The Roses 2025 Parents Guide

The Roses is Rated R by Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for language throughout, sexual content, and drug content

Right off the bat: The Roses did not just rerun an old story it shook the old War of the Roses formula until some fresh venom dripped out. Jay Roach’s modern spin manages to feel both keenly familiar and painfully recognizable. Expectations? Sky-high, especially with Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch in the ring. And did it deliver? Mostly when it remembers it’s a dark comedy with teeth, it’s satisfying as hell.

The Story & What It Tries to Say

The story follows Theo and Ivy Rose (Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman), a couple who, at first glance, seem to have nailed the glossy Instagram version of marriage. He’s an architect, she’s a chef, and together they live in a house that looks like a lifestyle spread in Architectural Digest. But scratch away at the surface and you’ll find rot creeping in. Theo’s career has flatlined, while Ivy’s is taking off like a rocket. And the imbalance gnaws at them. At first it’s little things snide remarks, half-hearted compliments, a wince that lingers too long. Then it festers into full-blown warfare.

What unfolds is less a “romantic dramedy” than a marital demolition derby. The Roses go from competitive sniping to all-out sabotage, each trying to outdo the other in cruelty, all while pretending to hold their picture-perfect world together for appearances. Ivy sharpens her knives (literally and figuratively) as her culinary star rises, while Theo resentful, bruised lashes out with petty power plays that escalate into scorched-earth tactics. By the second act, their home is less a nest and more a battleground, with friends and neighbors pulled into the collateral damage of their unraveling.

On paper, it’s about a marriage imploding. But really, The Roses is about ambition colliding with intimacy what happens when two people can’t stop measuring themselves against each other, when love curdles into rivalry. There’s a sharp honesty here about the kind of resentment couples don’t admit to at dinner parties. The film digs into pride, envy, and the brittle armor people wear when they fear becoming irrelevant not just professionally, but in the eyes of the person they share a bed with.

It’s messy, yes, but intentionally so. At its core, the movie’s not whispering sweet nothings about love conquering all it’s screaming about how success and failure can eat away at the bonds that hold us together. Marriage here isn’t soft-focus montages or reconciliation arcs; it’s two people who once loved each other deeply, now trapped in a cage match with no referee.

And the scary part? For all its biting humor and heightened antics, it feels uncomfortably real. You laugh, yes, but you also wince, maybe even squirm, recognizing flashes of arguments you’ve heard or worse, lived through. That’s the movie’s deeper sting: beneath the dark comedy and the spectacle of two titans going nuclear, The Roses is a mirror.

Performances & Characters

Colman and Cumberbatch you know what you’re getting: acting at the apex of its game. She’s dazzlingly angry and achingly vulnerable; he’s all brittle pride and simmering humiliation. Their chemistry crackles, often darkly witty, occasionally heartbreaking. Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon pop in as side characters Barry and Amy with oddball energy that injects some absurd life into the marital wreckage. Allison Janney, Ncuti Gatwa, Sunita Mani, and others round out the ensemble but the heart is undeniably in the violent tug-of-war between Theo and Ivy.

Direction, Visuals & Pacing

Jay Roach doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but he knows how to steer it through emotional potholes. It runs a tight 105 minutes no fat. Florian Hoffmeister’s cinematography frames the Roses’ world in soft Californian light, which only sharpens the irony of their unraveling. Editing is sharp, pacing hits chords of domestic dread and comedic savagery. Occasional tonal shifts wobble a bit one moment you’re laughing at a slicing barb, the next you’re staring at ruin. But mostly, it’s a controlled burn.

The Roses 2025 Parents Guide

Violence: The Roses serves up a buffet of emotional and psychological warfare, with a side of physical altercations. Expect scenes where characters engage in heated arguments that escalate into physical confrontations, including slapping, pushing, and the occasional thrown object. It’s like watching a slow-motion train wreck, but with more passive-aggressive dialogue and less actual wreckage.

Language: If your idea of a wholesome evening includes a lexicon peppered with expletives and biting sarcasm, then The Roses is your cinematic nirvana. The dialogue crackles with sharp wit and profanity, as characters engage in verbal sparring that would make a sailor blush. It’s a masterclass in how to insult someone with style.

Sexual Content: Intimacy in The Roses is as warm and fuzzy as a cactus. The film explores the complexities of marital relationships, including themes of infidelity and emotional betrayal. Expect scenes that delve into the darker aspects of intimacy, where love and lust intertwine in a dance of discomfort and desire. It’s not exactly Fifty Shades of Grey more like Fifty Shades of Awkward.

Substance Use/Drugs: Characters in The Roses occasionally indulge in alcohol, typically in social settings or during moments of stress. While not the central focus, these instances contribute to the film’s portrayal of adult life and its complexities. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the best way to cope with life’s messiness is with a glass of something strong.

Final Thoughts & Recommendation

If you want your psychological marital collapse to come wrapped in velvet and a wicked sense of humor, The Roses delivers. It’s not perfect some quieter emotional beats get lost in the claws-and-teeth of Fey-dark comedy but when it lands, it lands. This one’s for anyone who laughs at the void when it’s dressed in black tie. Beautifully acted, sharply written, and disturbingly familiar. I’m giving it a 7.5 out of 10.