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IMDb > The War of the Roses (1989)
The War of the Roses
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The War of the Roses (1989) More at IMDbPro »

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The War of the Roses (1989) -- A married couple try everything to get each other to leave the house in a vicious divorce battle.
The War of the Roses (1989) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   16,906 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Warren Adler (novel)
Michael Leeson (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The War of the Roses on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 December 1989 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Once in a lifetime comes a motion picture that makes you feel like falling in love all over again. This is not that movie.
Plot:
A married couple try everything to get each other to leave the house in a vicious divorce battle. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(7 articles)
'Serious Moonlight' Is Seriously Flawed
 (From CinemaSpy. 21 December 2009, 9:25 PM, PST)

Birthday Suits: Giant Sized Edition
 (From FilmExperience. 17 November 2009, 11:05 AM, PST)

User Reviews:
not your typical Hollywood yukfest more (80 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Michael Douglas ... Oliver Rose

Kathleen Turner ... Barbara Rose

Danny DeVito ... Gavin D'Amato
Marianne Sägebrecht ... Susan

Sean Astin ... Josh at 17

Heather Fairfield ... Carolyn at 17
G.D. Spradlin ... Harry Thurmont
Peter Donat ... Jason Larrabee

Dan Castellaneta ... Man in Chair
Gloria Cromwell ... Mrs. Marshall
Harlan Arnold ... Mr. Dell
Mary Fogarty ... Mrs. Dell
Rika Hofmann ... Elke
Patricia Allison ... Maureen
Peter Brocco ... Elderly Mourner
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:
116 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Oliver Rose (Michael Douglas) cuts the heels off his wife's (Kathleen Turner) shoes. In Romancing the Stone (1984), Jack Colton (Douglas) cut the heels off Joan Wilder's (Turner) shoes. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When the 2 wires come loose letting the chandelier fall, they're shown wired directly to the fuse box without a switch - no way to control the electricity. more
Quotes:
Gavin: 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? more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
We Wish You A Merry Christmas more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
22 out of 25 people found the following review useful.
not your typical Hollywood yukfest, 2 June 1999
8/10

Director Danny Devito and the writers are to be credited for following this story's dark premise straight to its grim conclusion, and not opting for a cop-out 'happy ending'. Maybe that accounts for the movie's relatively low user rating. Whatever. Turner and Douglas are superb here. I saw Douglas on the Carson show after the movie came out, relating how, after a day's shoot, he and Turner would get together to remind each other that they were still friends. Seeing the movie shows why they had to do this. Note how the movie begins in the openness and light of Nantucket in summer and gets progressively darker, ending in the claustrophobic closeness of the nailed-up house. A classic black comedy for grownups. Don't watch this one with your spouse unless you are on really good terms.

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more (80 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The War of the Roses (1989)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
A question for all the women out there..... juzzpeepinin
Did they really die? MOVIEfan727
Who Would you Cast in a Remake screamtaza
Meaning of the hand gesture at the end? (spoiler) razorback_tom
Did part of her still love him? jcloud28
Worst movie I've ever seen! stimpy979797
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