Benedict Cumberbatch And Olivia Colman Star In Crazy Dark Comedy The Roses
If there arettwo British actors we’d be happy to see together leading a film, Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman are high on our list- and the pair are doing just that in The Roses, releasing today [29th August].
They play a couple who apparently have a perfect marriage, with loving children and plenty to be happy about, but this outward appearance obscures their increasingly stormy relationship, with the two growing apart due to their differing life paths. It also stars Andy Samberg, Allison Janney and Ncuti Gatwa– here’s everything you need to know.
What is The Roses about?
Directed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Trumbo), The Roses is described as a “satirical black comedy”, and focuses on married couple Theo and Ivy Rose, and is a remake/reimagining of the 80s film War of the Roses. Both Theo (Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Colman) have a dream marriage, with loving children, stable careers, and even an “enviable sex life”, leading anyone who knows them to think that life must be pretty much perfect. In reality, however, it’s not all quite so idyllic, because underneath the surface, there’s some brewing, simmering resentments.
Chief among them is the fact that Theo’s career has suddenly started taking a nosedive, which begins to cause jealousy since Ivy’s life ambitions begin to take off. Years of annoyance and disgruntlement with each other threaten to erupt, with potentially serious consequences for their marriage and future. The official trailer, which was released just a few days ago, gives a taste of what to expect and introduces us to the main duo: Theo is introduced as an architect, and Ivy has ambitions to be a seafood chef. He’s been fired from her job, she’s been offered TV appearances and a flight on a private jet. He’s worn down by looking after the kids and feels irritated by her new success, she thinks he needs to get over himself and be more supportive. With all the escalating hijinks previewed in the trailer, it’s questionable whether the two of them will survive as a couple.
What else do we know, and is there a release date?
The sizable cast also includes Samberg, Janney, and Gatwa, joined by Kate McKinnon, Belinda Bromilow, Sunita Mani, Jamie Demetriou and Zoe Chao. The frantic dark comedy is set to arrive in cinemas in the UK today [29th August].
