some critics say it is *good* to have a movie that irritates. However, I find these critics to be usually irritating people themselves. The movie is well-directed and well-acted, but goes way past the line of comedy to sadism, viciousness and abuse. Watch Romancing the Stone again, or Jewel of the Nile. You will have a much better time than this movie.Four out of ten stars.

One of the best satires ever made.

This is one of the best satirical motion pictures ever made. Danny DeVito has done a great job as an actor and director. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner should go down in history as one of the greatest screen couples. Their portrayal of their disturbed characters are uncanny and intact. It's the best movie of 1989.

The War of the Roses

I enjoyed The War of the Roses, so much so I loaned my DVD to someone and was waiting for it to be returned so that I could watch it again. Excellent movie.

The Nightmare Divorce: A Dark Comedy

The 1989 film "War Of The Roses" was the product of Danny Devito who conceived the idea. He directed the film and it stars Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. Their relationship in the film is nothing like their earlier partnership in Romancing The Stone. Here, the Roses are at war, in a modern parody of the historic British War Of The Roses, Tudors and Stuarts whose emblems were white and red roses. They are fabulously rich, they met traveling foreign lands and buying antiques. She's an experienced gymnist and he's a wealthy executive. Eventually, their love life and marriage falls apart and a divorce, long-lived and bitter, ensues.

The entire film is about that terrible divorce. It's a bit of a downer for happily married couples but it's still an enjoyable film as far as social satire and dark comedy. It's not really possible for any couple to conduct their divorce in the spiteful, nasty way these two go at it. Michael Douglas ruins his wife's dinner party, runs over her cat, and later Douglas eats his own dog which she had made into dinner. Their fighting becomes an all-out war, enacted inside their million dollar estate. At one point, they are hanging for dear life on a chandelier. Danny DeVito plays the lawyer and he is delivering absolute comedy. Remember, DaVito was a great choice for comic roles. Does anyone remember his partnership with Arnold Schwartznegger in the movie Twins ??

Battle of the Sexes!

I always loved this dark comedy/drama about martial life gone southward. The leads Kathleen Turner & Michael Douglas have terrific chemistry, but then again they starred in many films together including "Romancing the Stone". The escalating battle between the sexes alternates between being funny to sadly cruel as we watch a marriage disintegrate. It was certainly most interesting watching the leads share the main residence during their divorce because neither side was willing to give up the house. Talk about stubborn! But it is a very dark, dark comedy. What's the moral of the story? Devito's character says "That dog people should marry dog people and cat people only cat people." Great film that does teach us all a moral story besides the above quote. Can't we all get along?

For pure hysterical comedy of revenge against the exes - pick up "Love Stinks" starring Frenchie Stewart and beautiful Bridgette Wilson.

A dark, black rose. Where is King Solomon when you need him?

The Washington Post gave the best one-line summary of this Michael Douglas/Kathleen Turner film: "A yuppie Armageddon." The Roses live an upper crust lifestyle in New England and have raised their kids in the house of their dreams. After 17 years, Barbara realizes she isn't happy as a housewife, and regrets all she gave up to become Mrs. Rose. She asks Oliver for a divorce. He's still in love with his sweetheart (or with the status quo) but grudgingly moves forward with divorce proceedings. Armageddon sets in over the house, which was paid for with his money, but decorated and made a home by her. Neither is willing to budge an inch with regards to the house. He'll ruin her dinner parties; she'll destroy his office and collections.

King Solomon might do well to come in and settle this house dispute, as he did in the case of two women who both claimed a baby was theirs. Solomon revealed the true mother by suggesting he cut the baby in half with a sword (the true mother gave the other woman her baby rather than have it cut in half). If only someone had stepped in to slap some sense into The Roses. Their war becomes all consuming, and in the end, they are both willing to destroy the house to prevent it from falling into the other's hands.

This is classic dark comedy with an all-star cast featuring Douglas, Turner, and DeVito. Don't miss out on this over-the-top battle of wills.

A must for all fools contemplating marriage....

Possible spoiler below:One reviewer said this was a pointless movie about two people who once loved each other and now didn't. I believe they missed the point. The movie opens with a Divorce Attorney counseling a man that's contemplating divorce proceedings. At first we don't know where he's going but by the end you see he's telling the man to either go home to his wife (make up) or be as nice as possible during the divorce. The movie is about what "could" happen when two people can't makeup and refuse to leave quietly.Anyone that's witnessed a "bad" relationship and its subsequent breakup knows this movie is EXTREMELY realistic!