The Roses (2025)

Here are ten reasons why The Roses (2025) failed to impress, according to the discussion group. On a positive note, the Owl videoconferencing device was used successfully for the first time. Unfortunately, the film was not a hoot. Perhaps others in the hall felt differently, but….

·         Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, while great actors in other contexts, were “oddly cast.”  His character had more authenticity and some vulnerability.

·         The War Of The Roses (1989), starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, was an acclaimed black comedy. So why was it resurrected?  The poisonous values didn’t translate to 2025.

·         Colman’s hair was terrible. She becomes rich during the film but has the same dated helmet type hairdo with a disastrous fringe throughout. Why did they appear to be employing a five-year-old as a hairdresser on set?  Is it the cuts?

·         The content was too thin – a couple becoming jealous with each other. That’s it. Yawn.

·         Too many suicide/gun references and too much destruction. Do we need this flippant attitude to life?

·         There was “no warmth and no gold.”  Even a vaguely touching scene with a rescue of a whale (fake, like almost all the film) left us feeling cold. No blubbering was heard from the audience. The most moving moment was when we left Sunnyside Hall.

·         The friends in the film, including Kate McKinnon, were “horrendous.”

·         The children were more like aliens from another planet.

·         The first scene, in the therapist’s office, was funny. Unfortunately, this set an expectation for the rest of the film. It was not to be. The film continued its plummeting path until we thankfully reached the white screen end. Hallelujah.

·         While Tunbridge Wells recovers from the serious water supply problems, our massive audience bravely sat through a film that had a serious humour outage.

Anne