The War of the Roses

Oliver Rose and Barbara meet at an auction, marry and raise two children. Oliver becomes a successful corporate lawyer in Washington while Barbara devotes herself to making the house perfect. When the children leave for college Barbara realises she is unhappy and wants a divorce. The fight is fought through possessions and the house, and neither of them will move out. Danny DeVito directed and took a small part. Michael Douglas plays Oliver and Kathleen Turner plays Barbara, the three of them reunited after the Romancing the Stone films. James L. Brooks produced and David Newman wrote the score. The source is Warren Adler's 1981 novel. Filming ran from March to July 1989 in Los Angeles and in Coupeville, Washington. On a 26 million dollar budget it took 160.2 million worldwide and was the thirteenth highest-grossing film of 1989. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 84 percent, with reviews praising the stylish direction and the black humour. Who it is for: viewers who like divorce told as war rather than as comedy. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a soft landing. The film ends somewhere nobody wins and offers the audience no relief.