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This has got to be one of my all time favorite "Black Comedies", as well as all time favorites period! Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner play the Roses, a wealthy married couple with a seemingly perfect life: Prestigious careers, kids in Ivy League schools, beautiful mansion, etc. Only problem is, they hate each other. The story is recounted by their divorce lawyer played to snarky perfection by the film's director, Danny DeVito. He tells how they first meet as struggling college students and fall passionately in love. We then pick them up several years later when they are married with two children and Oliver (Michael Douglas) is working hard to become a partner in his law firm-this is one of my favorite scenes. It shows the Roses at Christmas time in the living room of their extremely modest home. Oliver is at his paper covered desk trying to work while Barbara (Kathleen Turner) tries to make their pitiful Christmas tree look decent. Their overweight children are both screaming and playing, trying to get daddy's attention. At this point Oliver snaps and tells everyone to "shut up" so he can work. You know exactly what this poor man is going through, he wants so desperately to get his family to the next level that he almost ignores them. Barbara turns his work-obsessed attitude around by showing him his Christmas present from her: A Morgan Plus Four roadster that needs to be restored. We pick them up again a few years into the future where they now reside in an expensive apartment. Their circle of friends now include Danny DeVito at his unscrupulous best as a divorce lawyer, and several other well-to-do types who they invite to a dinner party. It is during this dinner that we see the first cracks in the marriage. Oliver constantly interrupts Barbara as she tries to retell a story of how they came upon a particular piece of artwork. After the guests have left, they have a blow-up, but as in most love stories, they make up-to fight another day. Flash forward once more into the future; they now reside in a huge mansion in a secluded community. Oliver is now a full-fledged partner and owner of a fully restored Morgan roadster, and the kids are in ivy league universities. This is where the story really picks up. Barbara is bored so she does what Hollywood apparently thinks that bored housewives do: she takes a cooking class. Turns out she's an exceptional cook! She soon starts a catering business which irks Oliver and the cracks in their marriage are now threatening to level the entire foundation. Barbara demands a divorce, so Oliver sees Gavin D'Amato (Danny D.) who finds an obscure law that sates as long as two people are gong through a divorce, both parties have the right to reside in the same household. Oliver and Barbara proceed to one-up each other progressively culminating with both of them dying in each other's arms. Even though billed as a black comedy, this movie is so much more. It's about marriage degenerating. It's about the pursuit of status and wealth. It's about raising a family. It's about the age old feud between Man and Woman. What really binds this movie together is Mr. Douglas's bravura performance (where was is Oscar nod at least?) His Oliver Rose is Everyman trying to provide for his family. Unfortunately the price for his success is the dissolution of his marriage. I know that Mr. Douglas is best known for is white-collar villains, but it's his portrayals of Men-In-Trouble that really stand out. He is at his best in these roles (Falling Down, Wonder Boys, Solitary Man and Traffic) where he plays a man whose world is falling down around him, usually by his own hand. Mr. DeVito's direction is near flawless as he takes us on a surreal romantic journey that devolves into a nightmare. As the Roses try to "off" each other, he stays away from the slapstick element that was prevalent in "Throw Momma From The Train" opting instead for ways in which the wealthy might do it: Destroying Pate, desecrating expensive art pieces, poisoning each other's pets. But what's really strong about this movie is that neither one of the Olivers is made out to be the Bad Guy. They are both at fault at various times throughout the movie. This is one of the few movies that I can watch repeatedly.
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| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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May 21, 2013 "Please retry" | Collector's Edition | 1 | $9.11 | $4.98 |
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December 18, 2001 "Please retry" | — | 1 | $12.95 | $2.75 |
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2013
- Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2024
- Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2024
Top reviews from other countries
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Humberto Mesta VillarrealReviewed in Mexico on November 10, 2024
MAgnifica para colección
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DanieleReviewed in Italy on February 17, 2025
Quando l’amore diventa una battaglia epica
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