Shadows on the Wall

The Roses

dir Jay Roach
scr Tony McNamara
prd Adam Ackland, Leah Clarke, Ed Sinclair, Tom Carver, Jay Roach, Michelle Graham
with Olivia Colman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kate McKinnon, Andy Samberg, Allison Janney, Sunita Mani, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Demetriou, Zoe Chao, Delaney Quinn, Ollie Robinson, Hala Finley, Wells Rappaport
release US/UK 29.Aug.25
25/UK Searchlight 1h45

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With expertly delivered dialog that's smart and jaggedly hilarious, this new adaptation Warren Adler's novel is very entertaining. Although its British sarcasm makes it far less bitter than the memorable 1989 version. Director Jay Roach and writer Tony McNamara also lean more heavily into the irony, which leaves the film feeling a bit glib. But the scene-stealing cast have a lot of fun with giddy highs and brutal lows.

Sparks fly when chef Ivy (Colman) meets architect Theo (Cumberbatch) in London. Moving to Northern California, Ivy puts her career on hold to raise their two children (Quinn and Robinson), then a decade later Theo loses his job in a humiliating accident. Now it's Ivy's turn to use her skills, opening a crab shack that goes viral. And Theo can't cope. Three years later they are sniping so viciously at each other that their friends (McKinnon and Samberg, Chao and Demetriou) become worried about them. And when they decide to divorce, things turn outrageously nasty.

On-the-nose elements include a massive incoming storm, a beached whale and Ivy's literal pit-bull lawyer (a fabulously barnstorming Janney). And as Ivy helps Theo build his dream house, there are opportunities for even more pointed gags, right to the final cutaway. None of this is subtle, but the prickly atmosphere is amusing, especially as it is peppered with fatally barbed insults. It's hardly surprising that Ivy and Theo often crack each other up, and their friends and colleagues enjoyably attempt to match their vitriol.

With intelligent wit, Colman and Cumberbatch add micro-nuances that keep this couple likeable even when they do astonishingly horrible things. So while there are some genuinely grim angles to their interaction, there is always an underlying sense of their connection. Supporting cast members adeptly grab moments here and there, including Gatwa and Mani as Ivy's coworkers. All are colourful and funny, and it's McKinnon who gets the chance to chomp most riotously on the scenery.

While watching these people literally come to blows over niggling issues, the film's bright tone kind of undermines the narrative each time it ventures somewhere properly dark. This includes brushing aside a few important plot elements, such as the kids, and making all of the side characters ultimately somewhat irrelevant. And while the way everything is undercut with warmth almost makes the movie feel pointless, the high quality of the production holds our attention, and the actors keep us laughing and cringing right on queue.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 26.Aug.25

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