If you thought the battle of the sexes in film peaked in the Eighties with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner’s viciously hilarious feuding couple in The War of the Roses, think again.
The new 2025 adaptation takes that bitterly comedic blueprint and spins it into something both wickedly funny and perfectly of-the-moment, thanks to a sharp script, modern domestic realism, and two powerhouse leads you can’t take your eyes off.
Meet the Modern Roses
Based on the same Warren Adler novel as the original, this version follows Brits Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch), a successful architect, and Ivy (Olivia Colman), a rising chef, who fall head over heels at first sight.
Their love takes them to sunny California for Theo’s work, and Ivy pauses her foodie dreams to focus on raising their kids.
But as Ivy’s career skyrockets and Theo becomes the stay-at-home parent, tensions quietly creep in, nudging their marriage toward the danger zone.
Even their couples’ therapist eventually blurts out, “I don’t think you have the capacity to fix your problems.”
Theo’s stunned response: “Are you actually allowed to say that?!”
Laughing Through Relatable Domestic Chaos
If you’ve ever fantasized, even briefly, about your partner disappearing while you’re stuck with chores or cleaning up after pets, this is your cinematic catharsis.
Updated for 2025, the film tackles the domestic stress of modern working parents with brutal honesty and side-splitting humor.
Director Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents) and writer Tony McNamara (Poor Things) replace the original’s over-the-top slapstick with razor-sharp one-liners and wickedly biting wit.
Genius Casting at Its Finest
None of this would hit home without the perfect actors.
Casting director Nina Gold deserves a standing ovation for pairing Cumberbatch and Colman. They are the unexpected on-screen couple who radiate both charm and real marital friction.
Their impeccable timing and subtle nuances prove that the opposite of love isn’t hate—it’s indifference.
And the Roses? They are anything but indifferent.
Supporting Characters Shine, Too
Kate McKinnon brings laughs as Amy, the lustful and slightly repetitive friend married to Andy Samberg’s Barry, while Allison Janney shines as a formidable Rottweiler divorce lawyer, leaving you wishing for more screen time.
Ncuti Gatwa also impresses as Ivy’s supportive, gay work colleague, adding warmth and humor to the ensemble.
Slow-Burn Resentment Makes the Climax Sweet
What makes this modern War of the Roses so delicious is the way marital resentment simmers before boiling over into full-blown conflict.
The climax hits harder because we’ve been invested in the simmering tension all along.
When Theo dryly explains to his Californian therapist that their “verbal cruelty” is just repartee, it lands perfectly for anyone familiar with British humor—witty, cutting, and endlessly entertaining.
Verdict: Deliciously Wicked
With a script packed with laughs, a cast at the top of their game, and a modern take on marital mayhem that feels all too relatable, this 2025 update is a triumph.
It’s a reminder that love, hate, and laughter are never far apart—and that a battle of the sexes has never been this entertaining.
