Screen Gem Saturdays: War of the Roses

I remember sitting in a theater back in 1989 and seeing the trailer for the newest Kathleen Turner & Michael Douglas movie, "The War of the Roses." The music was a Danny Elfman-style raucous cacophony, and the clips that were edited together made it look like a bedroom farce with people swinging on chandeliers and throwing things at each other. The film that was released was quite different and at first I didn't quite get it. The music in the trailer was not used; instead, it was more restrained. The movie was also (for the most part) more restrained and less about physical comedy. I was a bit confused and admittedly disappointed. The trailer promised "Romancing the Stone" in the bedroom, but delivered the sad disintegration of a marriage instead. When it came out on home video, I gave it a second chance and thought, "Hey, this isn't so bad..."

Since that time, I have watched it countless times and can now count it as one of my favorite films. I don't know who put the trailer together that I saw back in '89, but they sure did the movie a disservice.



If you've never seen it, let me warn you...it can be heavy at times, especially if you've lived through a divorce. It is a rare take on the topic, as most Hollywood films show outside forces as being the culprits for two people pulling apart. Instead, Oliver & Barbara Rose (played expertly by Douglas and Turner) slowly drift away from each other as Barbara becomes more disgusted with her self-centered ladder-climbing husband who neglects the wife at home who helped him reach the top.



Having previously worked together in "Romancing the Stone" and "Jewel of the Nile" (what a turkey that one is; Turner was right to initially refuse it), Turner and Douglas display a chemistry that would rival the greatest of Hollywood's screen teams. Sometimes over the top, Turner is at her very best here showing a subtlety that makes the audience sympathize with the years of neglect her character has put up with.



Danny DeVito directs the film and also plays a narrator of sorts. His character, Gavin d'Amato, a colleague of Oliver’s, also represents him in his acrimonious divorce from Barbara. Gavin ponders, "There are two dilemmas that rattle the human skull. How do you hold onto someone who won't stay? And how do you get rid of someone who won't go?" Things continue to get uglier between the Roses, who inhabit the same house during the proceedings. Barbara decides to throw herself on Gavin to entice him to talk Oliver into moving out.



Barbara kicks off one of her heels and puts her foot in Gavin's crotch, knowing that years earlier at one of her dinner parties, Gavin got a foot job under the table from his date.

Barbara Rose: what would it take to get you to help me, Gavin?

Gavin: Come on, put your shoes on, Barbara. I haven't been into feet since '82.

Although tempted, Gavin comes to his senses and wards off her advances, despite finding out that her previous training as a gymnast would have made her a very flexible partner in the hay.

I'm all for happy endings, but this one (which is not) will blow you away. The climax of the film is played between Turner, Douglas, and a chandelier...and nobody wins. Turner's final tiny gesture shows just how much disgust she has for Oliver, whose stupidity and macho bravado causes their ultimate demise.



If you like black comedies, they don't get blacker than this one.

UPDATE: I decided to look for the trailer that I recalled from over 20 years ago and found it on Youtube:



See more Kathleen Turner photos on my Kathleen Turner web page.