War of the Roses, based on a novel by Warren Adler

War of the Roses, based on a novel by Warren Adler

A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:

-              https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E  and   http://realini.blogspot.ro/

The tagline of this movie is this:

-          „Once in a lifetime comes a motion picture that makes you feel like falling in love all over again. This is not that movie.”

The irony is appropriate.

And this comedy has been included on The New York Times list of Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made.

It is not on a level with Some Like It Hot.

But it is entertaining.

Perhaps it can also serve as a lesson.

Even if, those who want to know about marital problems and solutions would better read:

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, by the ultimate expert John Gottman

For The War of The Roses has all the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as indicated by

John Gottman:

1.       Contempt

2.       Stonewalling

3.       Criticism

4.       Defensiveness

The narrator of the story is Gavin D'Amato who is played by Danny de Vito.

He is a lawyer and tells his client:

-  I suggest you listen to this story

- And believe me, when a lawyer whose fee is $ 450 an hour tells you to hear it, you better listen

And so we meet Oliver and Barbara Rose.

They are portrayed by Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner respectively.

They meet at an auction where they bid for the same small statuette.

Barbara wins it.

They soon marry and we see them in a dining room, with their guests.

And their overwheight children.

I did not exactly get why they had to be so large.

Oliver's colleagues are at the table.

And that includes Gavin, who is playing sexual games under the table, but in plain view of his host.

Oliver is bent on showing off his crystal and the good story connected with it.

He is encouraging Barbara to say it, but interrupts and changes her version.

Nevertheless, the point is that he got a good deal from a couple that were separating.

She smashed her share and he sold his for a small price to spite his ex wife.

After Barbara finds and they buy the dream house, a downward spiral is soon descending the couple into a Hades.

The wife realizes that she would feel relieved if the husband dies.

And from here on, it is a dark comedy.

To mention just one scene:

Barbara invites some clients over and Oliver shows up, even if he was told pest control is there, in order to keep him away.

He says he has a terrible cold, sneezes over the guests, blows his knows and throws the tissue into the bowl of soup that was waiting to be served.

- I will take a piss in the fish you want to serve, says the outrageous husband.

And he does exactly that, while the horrified guests watch him.

Then Barbara takes her SUV and smashes the expensive car that her spouse had owned.

It is a terrifying and at times amusing War of The Roses.

Gavin the lawyer has a...Lawyer joke:

-" what do you call 500 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?

- an excellent start"