A tinderbox of competition and resentments underneath the façade of a picture-perfect couple is ignited when the husband's professional dreams come crashing down.
Posted: December 1, 2025
I’ve learned over the years that it’s always better to go into a movie without expectations. When you do it seems you end up either over or underwhelmed. I will admit that I did check out the trailer before watching The Roses, but from the trailer alone I couldn’t really decide if it was going to be good or not. Ultimately I took a gamble on it without any real pre-conceived notions or having read or heard anything about it.
What a pleasant surprise this turned out to be. First off, it has great cast with Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Coleman playing Theo and Ivy Rose, the married couple the story centers around. Kate McKinnon and Andy Samberg are terrific in supporting roles, playing another married couple who are friends of the Roses.
When architect Theo loses his job after a comical disaster with the new building he created, he is resigned to stay home and take care of the kids because at the same time Ivy’s career is just starting to take off. As time goes by they start to resent each other more and more – he resents her for being gone all the time for work and having the success he imagined achieving; she resents him for raising the kids however he wants while she’s not around to see them grow up. They become competitive in how they try to “win” their arguments and it all happens in the most hysterical fashion. The story itself sounds rather sad on the surface, but the way everything unfolds is nothing short of hilarious.
The dialogue is what makes this film so great. Olivia Coleman and Benedict Cumberbatch deliver each line with that classic British humor of being sarcastic, witty, philosophical, and self-deprecating. Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon mix in a nice blend of American humor – not enough to distract but just the right amount to round things out. I found myself laughing out loud at least a couple dozen times throughout. I stopped keeping count as the jokes just kept coming.
I don’t want to give any spoilers or ruin any of the jokes so I’m just going to stop this one here and just say that if you are looking for a fun comedy, do yourself a favor and give this one a watch. I’d be willing to bet you will not be disappointed. It also has a nice soundtrack to it which is an added bonus.
Overall Verdict: A delightfully hilarious movie that seemingly came out of nowhere. Easily one of the funniest of the last few years.
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