The War of the Roses

Danny DeVito does dark comedies as well as anyone. I didn't know what to expect going into this one. Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas are amazing in each scene together. I was shocked at their chemistry. It's hilarious and sad all at the same time.

This flick is both sly and hillarious. Turner's performance - literally to the very end - is spot-on. The get-backs and off-the-cuff oneliners are so over-the-top that alot of people mistake this movie for a comedy. In actuality, it's a rather dark drama about what it's like when a person realizes what it feels like to not love a particular person anymore. I don't get to see this movie enough, and for that alone I must rate it high.

I started off sympathetic to Kathleen Turner and stayed that way for the most part, so it wasn't so much a war as it was Michael Douglas being a terrifying domestic abuser. Nowadays they would probably make him gaslight more at first. I was a bit surprised by his turn into a monster, though, since his initial reasons for divorce were mostly tame disagreements or incompatibility of personalities. DeVito could have been cut from the movie altogether. Fav scenes: seductive Turner; dog pate.

Outstanding, coal-black comedy notable for its relentless, go-for-the-throat sensibilities (outside of a particular shot of a dog, the one misstep in an otherwise fearsome tale). That DeVito pulled it off with the participation of his ROMANCING cast-mates was a bravura act of ballsiness; it helps that all are up to the challenge; Turner's ice queen is chilling at times, but film is stolen by Douglas' incredible portrait of thoughtless bastardry. An overlooked gem ripe for rediscovery.

Bleak black comedy about a divorcing couple trying to drive each other insane. It gets pretty mean spirited and hateful in parts, but it's mostly funny stuff.

In some ways a real gem, because it really does go balls out in terms of 1980's materialist misanthropy, but it is kind of lacking in the laughs department compared to how far it goes in people abusing each other.

You get into the characters really good by the end, you'll find out how much when things start going sour.

Really skillfully made, but so vicious and hard-edged, it's hard to laugh.

Came out the year AFTER I got married. Wish I'd seen it before.

This is the best movie that Turner, Douglas and DeVito have made together. Divorce, commando style. This is an all-out war. Very dark, and quite funny.

Funny movie, great characters.

Utterly hilarious, but vicious and biting.

Eine der besten Komödien die ich kenne. Michael Douglas und Kathleen Turner spielen sich heir gegenseitig an die Wand. Allein Devito hätte man beliebig austauschen können.

The War of the Roses is, in reality, a very original and dark romantic comedy. However, there is something unknown, possibly just its uneven pacing, that makes it less fun than it could be. Fortunately, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner have a powerful chemistry on camera which overcomes most film-related adversity. Really good!

Mean spirited comedy is sometimes lacking on laughs but the performances from Douglas and Turner are great.

An outstanding dark humor movie. Both Turner and Douglas are perfect in their roles and every scene spices up with their chemistry and tension. DeVito's best movie by far. It's deliciously wicked.

Scary, scary. Shows how people totally lose their perspective.

Abyssmal. Has no point beyond "divorce is bad."

Pretty tense and gripping but calling this comedy? Come on, this is as funny as "Straw Dogs" gets.

Surprisingly bad given the talent involved.

So bitter and angry.

Funny black comedy about divorce. De Vito gives himself all the best closeups, but I don't mind

Excellent

Just awful. I thought it would be a humorous look at divorce, and instead was a painful to watch bitter feud.

I think about this movie a lot. It’s fully absurd, but absurd in the beautiful way that takes an electron scanning microscope to reality and blows it up huge & way out of realistic proportion. It’s a film of raw emotion contending with the thin veneer of civilization, and it highlights the perilous intensity of all forms of intimacy. Not just in romance, but especially in romance. It’s a valuable film that does for long term relationships what Full Metal Jacket did for war. Whatever that is.

A black comedy to reinforce the idea that a civilized divorce is contradictio in terminus and two sensible adults can’t settle their differences in a mature reasonable way. Sure people can act irrational because of high emotions, but these people act so outrageous, it isn’t relatable anymore and therefor not funny. F.e. she commits what amounts to attempt to murder in front of a dozen witnesses. Even the fine performances by and chemistry between Douglas and Turner can’t save this.

Danny DeVito is far more talented than anyone ever realizes. Watch this movie to see why.

Terrible. Painful. Terribly painful.

Great movie.

A little too kooky and over-the-top for me, especially at the end. I think that is what they were shooting for though so I guess they accomplished it. Other than that, it was just okay, nothing I feel the need to watch again anytime soon if ever.

Really dark comedy summing up the divorce mentality of the 1980s.

Watching this film for the second time, 25 years later, I am more convinced than before that labelling it a comedy was a colossal mistake; I laughed once. It is not funny. It is dark and sinister, especially when both main characters decide they could/would each kill the other to achieve their identical individual objectives: possession of the House; the Property.

just yuck.

Decently made, I guess. The subject really just didn't grab me.

Danny & Kathleen! This picture is so dark & mean it just isn't funny.

Great film.

An awesome dark comedy from the 80's.

68.750

boy, women SUCK!

okay

Meh. Michael Douglas and the annoying Kathleen Turner are mean to each other, there's a lot of outright sensationalism, and this is to pass for black comedy. Whatever.

Pretty funny.

Charming Comedy

It's not a great film but I think the story is quite strong due to the hate and circumstances into the break up turns.

A well made but all too mean little movie with some solid acting.