The War Of The Roses (1989, rewatch): Enough with the nastiness already
The War Of The Roses, 1989, directed by Danny DeVito, streamed on YouTube, 2 stars. I saw this 35 or something years ago in the theater, and I remembered finding it a little weird with a little bit of dark humor. I guess our sense of humor does evolve over time -- at least mine has. I found absolutely nothing funny about The War Of The Roses this time around. And to be honest, I didn't like it much at all. I just found it mean-spirited and hateful. I've been a fan of all three of the principals -- Danny DeVito, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner -- for a long time. So I was a bit shocked this evening that I reacted so negatively to The War Of The Roses. I found nothing to like about either of the Roses, played by Douglas and Turner. Oliver Rose was a two-dimensional self-involved humorless yuppie lawyer. Barbara Rose had a little more depth and heart as a dutiful homemaker who took control of her own life against Oliver's wishes after the two kids left the nest. The Roses ...