The Roses on Trial: Marriage, Power, and the Cost of Winning

What happens when a marriage becomes a zero-sum game - and what does it really cost to “win”?In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards, Steve and Patty Shewmaker and Jimmy and Alexa Lewis put the 2025 remake The Roses on trial, comparing it to the original War of the Roses and examining what both films reveal about marriage, power, identity, and conflict.Unlike the original, which focused heavily on divorce and courtroom warfare, The Roses reframes the story as a study of marriage itself - career imbalance, resentment, sacrifice, and the quiet ways couples lose each other long before lawyers get involved.The panel explores how modern dynamics—dual careers, public humiliation, social media, and shifting power - reshape the story, and why the most revealing moments don’t happen in court at all.Topics include:How The Roses differs from War of the Roses in focus and messageWhy this remake is about marriage more than divorcePower shifts when one spouse’s career collapses as the other’s explodesThe role of resentment, sacrifice, and unspoken expectationsWhat Amy and Barry reveal about “surviving” marriageWhy the house becomes the ultimate battlegroundHow social media accelerates marital destructionThe lone legal scene—and what it gets right and wrongWhy “winning” often leaves everyone worse offWhether you’re married, divorced, or advising clients in conflict, this episode offers a surprisingly sharp lens on how relationships unravel—and why the most dangerous fights are rarely about the law.⏱️ Chapter Markers00:00 – Podcast introduction and show overview 00:00:40 – Welcome to Lawyers Without Billboards 00:01:15 – Introducing The Roses and its connection to War of the Roses 00:03:02 – Why remakes often fail—and why this one works 00:05:10 – Divorce movie vs. marriage movie: the key distinction 00:06:57 – Career collapse, career explosion, and shifting power 00:09:14 – Resentment, sacrifice, and the “altar of marriage” 00:11:32 – Amy and Barry: the most honest take on marriage in the film 00:14:02 – When friends see the cracks before the couple does 00:15:48 – The house as leverage, identity, and weapon 00:18:06 – Social media, public humiliation, and modern conflict 00:20:11 – The dinner party scene and performative cruelty 00:22:34 – Destruction as communication: escalation without brakes 00:24:41 – The lone legal scene: mediation, lawyers, and realism 00:27:03 – Why “winning” becomes the real loss 00:28:52 – Final thoughts: marriage, mortality, and what the ending means🔔 Subscribe for candid conversations about family law, relationships, and the legal system - without the billboards.🎙️ Hosts: Steve & Patty Shewmaker, Jimmy & Alexa Lewis 🎧 Watch here: https://youtu.be/RZbNPK0NvSA  or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more.📩 Contact: [email protected] | (770) 939-1939 🌐 Website: https://www.shewmakerandlewis.com 🎧 Podcast Library: https://shewmakerandlewis.com/lawyers-without-billboards🎼 Music by Ben Hernandez – Dragonsong Productions 🎥 Produced by: Bleeding Edge, Inc. 🎬 Audio & Video Production: Rob Burgner 📍 Recorded at: Shewmaker & Lewis, Atlanta, GA