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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

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    Reviews
    Tomatometer Critic Review Category
    N/R

    Felix Vasquez Jr.

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 29 2009 03:16 AM

    Cinema Crazed

    splat
    C-

    Cole Smithey

    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: | comment Comment | Apr., 16 2009 12:04 PM

    ColeSmithey.com

    N/R

    Urban Cinefile Critics

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 18 2008 07:45 AM

    Urban Cinefile

    splat
    2/4

    Joe Lozito

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 14 2007 06:10 AM

    Big Picture Big Sound

    tomato

    Anton Bitel

    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: | comment Comment | Jul., 02 2007 04:04 AM

    musicOMH.com

    N/R

    Philip French

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 12 2007 05:34 AM

    Observer [UK]

    tomato
    4/5

    Matthew Turner

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

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 08:54 AM

    ViewLondon

    tomato
    3/5

    Derek Malcolm

    Very watchable.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 08:45 AM

    This is London

    tomato
    3/5

    Neil Smith

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

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 08:24 AM

    thelondonpaper

    tomato
    3/5

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

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 07:58 AM

    Independent

    tomato
    3.5/5

    Johnny Vaughan

    Hilarious, moving and intoxicating.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 07:37 AM

    Sun Online

    splat
    2/5

    David Edwards

    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: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 07:31 AM

    Daily Mirror [UK]

    tomato
    3/5

    Neil Smith

    Entertaining but flawed look behind suburbia’s twitching curtains.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 07:14 AM

    Total Film

    tomato

    Tim Robey

    This is well worth investigating.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 04:19 AM

    Daily Telegraph

    tomato
    3/5

    Peter Bradshaw

    Showy and door-slamming but very watchable.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 04:13 AM

    Guardian [UK]

    tomato
    4/5

    James Christopher

    A superior suburban chick flick.

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 03:57 AM

    Times [UK]

    tomato
    3/5

    Anna Smith

    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: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 03:38 AM

    Channel 4 Film

    tomato
    4/5

    Ian Nathan

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

    Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 04 2007 02:30 AM

    Empire Magazine

    tomato
    4/5

    Neil Smith

    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: | comment Comment | May., 01 2007 03:15 AM

    BBC

    tomato

    Prairie Miller

    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: | comment Comment | Mar., 23 2007 02:02 PM

    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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