The Roses – Movie Reviews by Ry!

The Roses – Of Thorns & Romance: It is True Love

In the wide span of emotions, it is a tall tale when you feel something for another.  Through each high and low, the experience becomes a define of what may be.  To feel for another is an endearing trait that can become a great foundation in a story, especially in film.  In this review, I look at the latest rom com to hit the big screen.  In a tale of ‘falling in love’, the rehashing of what is becomes something more.  With strong leads, The Roses is a journey of life and love that reflects on the personal … until death do us part. 

From picture perfect to the boiling of emotions, the winding road of Ivy (Olivia Colman) and Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch) becomes a matter of what it really means to be in love.  Stories weave strings of the moment, building up circumstances that press upon what is and what may be.  For romantic tales, they are journeys that strike an accord of commonality, no matter if it is a period-piece or the obvious story of ‘boy meets girl’.  No matter where it starts, there is a hope that it becomes something that endears beyond the sum of its parts.  With this latest rom com, it starts from a familiar spot, but slowly weaves the personal into a matter of what becomes the definition of love.  The story begins with a comedic prologue before leading into ‘before the moment’, when (plot point) Theo and Ivy meet and fall in love for the first time.  From here, the directive slowly builds from this point as it weaves themes of career aspirations, familial values and individuality into the romantic foundation.  As things seem to be going smoothly, a storm hits there California home (story catalyst), which changes the direction of Theo and Ivy’s relationship.  This change sparks a layering of comedic tones within the romantic foundation, bringing about witty banter and aloof like conflicts.  These scenes elevate the experience for our main leads and secondary characters (view the cast list on the film’s IMdb Page – link), leading to a slow fracturing of who they are to each other, in and outside marriage.  From this point, the film starts to stand apart from other genre films, becoming something more because of the following:

Character Moments

What drives the emotional value of each scene is the layering of the main leads.  With Theo trying to rediscover his purpose as a stay-at-home dad, it butts up against Ivy’s whimsical jeers of her successful turn as a local chef.  What drives this is not the allure of romance, but the volatility of personal flaws in that allure.  The struggles of their bond are revealed in a conversational format, a strength of the raw script.  Each scene becomes an ironic twist of whimsical and sarcastic points of what it means to be a parent, couple and career driven person.  These moments strike a level of poignancy that weaves through the comical and realistic motifs of this film.

Survival Through Unity

What is a staple of stories in this genre is the lettering of predictability.  In most cases, there is a window where elements of the journey allude to either a ‘happily ever after’ or ‘tragedy in love’ like ending.  No matter where, how or why things happen, what strikes reverie of the moment is how you make it stand out from its foundation.  This particular rom com pushes through the predictability by driving an honest truth through a discourse about relationships.  The hardiness of each moment endears through the genre’s foundation, leading to outcomes that are honest about what can be.  What you come to see in Ivy and Theo is a manner of self-reflection, a grind against their flawed personas that show there is a sense of try, even when it seems impossible.   

As everything builds up to a general crossroads, that revelation leads to a third act that strikes the middle ground of romantic and comical situations.  This leads to an auspicious climax and epilogue that defines what vows are meant to be.  The Roses is a riveting but comical journey of what it means to be in love.  If you like character pieces or rom coms, this is a standout for you.  I believe that this film is worth seeing on the big screen.

Full Score – 4 out of 5 (Full Price)