The War of the Roses

After years of marriage, Oliver and Barbara Rose find that their life together no longer works for either of them. Barbara, who has spent the marriage running the household, wants something of her own, while Oliver, a successful and comfort-loving man, is content with the life he has built. When they decide to divorce, neither is willing to give up the house, and what begins as a division of the property turns into an escalating contest in which each tries to drive the other out. Their lawyer, Gavin D'Amato, finds himself caught between two clients who once shared everything.

Danny DeVito directed the film, the second of the six features he has directed, following Throw Momma from the Train and preceding Hoffa, Matilda, Death to Smoochy and Duplex. Michael J. Leeson wrote the screenplay, and James L. Brooks and Arnon Milchan produced. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner star as Oliver and Barbara, with DeVito as D'Amato, Marianne Sägebrecht as Susan, and Sean Astin and Heather Fairfield as the couple's children. The production cost about 26 million dollars and took in roughly 160 million worldwide, a strong return that made it one of the more commercially successful releases of its year. On IMDb it holds 6.9 out of 10 from around 63,000 votes, and on TMDB it has 6.9 from about 1,300 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 7.4 from 45 reviews.