The War of the Roses
1989 · Movie · R · 116 min · ★ 6.9 · 82% critics
A seemingly perfect marriage starts to crack when one partner begins imagining life on their own. As divorce looms, both refuse to give up their lavish home, turning everyday grievances into an escalating battle of spite, sabotage, and one-upmanship, while their lawyer struggles to keep the peace.
Based on The War of the Roses
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Details
- Years
- 1989
- Release date
- 1989-12-08
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Critic score
- 82/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (1,256 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a ruthless, darkly funny take on divorce that swings between laughs and discomfort, with escalating payback inside one house; Not for you if you want a warm rom-com or easy likable leads, though Serial Mom fans may click with it.
Pros: wickedly dark humor; sharp dialogue; gripping escalation | Cons: mean-spirited tone; uncomfortable to watch; not feel-good
Themes
- marriage
- romance
- love-hate relationship
- lawyer
- divorce
- argument
- divorce lawyer
- hostile
- reminiscent
- excited
Cast & crew
Michael Douglas
as Oliver Rose
Kathleen Turner
as Barbara Rose
Danny DeVito
as Gavin D'Amato
Marianne Sägebrecht
as Susan
Sean Astin
as Josh at 17
Heather Fairfield
as Carolyn at 17
G.D. Spradlin
as Harry Thurmont
Peter Donat
as Jason Larrabee
Dan Castellaneta
as Man in Chair
- GC
Gloria Cromwell
as Mrs. Marshall
Directed by Danny DeVito