The Roses

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⭐7.5/10

I was initially skeptical of this new Romcom featuring Cumberbatch and my girl Olivia Coleman because I am of the opinion that romcoms should feature funny actors. My skepticism was certainly not assuaged with the opening scene in which their therapist is aghast at hearing how they talk about each other. Can I just take a second to express my annoyance of how therapists are portrayed in every movie? We speak to mentally ill people every single day, we have heard a dark joke before! 

Anyways, I admit that this movie eventually won me over. It's about Cumberbatch, a successful architect, marrying Coleman, a chill mom who owns a crappy restaurant, and they have a fun, relaxed marriage. But then Coleman's restaurant starts to take off at the same moment that Cumberbatch's career flatlines, and it creates a bunch of conflict in their marriage. 

I admit I didn't think this movie was hilarious, but I did think it was a smart and witty examination of how successful marriages like this can erode. It felt super authentic in a way that made me a bit uneasy, with small things adding up until they become irreversible. This movie felt more like how couples actually talk, a complaint I often have of other romcoms, though of course it is exaggerated. But this is a movie that features two tremendous actors delivering good lines, and that's always a recipe for success. 

The movie tries to lean into it's comedy side by the end which I thought was to it's detriment. It gets a little too zany when it probably didn't have to, and kinda spoils the movie a bit. But overall I thought this was a great Romcom for our generation and I'd be very happy watching movies of this quality with my wife for many years. 

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