--- title: "The Roses: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-roses/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-roses" critics_score: 63 critics_reviews: 23 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Roses (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 63 from 23 reviews: 8 positive, 12 mixed, 3 negative. ## The AV Club — Luke Hicks Rating B+. 28 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-roses-review) ## Los Angeles Times — Amy Nicholson Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-08-28/the-roses-review-olivia-colman-benedict-cumberbatch-andy-samberg-kate-mckinnon) ## The Observer — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/the-roses-is-an-astringent-sweary-screwball-comedy) ## IndieWire — Kate Erbland Rating B-. 26 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-roses-review-benedict-cumberbatch-olivia-colman-remake-1235147393/) ## Empire — Helen O’Hara Fi1m's normalised score 68/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-roses/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-roses-review-benedict-cumberbatch-olivia-colman-1236351889/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page identifies a review of the 2025 film, but its verdict cannot be verified. No specific praise or criticism is accessible. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-roses-benedict-cumberbatch-olivia-colman-film-review-2025) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/movies/the-roses-review.html) ## Slant Magazine — Justin Clark Rating 2.5/4. 25 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-roses-review-benedict-cumberbatch-olivia-colman/) ## Evening Standard — Lisa Wright Rating 3/5. 26 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-roses-review-olivia-colman-benedict-cumberbatch-b1244012.html) ## Little White Lies — Leila Latif Rating 4/3/4. 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-roses) ## Time Out — Anna Smith Rating 3/5. 20 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-roses-review-2025) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2025. The review finds the film entertaining but ultimately toothless. It faults the leads’ likeability for softening the bitterness and malice the story needs. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-roses-review/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/the-roses-review-benedict-cumberbatch-olivia-colman-1236497711/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/aug/25/the-roses-review-olivia-colman-and-benedict-cumberbatch-remake) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-roses-review-benedict-cumberbatch-and-olivia-colman-clash-as-a-fracturing-married-couple/5207746.article) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a65858683/the-roses-review/) ## /Film — Ethan Anderton Rating 8.5/10. 25 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1949270/the-roses-review-benedict-cumberbatch-olivia-colman/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/08/the-roses-review-benedict-cumberbatch-olivia-colman-remake-1236496435/) ## HeyUGuys — Linda Marric Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 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. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-roses-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-roses-review-benedict-cumberbatch-olivia-colman/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 6/10. 25 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-roses-review-benedict-cumberbatch-olivia-colman/) ## Paste — Jesse Hassenger Rating 5.6. 28 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/jay-roach/the-roses-benedict-cumberbatch-olivia-colman-andy-samberg-kate-mckinnon) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-roses.md