The War of the Roses (1989)

Elevator Pitch: The Roses meet at an auction, fall in love and go on to marry. He becomes a successful lawyer and she, after finding her ideal house,  decorates and furnishes it in the best of taste. Over the years he becomes an increasingly successful lawyer, but also increasingly pedantic, resulting finally in Barbara asking for a divorce. They are unable to agree terms, and advised by one of his colleauges, Gavin, Oliver stays in the family home despite the increasing levels of agression between them.

Content: There is sex, but no rude bits are on display, although Barbara would probably win a wet white blouse competition. The narrative is told as a cautionary tale by Gavin who suggest that in divorce there are no winners, only degrees of loser. The Roses gradually destruct the house and alarmingly for some, she runs over his Morgan in her large off road truck, after he has accidentally run over her cat. It seems unlikely to end well.

A View: This movie was an obviouse vehicle for Douglas and Turner who had  successfully played lovers in Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile earlier in the decade. The director uses himself sparingly as the narrator, making what is usually an indication of problems with the plot, absolutely acceptable. It was well liked by the critics, back in the day and has stood the test of time pretty well, so still worth the price of a download.

Additional Info: The Morgan, so thoughtlessly destructed, appears to be a Morgan +4 from the early 1960s which, it is claimed, was purchased and rebuilt by Wayne Carini. This seems unlikely considering that his programme started as late as 2008. Note that Oliver’s principal weapon of destruction is the car’s starting handle.