With “The Rose War”, director Danny Devito succeeded in a timeless comedy classic in 1989-more than four million cinema seekers in Germany alone provided 5th place on the local annual charts. Based on Warren Adler's bestseller of the same name, Michael Douglas and Kathleen grew a bitter divorce war, in which even urinating on a prickly fish dish and a murder attack in the sauna are still a harmless attack on the respective still-partners. After all, the first film does not even stop in front of the pets – the dog is even processed into a delicatessen.
This is of course not the fine way-and therefore the announcement came about that in the new edition of “My Bride, her father and I” director Jay Roach, Benedict Cumberbatch (“Doctor Strange”) and Olivia Colman (“The Father”) play the leading role, first also on some skepticism: work of the “Sherlock” star and the star Oscar winner (for her role as a crazy Queen Anne in “The Favourite”) not actually too cultivated to go to the throat credibly-according to the template?
Less raw violence, more filigree finesse
But puff cake! Yes, as British character heads, Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, in contrast to their American role models without monster trucks, come out to express their hot -flowered hatred.
But for this they dominate the high art of passive-aggressive swear at such a virtuoso level that it is a pure joy! In addition, the duo in the first half of “The Rosing Battle” gives away one of the most believable and lovable couples in Romcom history- you almost wish you to get along. But almost almost-because of course you don't want to do without your scalpel-sharp word battles!
Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Olivia Colman) are the perfect couple. Therefore, the following divorce war is also extra painful …
When the architect Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the cook Ivy (Olivia Colman) meet in the kitchen of a London restaurant for the first time, you not only have sex in the cooling chamber after a few minutes. Theo also spontaneously decides to move to the USA together with Ivy. In a small coastal city, the two lead the perfect marriage a few years later – with now two children: he realizes his brilliant visions in building a local fishing museum; It runs a lobster restaurant that is only open a few evenings a week and in which only a few guests get lost.
But then a serious storm changes everything: Theo's architectural masterpiece collapses-and he becomes a mematrial video on YouTube through a meme video on your guild. At the same time, a critic redistributed by the motorway because of the storm writes a report on Ivy's little crab booth, which then becomes one of the country's hottest restaurants. The conditions in the relationship are literally turned upside down overnight – and this leads to bitterness over the next few years, which finally discharges in the title battle that gives rise to the title …
Less timeless, but even more pointed
“The Rose War” is one of these films where one is already wondering whether Hollywood would still dare to do something like this today. In this regard, however, we can – at least largely – give the all -clear: this time it is not peed on the fish, but a wart is planed from the foot into the soup (personally I find it almost more unappetizing). But apart from that, “the rose battle” is hardly less malicious in the second half, even if the comedy overall is not quite as physical (and no pets are eaten). But what is definitely different: In contrast to the timeless “The Rosen War”, “The Rose Battle” is clearly a product of our time!
In the book and the first film adaptation, Barbara Rose (Kathleen Turner) suddenly realizes that she no longer loves her husband – through the unexpected feelings of happiness that she feels when her husband is taken to the hospital with a supposed heart attack. In the remake, on the other hand, the break is derived in detail with the postponed economic power conditions in the relationship: Although both obviously love each other until the end, Theo even says in silence again and again, “now no ass is no ass”, both can no longer jump over their shadow at some point.
It's hard to say anyway: “The rose battle” also achieves high notes when it comes to food porn!
So “the rose battle” gets an additional tragic note that has not yet existed in “The Rose War” in this pronounced form – especially because the chemistry between Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch in the first half is so grandiose: If he asks at the first spontaneous meeting, it canceled that it would not even have had sex. “But that would be different in a few minutes,” he adds, whereupon she stays no more than agree – and off you go into the cooling chamber to snack.
The absolute self-image and the perfectly coordinated timing of the two stars as a couple is simply unmatched-and that doesn't change if the constant (passive) aggressive comments are increasingly drizzling into the relationship like a caustic acidity. The sanded oneliners hit the mark every minute – and so “the rose battle” changes from fully romantic to fully explosive to full jug, without losing accuracy.
Conclusion: Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman are simply terrific-both as a loving (married) couple and as bitter opponents, who gradually throw every British restraint overboard in their very personal rose war. Mercilessly funny and also surprisingly touching.