You know a movie is funny when you're by yourself and laughing out loud. This is a hilarious saga of a divorcing couple, both of whom refuse to leave their house. "The gloves are off," Michael Douglas announces to wife Kathleen Turner, although for the viewer, they had been off for some time. Both stop at nothing to drive the other out.

It's a strange film in a way because it starts out as a love story and slowly builds, as little signs that all is not well in paradise begin to emerge. Once the ugliness starts, there's no stopping it, and the film rapidly becomes a very black comedy.

Turner and Douglas receive able support from a very funny Danny Devito, who also directed, and the wonderful Marianne Sagebrecht, who provides a gentle presence amidst the chaos.

Technically, this is a pretty well-made film. The script is, at times, interesting and the actors involved do a good job of making you hate them. But, overall, the film is a major downer--a depressing and awful film that is best if it is only seen by those planning on a divorce. Others just don't need the pain involved in watching this nightmare.

Douglas and Turner portray a couple who go from a troubled marriage to all out war. Their utter cruelty to each other might be seen as funny by some, but most will only cringe at the evil that comes from them. And, I seriously wonder if past victims of domestic violence might just experience flashbacks of past violence when viewing this variation on CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH. In the end, the two creeps literally kill each other. Wow--that's pretty funny stuff,...if you are a sadist.

But, for warring couples perhaps this is a good warning. Watching this with their spouse might be the thing to stop their [email protected]^& and bickering from getting any worse!

Gavin D'Amato (Danny DeVito) is an expert divorce attorney as he recounts the case that drove him to restart smoking. Oliver Rose (Michael Douglas) met Barbara (Kathleen Turner) as they battle over an antique Japanese carving in the rainy last day of the season in Nantucket. They get together that day. They get married. They have a couple of kids. He becomes a successful lawyer. She gets her dream house. However they slowly drift apart. Little irritants creep into their relationship. He works too much. She gets tired of her empty life. She's angry at him and he doesn't know why. Their fairy tale marriage deteriorates into an acrimonious divorce. Through a loophole, he forces his way back into the house.

This is a dark comedy walking a fine line. I'm not sure if it doesn't stray over the line. It is so dark at times that it becomes uncomfortably unfunny. Then it snaps back with big laughs once in awhile. Danny DeVito is pushing hard visually to create something interesting and dark. The second half of the movie is where the couple starts on a course of tit for tat. It hits some dark comedic tones. The two angry combatants are so serious that it's hard to laugh at them. It is really better to see this as a dark cautionary tale rather than a funny comedy.