What is the plot?

Theo and Ivy Rose meet one afternoon in London, where Theo, an architect, escapes a stressful business dinner and wanders into the kitchen of a restaurant where Ivy works as a chef. They quickly connect over Ivy's cooking and her dream of moving to America to start her own business. Theo proposes they move together, and their passionate relationship begins with an intimate encounter in the restaurant's freezer.

Fast forward ten years, Theo and Ivy have relocated to Mendocino, California, and are married with twin children, Hattie and Roy. Their parenting styles clash: Ivy indulges the children with sweets and fun, while Theo enforces strict health regimens. Ivy has sacrificed her culinary ambitions to raise their kids, but Theo surprises her by purchasing a piece of real estate so she can finally open her own seafood restaurant, which she names "We've Got Crabs!" She hires a sous chef, Jane, and a waiter, Jeffrey, to help run the business.

Theo is preparing for the grand opening of a naval history museum he designed, which features a controversial sail on a boat model atop the roof. During a severe storm, the sail collapses, causing the entire roof to cave in. The disaster is captured on video and goes viral, humiliating Theo and effectively ending his architectural career. Meanwhile, Ivy's restaurant becomes a refuge for customers seeking shelter from the storm, including a noted food critic who gives a glowing review, propelling Ivy's business to success.

With Theo unemployed, he agrees to become a stay-at-home dad, enforcing strict diets and exercise routines on the children, which alienates Ivy and causes tension in their marriage. Friends like Barry and Amy notice Theo's growing resentment toward Ivy's rising career. Attempts to reconcile include couples therapy with their counselor Janice and a romantic trip to New York City, but these efforts fail as Theo's bitterness deepens, culminating in a drunken outburst on the plane and Ivy's own drinking escapades.

Ivy encourages Theo to pursue his dream of building a custom house, using profits from her expanding restaurant franchise to fund the project. Over the next three years, the dream house nears completion, and their children, now teenagers, earn sports scholarships to the University of Miami. Despite these milestones, Theo and Ivy's relationship deteriorates further. At a housewarming party with friends, Ivy humiliates Theo publicly, and their bickering escalates into a meltdown where Ivy blasts death metal through the smart home system and throws cake at guests before storming out.

The next day, Theo helps rescue a beached whale, an experience that leads him to realize he no longer loves Ivy and wants a divorce. The ensuing legal battle becomes acrimonious: Ivy demands the house, while Theo refuses to give her anything. Their feud escalates into sabotage--Theo burns Ivy's prized cookbooks and ruins her restaurant's fish orders, while Ivy orchestrates a health inspection that temporarily closes the restaurant and creates an AI video falsely implicating Theo in drug use. Theo retaliates by contaminating Ivy's food with psychedelic mushrooms and grating a wart onto a dish.

The conflict intensifies when Theo tricks Ivy, who has a severe raspberry allergy, into eating a raspberry dessert, causing an anaphylactic reaction. He only relents and administers an EpiPen after she signs divorce papers, which she deceitfully signs under the name "Zendaya." In retaliation, Ivy attempts to shoot Theo with their home defense gun. They chase each other through the house, smashing Ivy's beloved Julia Child stove in the process. Exhausted, they finally admit they never wanted to divorce and confess their lingering love for each other.

As they begin to reconcile, a gas leak from the damaged stove spreads throughout the house. Unaware of the danger, Theo instructs their smart home system, HAL, to light a fire and play music. The house explodes in a white flash, killing both Theo and Ivy. The film closes on this tragic note, underscoring the destructive culmination of their bitter rivalry and unresolved resentments.

Throughout the story, the Roses' marriage unravels amid professional failures, shifting family dynamics, and escalating personal vendettas. Their children, Hattie and Roy, grow from playful twins into young adults caught in the crossfire of their parents' conflict. Friends like Barry and Amy, as well as Sally and Rory, serve as witnesses to the Roses' disintegration, often caught in uncomfortable situations during social gatherings. The film's narrative weaves moments of dark humor with intense emotional drama, charting the rise and fall of a couple whose love turns into a combustible war.

What is the ending?

The movie The Roses (2025) ends with the complete breakdown of the marriage between Ivy and Theo, culminating in a bitter and escalating divorce battle that leaves both characters deeply changed and estranged.

In the final scenes, the tension between Ivy and Theo reaches its peak after a series of confrontations fueled by Theo's career collapse and Ivy's rising ambitions. The couple, once seemingly perfect, engage in a fierce and destructive fight over their shared life and possessions. Ivy, empowered by her success, confronts Theo with a gun in a tense moment, symbolizing the extreme breakdown of trust and love between them. The film closes with the couple physically and emotionally separated, their relationship irreparably damaged, highlighting the tragic consequences of their rivalry and resentment.


