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Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Marianne Sägebrecht, Sean Astin ... see more see more... , Heather Fairfield , G.D. Spradlin , Peter Donat , Trenton Teigen , Bethany McKinney , Robert Michael Adler , Patricia Allison , Harlan Arnold , Peter Brocco , Roy Brocksmith , Dan Castellaneta , Tony Crane , Ellen Crawford , Gloria Cromwell , Mary Fogarty , Peter Hansen , Rika Hofmann , Lisa Howard , Prince Hughes , Philip Perlman , Vickilyn Reynolds , Fred Scialla , Jeffrey Thomas , Tyler the Cat , Danitra Vance , David Wohl , Jacqueline Cassell , Mary Donohue , Julia Elliott , Morris Jones , Shirley Mitchell , Sue Palka , Popeye the Dog , Eunice Suarez , Shaun Wickers , Robert Harper , Susan Isaacs

Divorce lawyer Danny De Vito warns his prospective client that the story he's about to tell isn't a pretty one, but the client listens with eager intensity -- as do the folks out there in the movie in... read more read more... the audience. The War of the Roses can best be described as a slapstick tragedy concerning the decline and literal fall of a marriage. After 17 years, Oliver (Michael Douglas) and Barbara (Kathleen Turner) Rose want a divorce. Not for this couple is there anything resembling a "civilized understanding": Barbara wants their opulent house, and Oliver isn't about to part with the domicile. Barbara nails the basement door shut while Oliver is downstairs, Oliver disrupts Barbara's fancy party by taking aim at the catered dinner, Barbara lays waste to Oliver's sports car....and so it goes, culminating in a disastrous showdown around, about and under the living room's fancy chandelier. DeVito and screenwriter Michael Leeson never let us forget that the couple's self-indulgent imbroglio exacts an awful price upon their children (Sean Astin and Heather Fairfield). The War of the Roses was adapted from the novel by Warren Adler. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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64% liked it

39,525 ratings

Critics

81% liked it

37 critics

R, 1 hr. 56 min.

Directed by: Danny DeVito

Release Date: December 8, 1989

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DVD Release Date: December 18, 2001

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Stats: 1,213 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,213)

  • blkbomb
    October 9, 2011
    blkbomb
    Oliver Rose: You weren't even multiorgasmic before you met me, were you? 

    "There is no winning! Only degrees of losing!"

    It took me a long time to finally watch this movie and it really was worth it. This is a dark comedy out of heaven. I loved everything about it. Danny DeVito... read more's commentary and direction are awesome. And of course Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner give fantastic and fun performances as a married couple who are now dueling for their home. The movie is extremely fun and entertaining. 

    Oliver and Barbara Rose have been married for 17 years. In those 17 years, they had two kids and Oliver worked himself into a position where he is making loads of money. The family is rich and they buy their dream house. Barbara spends years making the house as perfect as possible, but when she is finally done she realizes that her marriage is no longer a satisfying one. She wants a divorce, but she also wants the house and Oliver isn't going to give that up easy. Basically the whole run time is full of marital disputes and craziness. 

    Kathleen Turner is so good at playing a bitch. She excels at it to such a degree, that I only think of her as a bitch. Michael Douglas is just Michael Douglas. He's a solid and multidimensional actor who never disappoints. Those two on screen together in this movie are perfect. They much more fun to watch then they were in Romancing The Stone. 

    The movie is essentially a drama that they playoff as a comedy, and it works really well. These types of Black Comedies don't always work, but when they do, they aren't just good, they're amazing. This is one of those examples. DeVito doesn't make a false step. He brings us into a world of marital hell and he does it with a strong sense of style and wit. 
  • thmtsang
    December 12, 2010
    thmtsang
    Funny movie about a divorce lawyer and his client Oliver Rose. Barbara worked her whole life to provide for her family and make a good home. When the kids are off to college, she wants to set up her own business. Her husband takes no interest. He thinks their life is perfect but ... read moreshe wishes he was dead. They war over their beautiful house. Great cast.
  • kenstachnik
    December 9, 2010
    kenstachnik
    Fun and really dark black comedy about a fighting couple from Danny DeVito.
  • movieguru12
    January 20, 2010
    movieguru12
    Very enjoyable 80s movie. Some good laughs but I still love Romancing The Stone & The Jewel Of The Nile the best lol!!!! :)
  • SirPant
    September 29, 2009
    SirPant
    Quite a shocking film really. Two hateful people trying to kill each other for two hours. Classic black comedy!
  • hobster1
    February 1, 2009
    hobster1
    Director Danny DeVito's acerbic take on marriage is an acquired taste, to be sure. However, dark comedy is still hilarious tale of one-upmanship as Oliver and Barbara Rose fight over who gets the house in their rapidly declining marriage. The main characters are antagonistic to... read moreward each other almost from the start so it's unclear how they lasted 17 years, but the outrageous and bitter divorce battle sure is fun to watch.
  • Deano78
    September 6, 2008
    Deano78
    A funny comedy about a couple breaking up with all the leads from the Romancing the Stone film.
  • Chiefilms
    March 3, 2008
    Chiefilms
    Interesting movie with awful conclusion.
  • superclerk25
    November 19, 2007
    superclerk25
    It's been a while since I had seen this flick so I popped it in this weekend and gave it another viewing. It wasn't as good as I thought it was. The story is a bit rushed at parts that you are wondering how the characters got so far in their development to being the crazy peopl... read moree seen in the end of the flick. Upon watching the deleted scenes I saw cut parts that explained the transformation but for the most part we don't get to see the whole story.
    It's called a dark comedy but the funny parts were few and far between.
    It's an interesting movie but not really one I would recommend to folks.
  • puffchunk
    September 28, 2007
    puffchunk
    Okay

View All The War of the Roses Reviews

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
February 11, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

DeVito's taste for unorthodox camera angles and striking camera movements occasionally verges on overreaching but for the most part admirably serves the action. Full Review

Variety Staff
February 11, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

Trying to wring yocks from a deranged couple locked in mortal combat over possession of their house is more suited to film noir than black comedy. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

DeVito's direction is distinctively odd (with a lot of low-angle shots looking up at things), enjoyably mischievous and always somehow mindful that there may be, at the heart of all this comic mayhem,... Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

DeVito triumphs by instilling this caustic satire with truth and consequence.

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

[A] deliciously jaundiced perspective on matrimony. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It's to the credit of DeVito and his co-stars they they were willing to go that far, but maybe it shows more courage than wisdom. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

The War of the Roses is yuppie Armageddon, an explosion of empty values and curdled peevishness that blows a marriage and blasts a decade. Full Review

Robyn Karney
February 11, 2008
Robyn Karney, Empire Magazine

Wildly funny and deeply disturbing. Full Review

February 11, 2008
Film4

One of the most durable -- and characteristic -- comedies of the 1980s. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
May 26, 2006
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

The film just keeps getting darker and more claustrophobic, like sliding down the center of a spiral. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Oliver Rose: You say it's mine and you can have everything in the house.
    • Barbara Rose: Ok. It's mine.
    • Oliver Rose: Im going to go piss on the fish.
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The War of the Roses Trivia

  • In what movie besides "Romancing the Stone" does Michael Douglas cut the heels off of Kathleen Turner's shoes?  Answer »
  • Which actress played Micheal Douglas's wife in 1989 film The War of the Roses?  Answer »
  • Which film is this? A married couple try everything to get each other to leave the house in a vicious divorce battle.  Answer »
  • in what movie does the bald avenger play a small but hard role  Answer »
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