The War of the Roses (movie)
The War of the Roses is a 1989 American black comedy film based upon the 1981 novel of the same name by Warren Adler. The film follows a wealthy couple with a seemingly perfect marriage. When their marriage begins to fall apart, material possessions become the center of an outrageous and bitter divorce battle.
| The War of the Roses | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Danny DeVito |
| Produced by | James L. Brooks Arnon Milchan |
| Screenplay by | Michael J. Leeson |
| Based on | The War of the Roses by Warren Adler |
| Starring |
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| Music by | David Newman |
| Cinematography | Stephen H. Burum |
| Edited by | Lynzee Klingman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $26 million |
| Box office | $160.2 million |
The film co-stars Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. DeVito directed the film, which also had producer James L. Brooks working on a project outside of The Simpsons. The opening title sequence was created by Saul Bass and Elaine Makatura Bass.
In both the novel and the film, the married couple's family name is Rose, and the title is an allusion to the battles between the warring Houses of York and Lancaster who were contending for the English throne during the late Middle Ages. In Germany, the film was such a huge success that its German title Der Rosenkrieg became synonymous with high-conflict divorce and is now regularly used in the media.
Cast
- Michael Douglas as Oliver Rose
- Kathleen Turner as Barbara Rose
- Danny DeVito as Gavin D'Amato
- Marianne Sägebrecht as Susan
- Rob Paulsen as Gavin's client
- River Phoenix as 17-year-old Josh Rose
- Trenton Teigen as 10-year-old Josh Rose
- Heather Fairfield as 17-year-old Carolyn Rose
- G.D. Spradlin as Harry Thurmont
- Peter Donat as Jason Larrabee
- David Wohl as Dr. Gordon
- Shirley Mitchell as Mrs. Dewitt
- Peter Hansen as Mr. Marshall