Review of The War of the Roses (1989) by Gary E — 12 Jan 2008

This movie is now one of my favorite movies. It may be because my parents are going through a divorce after 20 years of marriage, but this film really affected me. I was with it on every step of the way and was captivated from the first frame to the last.

The film is so well written that even when it entered admittedly absurd territory I didn't care; it was believable in the context, even if not in real life. The film is billed as a comedy, and it is funny, but it is a very VERY dark humor.

There were only a few times when I actually made any audible for of laughter as the comedy is more subtle than that. It is also a very dark movie in general, so be warned. It may be the content or what, but for this film Danny DeVito is a powerhouse behind the camera and as the only other film I have seen that he directed was "Matilda" I was pleasantly surprised to see that he has a gigantic pile of talent.

This movie is not only an emotionally stunning one, but a visually stunning one. I have not seen a movie shot with this much flair and cinematic-ocity (I just made that word up) since I last re-watched "The Aviator.

" In short, this film is awesome, but probably won't appeal to everybody. I highly recommend it though.