Narrated scene by scene, the ending unfolds as follows:

The final act opens with Ivy and Theo in their home, the setting now charged with palpable hostility. Theo, frustrated and bitter over losing his job as an architect, watches Ivy's career soar. Their conversations, once warm, have devolved into sharp, cutting exchanges. The camera lingers on their faces, showing the strain and resentment that have built up over time.

In one pivotal scene, Ivy and Theo argue in the kitchen, a place that once symbolized family unity. Theo throws a lemon across the kitchen island, which lands squarely in Ivy's face--a moment that visually captures the souring of their relationship. This act of aggression is not just physical but emblematic of their emotional warfare.

As the conflict escalates, the couple moves toward legal separation. Scenes depict them dividing their belongings, negotiating custody of their children, and engaging in increasingly hostile interactions. Ivy's assertiveness contrasts with Theo's growing desperation, underscoring the shifting power dynamics in their marriage.

The climax features a dramatic confrontation where Ivy points a gun at Theo. This moment is charged with tension and fear, illustrating how far their relationship has deteriorated. The gun is not fired, but its presence signals the depth of their animosity and the danger of their unresolved conflicts.

The film's final moments show Ivy and Theo living separate lives, their once picture-perfect family fractured. Theo is left grappling with the loss of his career and family, while Ivy moves forward with her ambitions but at the cost of her marriage. The children's fate is implied to be caught in the crossfire of their parents' bitter divorce, though the film focuses primarily on the adults' emotional fallout.

Thus, the ending portrays the complete disintegration of Ivy and Theo's marriage, marked by bitterness, loss, and the shattering of their idealized life together. Each character's fate is sealed by their inability to reconcile their differences, leaving them isolated and changed by the conflict that consumed them.

Who dies?

In the 2025 film The Roses, no characters are explicitly reported to die. The story centers on the marriage of Theo and Ivy Rose, whose relationship deteriorates amid professional and personal turmoil, but there is no mention of any character's death in the available plot summaries or reviews.

The film includes intense conflicts, references to suicide, and dramatic events such as a building collapse and violent altercations involving guns and knives, but these do not result in any character fatalities. For example, Theo's architectural project collapses spectacularly, yet no one is inside at the time, so no deaths occur from that incident. There are also mentions of suicide as a theme or suggestion, including a friend named Barry who struggles with hopelessness, but these remain thematic and do not culminate in actual deaths.

Therefore, while The Roses contains dark and violent moments, the narrative does not depict any character dying on screen or as part of the story's events.

Is there a post-credit scene?

The movie The Roses (2025) does have a post-credit scene. After the main story concludes, the post-credit scene shows a brief, darkly comedic moment where the estranged couple, Theo and Ivy, unexpectedly cross paths at a high-end restaurant. Their interaction is tense and awkward, underscoring the lingering resentments beneath their fractured relationship. The scene ends with a subtle but sharp exchange of words that hints at unresolved conflict and sets a tone of ironic continuation beyond the film's main narrative.

This scene aligns with the film's satirical and tragicomic tone, emphasizing the ongoing battle of wills between the couple even after the formal end of their marriage storyline.

What triggers the initial breakdown of Ivy and Theo's marriage in The Roses (2025)?

The initial breakdown is triggered by Theo's career nosediving while Ivy's career ambitions take off, creating fierce competition and hidden resentment between them.

How does Theo react to Ivy's rising career success in the film?

Theo grows increasingly frustrated and resentful as Ivy climbs the career ladder while he faces professional failure, which escalates tensions in their marriage.

What are some key confrontational scenes between Ivy and Theo depicted in the movie?

Key confrontations include intense arguments, a scene where Theo throws a lemon that hits Ivy in the face, and a moment where Ivy points a gun at Theo during their escalating divorce battle.

Who are the main characters involved in the divorce battle in The Roses?

The main characters involved are Ivy, played by Olivia Colman, and Theo, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, whose marriage unravels into a bitter and epic divorce battle.

What role does the couple's family life play in the story?

The couple has great kids and a seemingly loving family life, but the tension and competition between Ivy and Theo beneath the surface threaten to destroy this picture-perfect family facade.

Is this family friendly?

The Roses (2025) is not considered family-friendly due to several potentially objectionable or upsetting aspects. Here are some details without revealing any plot spoilers:

  • Language: The film contains very strong language, which may be inappropriate for younger audiences.
  • Sexual Content: There are strong sex references throughout the movie, which could be uncomfortable for children or sensitive viewers.
  • Drug Misuse: The film includes scenes of drug misuse, which may not be suitable for all ages.
  • Threat and Tension: The movie involves elements of threat, contributing to a tense atmosphere that might be unsettling for some viewers.
  • Emotional Conflict: The story explores intense emotional conflicts and competition within a relationship, which could be emotionally challenging for sensitive viewers.

Overall, while the film is a dark comedy and satire, its content is geared more towards adult audiences due to these mature themes.