The War of the Roses (1989)

Director:

Danny DeVito

Writers (WGA):

Warren Adler (novel)
Michael Leeson (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 December 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

Once in a lifetime comes a motion picture that makes you feel like falling in love all over again. This is not that movie.

Plot:

A married couple try everything to get each other to leave the house in a vicious divorce battle.

Plot Keywords:

Divorce | Couple | Lawyer | Dysfunctional Marriage | Urination

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Michael Douglas	...	Oliver Rose
Kathleen Turner	...	Barbara Rose
Danny DeVito	...	Gavin D'Amato
Marianne Sägebrecht	...	Susan
Sean Astin	...	Josh at 17
Heather Fairfield	...	Carolyn at 17
G.D. Spradlin	...	Harry Thurmont
Peter Donat	...	Jason Larrabee
Dan Castellaneta	...	Man in Chair
Gloria Cromwell	...	Mrs. Marshall
Harlan Arnold	...	Mr. Dell
Mary Fogarty	...	Mrs. Dell
Rika Hofmann	...	Elke
Patricia Allison	...	Maureen
Peter Brocco	...	Elderly Mourner

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:R (certificate #30033) | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

119 Fremont Place, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Gracie Films

Trivia:

In 1953, Alfred Newman composed and recorded the 20th Century Fox Fanfare "with Cinemascope extension". In 1989, his son, David Newman re-recorded the fanfare for "The War of the Roses" in order to have the last note of the fanfare segue seamlessly into the first note of the opening titles music.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Oliver and Barbara are eating dinner, the cutlery which Barbara is holding changes hands depending on the angle of the shot.

Quotes:

Oliver Rose: [mistakenly almost hits Susan with the thrown chair] Oh, I'm sorry, Susan. I thought you are Barbara.

Movie Connections:

Featured in ... A Father... A Son... Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Pretty Lady, Lovely Lady

It walks a very fine line between love and hate.

Danny DeVito's "War of the Roses" is a sharp and wickedly funny satire that looks deeply into married life and oh, yes that dreadful word - "divorce" is included, too.

Michael Douglas ("Traffic", "Wonder Boys"), Kathleen Turner ("The Virgin Suicides"), and director DeVito himself star here in the tale where the peaceful lives of a married couple, Oliver and Barbara Rose (Douglas and Turner) has begun to get nasty and downright brutal. Why is this happening you might ask? Simple. The war begins when in their divorce proceedings, Oliver and Barbara desperately want to get the house in their settlement. Unforturnately, they "both" get the house and try to avoid coming into contact (verbal or physical) with each other, which makes the situation worse.

DeVito, who is the film's onscreen narrator and plays Gavin, a close friend of Oliver's, tries to be careful here in how to handle the ongoing spat that Rose gets into. He has made an intelligent movie here in letting the film take a very fine line between love and hate. Also, there a few hilarious scenes where Douglas adds a special flavor to a pot of cooking fish that Turner was going to serve a small group of guests and how the house becomes a warzone that's rigged with some unexpected surprises. Plus, the DeVito character defines the legal battle as "a love story".

The performances are great and the photography by Stephen H. Burum ("The Untouchables") is stylish and marvellous. This film was adapted from the novel written by Warren Adler.