Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman Face Off in ‘The War of the Roses’ Remake, ‘The Roses’

The person who coined the phrase, “no one ever died of divorce” never saw 1989’s The War of the Roses, starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. And Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin aside, uncouplings haven’t gotten any less brutal in the three-plus decades since.

In this remake, Olivia Colman stars as Ivy, a chef whose new restaurant turns her into a celebrity. Her architect husband, Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch), meanwhile, just got fired from his job.

That’s when their seemingly picture-perfect marriage hits the skids. It starts with bickering, quickly escalates to insults, then to legal maneuvers and finally to all-out violence.

But as a chef, Ivy knows that revenge is a dish best served cold, which is why she hires no-holds-barred attorney Eleanor (Allison Janney) to represent her.

Kate McKinnon is hilarious as the (married) neighbor who’s ready to pounce on Theo even before the ink on his divorce is dry, while Andy Samberg plays her outmatched husband.

Cumberbatch’s pitch-perfect performance as an egomaniac who takes out his reduced circumstances on his wife, and Colman’s great comic delivery decisively answer the question of why The War of the Roses needed a remake.

The Roses | In theaters Friday, Aug. 29 R