The satirical black comedy film The Roses takes us through different phases of the picture-perfect couple Ivy and Theo’s life together. It immediately captured my attention through its dark comedy and amazing chemistry between Olivia Colman (Ivy Rose) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Theo Rose), but it leaves you wondering about relationships, marriage, and happiness.
Based on Warren Adler’s novel, The War of the Roses is a film adaptation of The War of the Roses (1989). Although the book and the prior movie weren’t very progressive, I believe this film blends wit perfectly with societal critiques that are very relevant.
In the beginning, Theo and Ivy seemed happy and supportive of each other, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the same day Theo’s career fell apart, Ivy’s career started to flourish.
The Roses switches the traditional gender roles of the man and the woman by making Ivy the breadwinner and Theo the homemaker. As the film progresses, we see the maze of miscommunication between them. Resentment starts to build, and they refuse to accept that they have problems.
Social conflict theory interprets society as a space defined by inequality and shaped by disparities in social and economic power. Film and pop culture reflect the inequalities present in real life, and whether intentionally or not, film has the power to shape the narrative.
Through the lens of social conflict theory, The Roses posed questions about power and economic imbalances in relationships. In society, homemaking often isn’t recognized as work despite the tremendous labour that goes into it, which makes me wonder about capitalism and why people are only viewed as valuable if they are contributing to the economy.
Ivy is certainly an unconventional representation of women in media and is a breath of fresh air. However, it’s essential to examine how the marriage starts to fall apart right after the woman becomes the breadwinner.
Throughout the film, whenever they meet their friends, this reflects how these people are perceived. People will constantly remind Theo of his social standing, such as when Theo says he’s happy, and his friend says, “Yeah, but you are a failure, and women don’t like that.” This felt like the start of his insecurities.
Theo didn’t seem to have these thoughts before society pointed them out, adding to the film’s commentary on how society views masculinity. It’s often tied to success, control, and money, so Theo’s self-worth, like that of many people, depends on how society measures his economic and social status, which often distorts his self-esteem.
This eventually leads to Theo’s resentment towards Ivy’s success, which also comments on the ingrained sexism present in society. After the switch in their roles, he becomes jealous and essentially shames Ivy for her choices because she isn’t present at home, an expectation that is put explicitly on mothers. That’s not to favour an absent parent, but to comment on the double standards. Traditionally, many fathers aren’t the most present because of their jobs, and that is never questioned.
A moment that was quite striking to me was when Theo asks Ivy to switch back to their previous roles, and the conversation leads to who must sacrifice themselves at the altar of their marriage. The truth of the matter is that why must anyone have to sacrifice themselves?
Another major point of contention was their parenting styles. For instance, when Ivy was the homemaker, the kids were indulgent and consumed copious amounts of sugar, but when Theo took on that role, the kids became restrictive with their diet. The children become state-level athletes at a very young age, and their lives revolve around working toward that. This demonstrates the differences between Ivy’s indulgent mindset and Theo’s self-disciplined mindset.
Theo’s frame of mind was “build the children, instead of houses,” which, in turn, made them goal-driven at a very young age, and they were almost like his project. They end up going to a prestigious athletic school in another city at 13 years old, and Ivy starts to blame Theo for this. While the kids seemed happy, and Theo was a very present parent, I wonder how this shift in perspective affected them mentally. What kind of negative impacts did they experience, and what pressures did they feel?
Additionally, to make sense of Ivy and Theo’s relationship, it is imperative to understand their need for fulfillment. Due to Ivy’s loss of connection with her children, she keeps opening new restaurants for fulfillment, while Theo turns their children into his personal project and, later on, fixates on their house for fulfillment.
This movie uses a hyperbolic lens to capture the essence of a real marriage while being comedic. Situations arise where compromises have to be made, resentment builds, and people forget to appreciate one another. Sometimes family can bring out the worst in us; although this isn’t ideal, unspoken grievances and repressed emotions can lead to it. It’s important to question why we are taught that such compromises are necessary.
Personally, I believe that understanding what makes you content and having something that drives you outside of your family is vital to having a healthy family life. The kids in The Roses seemed to be happy when they heard that their parents were getting a divorce. This reflects how unhappy parents affect their kids and change their expectations.
Towards the end, the couple become vindictive, and although realism is entirely out of the equation, it emulates the intensity of feelings people might endure in relationships. Theo and Ivy wanted to be seen, validated and connected to their family.
While the characters are incredibly flawed people, from their first meeting to them in couples counselling, in all their eccentricities, the phrase that kept on popping into my mind was that they really “match each other’s freak.”
When the couple finally air all their grievances and talk through every misunderstanding, they regain their empathy for each other. What brings Theo and Ivy back together is that they do regret their actions and are willing to accept that.
Additionally, the other couple, Amy (played by Kate McKinnon) and Barry (played by Andy Samberg), portrayed how, as people get older, they just want to have someone there to take care of them.
My critique, however, is how some moments, which were intended to be funny, like Amy’s character making advances at Theo, felt rather uncomfortable.
But overall, watching this movie in a theatre was a fun experience as everyone had the same reactions to each sequence, and at the end, we all stared at each other and said, “What just happened?”
The Roses is a fun watch, and the cast delivered strong performances. The ending may feel bleak, but it also ties in a dark comedic element. The flow of the story is interesting and, most importantly, thought-provoking. The film was gripping in its defiance of social norms. It made us question whether love alone is enough to persevere through unforeseen challenges that arise over time and in different circumstances.
This goes to show that chaos has a way of creeping into our lives. Any sort of relationship, whether it’s platonic or romantic, needs respect, effort, and appreciation. It’s crucial for us to examine our own biases and reflect on societal norms regarding compromises and economic involvement.