Critics’ reviews

The Roses (2025)

23 reviews from 23 publications. Critics’ score 63: 8 positive, 12 mixed, 3 negative.

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63
Positive
8
Mixed
12
Negative
3
The AV Club
28 August 2025 · B+ · Luke Hicks
83

The critic calls the film an essential, brisk rom-com, praising its sharp humor and energy. The standout is the remarkable chemistry between Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch.

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Los Angeles Times
28 August 2025 · Amy Nicholson
78*

Nicholson finds the remake a lively, worthwhile comedy that makes a convincing case for adult-oriented movies, despite a rushed ending. She especially praises Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch’s funny, affectionate performances as the warring spouses.

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The Observer
29 August 2025 · Wendy Ide
75*

Ide finds the film an enjoyable, sharply written screwball comedy, though it falls short of its predecessor’s destructive energy. She especially praises Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch’s chemistry and Colman’s comic delivery.

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IndieWire
26 August 2025 · B- · Kate Erbland
70

Erbland finds the reimagining compelling and funny, but says its lighter approach weakens the darker turn. She praises the dinner-party sequence while criticizing the later cruelty as jarring and over-the-top.

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Empire
28 August 2025 · Helen O’Hara
68*

O’Hara finds the remake often funny and surprisingly willing to mix shocks into its humour, though it is less venomous than the original. She praises the bleak, twisted romance of the finale, while noting that the balance between the spouses sometimes feels uneven.

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The Hollywood Reporter
25 August 2025 · David Rooney
65*

Rooney finds the film tart and entertaining, though its marital-comedy sting is diluted compared with the original. He singles out Cumberbatch and Colman’s combative chemistry and deliciously withering repartee as what keeps it lively.

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RogerEbert.com
64*

The page identifies a review of the 2025 film, but its verdict cannot be verified. No specific praise or criticism is accessible.

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The New York Times
28 August 2025
64*

The article appears to be a review, but its verdict cannot be verified from the accessible page. No specific praise or complaint is available because the article text is blocked.

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Slant Magazine
25 August 2025 · ★★½/4 · Justin Clark
62

The critic finds the film too shallow and cuddly to justify its violent third act. They praise the palpable chemistry between Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, especially in the film’s funny, wicked moments.

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Evening Standard
26 August 2025 · ★★★ · Lisa Wright
60

Wright finds the film familiar and increasingly cartoonish, entertaining but ultimately more suited to a comfortable Sunday watch than essential viewing. She praises Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, whose performances and sharp one-liners carry the film.

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Little White Lies
27 August 2025 · 4/3/4 · Leila Latif
60

Latif finds the film an entertaining but imperfect comedy that evokes a longing for starry mid-budget films. She praises Cumberbatch and Colman’s chemistry while faulting the underused supporting cast and weaker jokes.

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Time Out
20 August 2025 · ★★★ · Anna Smith
60

Smith calls the film a middling remake of the 1980s anti-romcom. The review frames its central appeal as the renewed marital war between its leads.

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Radio Times
25 August 2025 · Terry Staunton
50*

The review finds the film entertaining but ultimately toothless. It faults the leads’ likeability for softening the bitterness and malice the story needs.

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Variety
26 August 2025 · Peter Debruge
40*

Debruge finds the film clever and often funny, but ultimately a misfire because the central couple lacks convincing chemistry. He praises Tony McNamara’s sharp, witty script, while faulting the rapid shift into marital conflict.

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The Guardian
25 August 2025 · Peter Bradshaw
35*

Bradshaw finds the film watchable but ultimately let down by its glossy romcom style and reluctance to confront the reality of a bad marriage. He singles out Colman and Cumberbatch’s performances as compelling, though the film fails to make their changing feelings believable.

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Screen Daily
25 August 2025 · Tim Grierson
30*

The critic finds the adaptation too broad and tonally erratic. The headline highlights the fracturing couple’s clash, but the accessible text gives no further detail about what works or fails.

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Digital Spy
25 August 2025 · Ian Sandwell
90*

Sandwell calls the film one of the funniest comedies of the year and an unmissable showcase for its leads. He praises Colman and Cumberbatch’s genuine chemistry, which gives the script’s sharp insults their impact.

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/Film
25 August 2025 · 8.5/10 · Ethan Anderton
85

The critic gives the film an enthusiastic verdict, praising its sharp comedy and emotional bite. They single out Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman for making the unraveling marriage both painfully affecting and hilarious.

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Deadline
25 August 2025 · Pete Hammond
75*

Hammond finds the remake well worth watching, though it takes a long time to reach the couple’s vicious marital showdown. He especially praises the casting and the performances of Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman.

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HeyUGuys
· Linda Marric
75*

Marric finds the film a biting, funny and unexpectedly sad tragicomedy, though its glossy visuals and less successful supporting cast hold it back. She singles out Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, whose electric performances make the central relationship compelling.

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The Wrap
25 August 2025
65*

The critic finds the film an ambitious, mostly funny mix of hope, misery, and horror, though it sometimes wobbles. Cumberbatch and Colman’s comic chemistry earns praise, while Kate McKinnon’s over-the-top performance is singled out as a misfire.

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Collider
25 August 2025 · 6/10 · Ross Bonaime
60

The critic finds the film enjoyable but too restrained and insufficiently dark to reach its full potential. He singles out Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch’s bitter, comic performances as its main strength.

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Paste
28 August 2025 · 5.6 · Jesse Hassenger
54*

Hassenger finds the film too safe and stuck in second gear, despite its more fleshed-out portrait of marriage. He praises the sharp banter delivered by Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, while noting that the comedy and family conflicts often fall flat.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate