Rating of
1.5/4
Not funny if you are not into black comedies
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/02/08
This is the story of the marriage of the "Roses" (Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas) told through the words of a lawyer (Danny DeVito, who also directed) who relates the story to a potential client (Dan Castellaneta in a non-speaking role).
I do not understand why Yahoo Movies say I would like black comedies, because they are only worth a couple of chuckles. And this one is no exception.
Although the movie has a good cast, three members of which have worked together twice before -- in better movies, they only give a fair performance.
Another problem with this movie is that only the "Roses" have any character development. The "Rose" children, who are seen in three stages of their lives, and the rest of the cast are not used well at all. They are mostly there, and aren't used well to advance the main storyline.
One thing that I liked was the use of camera angles. Some of them were pretty unique like the one where the waring couple were shown looking out separate windows that were only a few feet apart. There were also a couple of extreme close-ups to show the anger of the "Roses" that were also pretty nice.
Another thing that was not good was that the realism of the movie was horrible. You would think with a relationship that was this volatile, the neighbors would have called the cops at least once. Yes, many divorces can end this bad, but this just didn't feel realistic to me at all.
This was certainly over-the-top, but it's not funny if you ask me. In fact, I don't even understand why this would be considered "comedy" even a black comedy. I probably chuckled at a couple of allegedly comedic moments.
As for the music. None of it is memorable, and it didn't enhance any of the scenes or the fights between the "Roses". In fact, the music is so forgettable, I don't even remember hearing music until the closing credits.
Save this one for a rainy day when you are desperate to see a movie.
