The War of the Roses (1989)

Starring: Tyler

Directed by: Danny DeVito

This review contains Kitty Carnage Warnings!

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: A dark comedy in which lawyer Gavin D’Amato (Danny DeVito) tells a prospective client the story of Oliver and Barbara Rose (Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner), a man and woman who transitioned from a loving couple to bitter, hated spouses embroiled in a divorce in which both go to extremes to exact revenge upon the other. Their house and possessions are at the center of the vicious dispute.

Featured Feline: One of the differences between Oliver and Barbara is the fact that he is a dog person and she is a cat person. She treats his dog Benny with disdain and he treats her cat Kitty Kitty, an orange and white longhair tabby, with equal disrespect. During an argument in the kitchen, Kitty Kitty is sitting on a stool.

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler on stool with Oliver Michael Douglas and Barbara Kathleen Turner

Kitty Carnage Warning! When Barbara walks away, Oliver roughly pushes Kitty Kitty off of the stool.

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler on stool with Oliver Michael Douglas

In another scene, Barbara is cutting liver to make paté for her catering business. She repeatedly pretends to throw pieces of liver to Benny then slyly feeds them to Kitty Kitty instead.

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler eating liver

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler in kitchen with Barbara Kathleen Turner

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler being fed liver by Barbara Kathleen Turner with dog Benny Popeye watching

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler being fed liver by Barbara Kathleen Turner who pretends to throw it to dog Benny Popeye animated gif

The cat is fed on the kitchen counter by Barbara during another argument with Oliver.

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler on kitchen counter with Oliver Michael Douglas and Barbara Kathleen Turner

Kitty Kitty is lying in bed with Barbara in a later scene.

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler lying on bed

During a discussion between Barbara and Susan (Marianne Sägebrecht), the maid, Kitty Kitty runs out of the bedroom and down the stairs where he is spotted and chased by Benny.

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler running out of bedroom

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler running down stairs

The animals run through the open front door without being noticed by Oliver and Susan, who are going out to find Oliver some sleeping pills.

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler running out front door

As Oliver and Susan get the car ready, Kitty Kitty is chased back and forth across the lawn and driveway by Benny.

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler running across lawn

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler on lawn

Kitty Carnage Warning! Eventually Oliver starts backing the car down the driveway and unfortunately runs over Kitty Kitty. Poor Benny, who was only chasing the cat for fun, looks horrified by the turn of events.

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler running toward driveway

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler chased across lawn by dog Benny Popeye

The War of the Roses - ginger and white longhair tabby cat Kitty Kitty Tyler chased by dog Benny Popeye animated gif

Behind the Scenes

Kitty Kitty was played by cat actor Tyler. The animal training for this film was done by Studio Animal Services headed by Karin McElhatton (as Karen Dew).

As harsh as the fate of poor Kitty Kitty was, the scene in which the cat actor is shoved off the stool comes off as more jarring. Director Danny DeVito explained on the DVD’s commentary track that he owns several cats himself and that Tyler always landed on his feet after being pushed off the chair by Michael Douglas.

While the themes are dark, the performances by the animal actors (including Popeye as Benny) are impressive. The chase scenes in which the cat and dog cross the yard and driveway, done in single takes with wide shots, are particularly impressive.