Danny DeVito directs this black comedy about a pretty messy divorce. He plays the divorce lawyer who is humurously cautioning his new client about what he is about to embark upon by telling him the story of the Roses, divorcees played by Kathleen Turner ("Barbara") and Michael Douglas ("Oliver").
The Roses seem to have a pretty miserable marriage. Typical material about rich people, they never even seemed like they wanted to get married in the first place, especially Barabara. But they did, and they built a home and a family. But, things just seem to be unbearable between the two, and Barbara wants a divorce. Oliver finds a loophole in the property laws that allows the couple to live in the same house during the divorce. Barbara is adamant on getting the house, but that is something Oliver will fight her on (more so than custody of the kids), although at times, it seems like he is only doing whatever he can to get her to call off the whole thing and pretend to be in love with him again.
Being in the same house leads to a lot of comic disasters with both Barbara and Oliver trying to get on each others nerves so much that Oliver will agree to leave and, hopefully, give up the house as well. For example, during Barbara's dinner party, Oliver stumbles in drunk, insults the guest and urinates in the soup. Barbara meanwhile crushes Oliver's restored classic car with her monster truck. The finale appears to be a fight to the death over this house.
The story operates on typical material and stereotypes of rich couples, those driven by material possessions and lack of emotional connection between one another. The Rose's kids in fact (Heather Fairfield and Sean Astin), appear to be more of an accessory to their wealth rather than a product of love. There is nothing admirable about the Rose's, but you do get eerily drawn in to their confrontation which sometimes draws laughter, but mostly just awe.
The Roses seem to have a pretty miserable marriage. Typical material about rich people, they never even seemed like they wanted to get married in the first place, especially Barabara. But they did, and they built a home and a family. But, things just seem to be unbearable between the two, and Barbara wants a divorce. Oliver finds a loophole in the property laws that allows the couple to live in the same house during the divorce. Barbara is adamant on getting the house, but that is something Oliver will fight her on (more so than custody of the kids), although at times, it seems like he is only doing whatever he can to get her to call off the whole thing and pretend to be in love with him again.
Being in the same house leads to a lot of comic disasters with both Barbara and Oliver trying to get on each others nerves so much that Oliver will agree to leave and, hopefully, give up the house as well. For example, during Barbara's dinner party, Oliver stumbles in drunk, insults the guest and urinates in the soup. Barbara meanwhile crushes Oliver's restored classic car with her monster truck. The finale appears to be a fight to the death over this house.
The story operates on typical material and stereotypes of rich couples, those driven by material possessions and lack of emotional connection between one another. The Rose's kids in fact (Heather Fairfield and Sean Astin), appear to be more of an accessory to their wealth rather than a product of love. There is nothing admirable about the Rose's, but you do get eerily drawn in to their confrontation which sometimes draws laughter, but mostly just awe.