(SPOILER WARNING!)
Based on Warren Adler’s 1981 novel The War of the Roses, the film follows married couple Ivy and Theo, as their initially idyllic-seeming relationship unravels in increasingly absurd and manic ways. When Theo’s magnum opus architectural project for a Californian museum fails spectacularly, he takes the lead role of parenting their two children, while Ivy returns to her career as a chef, opening a seafood restaurant. But as real-world tensions arise, with the couple disagreeing on how their children should be brought up, and Theo growing envious of Ivy’s success, Roach wholeheartedly relishes in the drama and slapstick of their relationship’s breakdown.
The film’s standout scene was undoubtedly when the couple, on their last legs, host a housewarming at their brand-new home. Their feigned happiness gives way to pure anger, culminating in Ivy chucking her freshly made cake all over their guests, perfectly executing a classically slapstick trope. Colman and Cumberbatch’s back-and-forth of quips and comebacks was delightfully nail-biting in the build-up, with their dry British sarcasm going over the heads of their American friends, including cringe-inducingly strange couple Barry and Amy, played by Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon.
“Sarcastic, Slapstick and Mildly Murderous…”
The lavish set design brilliantly juxtaposes the couple’s dysfunctional relationship as well, with their picture-perfect Californian surroundings and their ultra-modern home their very British farcical feud couldn’t be more out of place.
As I watched, the complete insanity of the couple’s actions towards each other, any problems of my own were completely eclipsed, safe in the knowledge that these two were in a much crazier situation. At times, I felt the rational side of my brain fighting back, outraged at the couple’s violence towards each other. Warring for ownership of their house mid-divorce, Theo almost kills Ivy by triggering her allergies and refusing to inject her with her Epi-Pen unless she signs away ownership, and then Ivy pulls out a gun in the house, trying (and failing) to shoot him. But the outrageousness is hilarious and thrillingly addictive, forcing viewers to surrender their real-world concerns to the realm of absurdist comedy. My logical frustration also tried to creep in when Ivy and Theo somehow got back together after trying to murder each other. But when both characters end up getting blown up in their own house, this sort of real-world logic is rendered completely pointless.
Although it isn’t the most groundbreaking or pioneering film, what makes it so joyful is how it embraces the well-loved devices of farce and comedy unashamedly, harking back to British classics like Fawlty Towers. Almost like the child of Knives Out and Miranda. It won’t be for everyone, given its long runtime, but for a cheerful, carefree watch, it’s brilliant.