The War of the Roses (film)
| The War of the Roses | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Danny DeVito |
| Produced by |
James L. Brooks Arnon Milchan |
| Screenplay by | Michael J. Leeson |
| Based on |
Novel: Warren Adler |
| Starring |
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| Narrated by | Danny DeVito |
| Music by | David Newman |
| Cinematography | Stephen H. Burum |
| Edited by | Lynzee Klingman |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million |
| Box office | $160,188,546 |
The War of the Roses is a 1989 American black comedy film based upon the 1981 novel The War of the Roses by Warren Adler. The film follows a wealthy couple with a seemingly perfect marriage. When their marriage begins to fall apart, material possessions become the center of an outrageous and bitter divorce battle.
This is the third film to co-star Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito, after Romancing the Stone and its sequel, The Jewel of the Nile. DeVito directed the film, which also had producer James L. Brooks and actor Dan Castellaneta working on a project outside of The Simpsons. The opening title sequence was created by Saul Bass.
In both the novel and the film, the married couple's family name is Rose, and the title is an allusion to the battles between the Houses of York and Lancaster at the end of the Middle Ages.
Lawyer Gavin D'Amato is in his office discussing a divorce case with a client. Noticing the man's determination to divorce his wife, Gavin decides to tell him the story of one of his clients, a personal friend of his.
17 Years Earlier. Oliver Rose, a student at Harvard Law School, meets Barbara at an auction, where they bid on the same antique. Oliver chats Barbara up and they become friends. When Barbara misses her ferry home, the two end up spending the night together at a local hotel. Eventually the two marry and have two children, Josh and Carolyn. Over the years, the Roses grow richer, and Barbara finds an old mansion whose owner has recently died, purchases it and devotes her time to making a home there. However, cracks seem to be forming in the family as they both begin to disaprove to how they raise their two children as Barbara feels that spoiling Josh and Carolyn with candy is a good thing which that she never had growing up from her own parents. As a result, both Josh and Carolyn become very obese at a young age, and do not try to lose weight until they graduate from high school and begin to attend college. As Oliver becomes a successful partner in his law firm, Barbara, who was a doting and loving wife early in the marriage, appears to grow restless in her life with Oliver, and begins to dislike him immensely.
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