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Movies / On DVD / The Upside of Anger
The Upside of Anger

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The Upside of Anger (2005)

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Reviews Counted:167

Fresh:122

Rotten:45

Average Rating:6.7/10

Consensus: A comedy/ drama for grown-ups, with fine performances by Joan Allen and Kevin Costner.

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Mar 11, 2005 Limited

Box Office: $18,742,061

Synopsis: Starring Joan Allen, THE UPSIDE OF ANGER spans three years of a woman's life following her husband's sudden disappearance. Terry Wolfmeyer (Allen), an affluent suburban Detroit wife and mother,... Starring Joan Allen, THE UPSIDE OF ANGER spans three years of a woman's life following her husband's sudden disappearance. Terry Wolfmeyer (Allen), an affluent suburban Detroit wife and mother, goes from a paragon of sweetness to a volcano of rage in the wake of her husband's desertion; she thinks he has jetted off to Sweden with his Swedish secretary. Barely holding it together for her four daughters (distinctively played by Alicia Witt, Keri Russell, Erika Christensen, and Evan Rachel Wood), Terry fitfully adjusts while befriending Denny Davies (Costner), a retired baseball player and radio personality up the street who shares her love of the all-day cocktail hour. Allen is a delightful force, displaying serious comedic talent and effortlessly stealing each scene. She glows with an unaffected sexiness, while Costner shines as the seemingly all-wrong man who turns out to be completely right. Writer-director Mike Binder casts a keenly perceptive eye on male-female relationships, a topic he also explored in his critically-acclaimed HBO series THE MIND OF THE MARRIED MAN. Binder also appears in a role as Denny's producer Shep, a shallow womanizer with surprisingly resonant reasons for being shallow. As the three years pass, Terry and her daughters are confronted with varying individual situations, choices, and compromises, with moments that ring true in ways both moving and strikingly funny. THE UPSIDE OF ANGER is an ideal combination of drama and humor. [More]

Starring: Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erika Christensen, Alicia Witt

Starring: Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erika Christensen, Alicia Witt, Evan Rachel Wood, Keri Russell, Mike Binder

Director: Mike Binder

Director: Mike Binder
Producer: Alex Gartner, Jack Binder, Sammy Lee
Composer: Alexandre Desplat
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Release:

Jul 26, 2005

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • A touching yet humorous film about a woman who finds her and her daughters' lives changed by a former baseball star who steps into her life as her drinking buddy.
  • Source: Warner Home Video
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for The Upside of Anger

    • T-Meter Critics
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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
    04/29/09
    Felix Vasquez Jr.
    Felix Vasquez Jr.
    Cinema Crazed

    Writer/director/actor Mike Binder (writer on HBO's "The Mind Of The Married Man") is to blame for this melodramatic game of Three Card Monte.

    Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
    04/16/09
    Cole Smithey
    Cole Smithey
    ColeSmithey.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
    07/14/07
    Joe Lozito
    Joe Lozito
    Big Picture Big Sound

    Always more than a mere by-numbers domestic drama, The Upside of Anger is desperately, darkly funny, with dialogue to, er, die for, and a perfect cast.

    Full Review Source: musicOMH.com | comment Comment
    07/02/07
    Anton Bitel
    Anton Bitel
    musicOMH.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
    05/12/07
    Philip French
    Philip French
    Observer [UK]

    Engaging, brilliantly directed, frequently funny and ultimately moving drama with a terrific script and superb performances from Allen and Costner.

    Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
    05/04/07
    Matthew Turner
    Matthew Turner
    ViewLondon

    Very watchable.

    Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
    05/04/07
    Derek Malcolm
    Derek Malcolm
    This is London

    A grandstanding performance from Joan Allen is the main attraction in this suburban dramacom.

    Full Review Source: thelondonpaper | comment Comment
    05/04/07
    Neil Smith
    Neil Smith
    thelondonpaper

    The final twist is misjudged, and it doesn't cohere at any level; but some funny moments.

    Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
    05/04/07
    Independent
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Hilarious, moving and intoxicating.

    Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
    05/04/07
    Johnny Vaughan
    Johnny Vaughan
    Sun Online

    Self-pitying and saccharine, this big whining ball of dross drags itself across the screen for two interminable hours, climaxing in a twist ending that comes with neon road signs attached.

    Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
    05/04/07
    David Edwards
    David Edwards
    Daily Mirror [UK]

    Entertaining but flawed look behind suburbia’s twitching curtains.

    Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
    05/04/07
    Neil Smith
    Neil Smith
    Total Film

    This is well worth investigating.

    Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
    05/04/07
    Tim Robey
    Tim Robey
    Daily Telegraph

    Showy and door-slamming but very watchable.

    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    05/04/07
    Peter Bradshaw
    Peter Bradshaw
    Guardian [UK]

    A superior suburban chick flick.

    Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
    05/04/07
    James Christopher
    James Christopher
    Times [UK]

    While beautifully cast and acted, this focuses on its comic strengths to the detriment of the drama, creating an unbalanced tone and leading to self-conscious attempts at serious observation. A pleasant watch, but nowhere near as profound as it thinks it

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    05/04/07
    Anna Smith
    Anna Smith
    Channel 4 Film

    Compelling and honest with flashes of dark humour which makes this a meaty comedy drama.

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
    05/04/07
    Ian Nathan
    Ian Nathan
    Empire Magazine

    Allen's imperious turn and Costner's affable charm go a long way to ensuring you'll look back on Anger with affection.

    Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
    05/01/07
    Neil Smith
    Neil Smith
    BBC

    Costner shines as the persecuted suitor who tries his best not to mind when being nagged and belittled by his regally shrewish object of desire, up to a point.

    Full Review Source: Long Island Press | comment Comment
    03/23/07
    Prairie Miller
    Prairie Miller
    Long Island Press
     
     
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    Latest News for The Upside of Anger

    June 08, 2006: Sandler to Star in 9/11 Drama
    Big-screen comedian Adam Sandler is going to get a little more serious for his next role. He'll be starring in Mike Binder's 9/11 drama "Empty City," along with Don... More...

    February 21, 2006: Actress Trio Joins Sandler's "Reign"
    Actresses Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows, and Jada Pinkett-Smith will be joining Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle in "Reign O'er Me," a post-9/11 drama from "Upside of... More...

    January 11, 2006: Chicago Critics Pick Their 2005 Winners (and Iowa!)
    The Chicago Film Critics Group announced their nominees just before New Years' Eve, and they reconvened this week to vote on their year-end favorites. Also, the Iowa Film... More...

    January 10, 2006: Online Film Critics Offer Their Annual Nominations
    The OFCS, which is hosted right here at Rotten Tomatoes and (full disclosure) includes yours truly as a member, announced their year-end nominations yesterday ... and we hope... More...

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