The Roses offers a modern reimagining of The War of the Roses

Jay Roach’s new film The Roses, a contemporary reimagining of Warren Adler’s 1981 novel The War of the Roses and Danny DeVito’s 1989 adaptation, opened this summer from Searchlight Pictures with Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman as Theo and Ivy Rose, a British couple whose successful marriage unravels after a professional reversal and a fight over a dream house. The film, written by Tony McNamara and scored by Theodore Shapiro, has drawn attention both for its star pairing and for its decision to soften and update the source material for modern audiences.

In Roach and McNamara’s version, Theo is an architect and Ivy a chef whose fortunes flip after a storm collapses Theo’s museum project and a viral moment propels Ivy’s seafood restaurant to success. The role reversal fuels resentment and a growing catalogue of grudges that culminates in a late, destructive confrontation over the home Theo designed. The supporting cast includes Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, Allison Janney, Zoë Chao, Jamie Demetriou, Ncuti Gatwa, Belinda Bromilow and Sunita Mani. Shapiro said the score follows two musical motifs—one where notes come together and one where they drift apart—to mirror the...