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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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    41 - 60 (sorted by date)
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    [L]ike Leaving Las Vegas, The Upside of Anger provides a galvanizing turn for its star--a daring alloy of pungent misery and jaw-dropping antics.

    Full Review Source: Blogcritics.org | comment Comment
    04/25/05
    Alan Dale
    Alan Dale
    Blogcritics.org

    Costner delivers a subtle, engaging performance that's completely different from anything he's done before and might just mark the beginning of a new phase in his career.

    Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
    04/23/05
    David Nusair
    David Nusair
    Reel Film Reviews

    Even though Binder’s characters are all gems, the filmmaker needs to further hone his storytelling craft.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    04/23/05
    Marjorie Baumgarten
    Marjorie Baumgarten
    Austin Chronicle

    a sharp, funny comedy-drama that provides a spectacular showcase, perhaps even a signature role, for Allen.

    Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
    04/22/05
    James Sanford
    James Sanford
    Kalamazoo Gazette

    Allen's desperate housewife makes this trip into suburbia worthwhile.

    Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
    04/20/05
    Lori Hoffman
    Lori Hoffman
    Atlantic City Weekly

    While most of the movie has a welcome feel to it, the ending carries as much absurdity as anything in Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    04/17/05
    Collin Souter
    Collin Souter
    eFilmCritic.com

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    04/17/05
    Andrea Chase
    Andrea Chase
    Killer Movie Reviews

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
    04/17/05
    Ethan Alter
    Ethan Alter
    NYC Film Critic

    Allen and Costner have the kind of genuine, unquestionable chemistry that can't be faked

    Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
    04/15/05
    James Kendrick
    James Kendrick
    Q Network Film Desk

    Any disappointment I felt about elements of this movie was overshadowed by the fine performances of Kevin Costner and Joan Allen, especially the latter.

    Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
    04/15/05
    Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
    Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
    Goatdog's Movies

    Do yourself a favor and catch this fine film on the big screen.

    Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | comment Comment
    04/14/05
    Vince Koehler
    Vince Koehler
    Entertainment Spectrum

    There's no downside to the crackling Costner/Allen pairing, but Binder spreads himself thin. He puts in play too many subplots about Allen's budding daughters.

    Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
    04/13/05
    Thomas Delapa
    Thomas Delapa
    Boulder Weekly

    Achieves a harmonious balance between truth and consequence.

    Full Review Source: Oregon Herald | comment Comment
    04/12/05
    Mark Sells
    Mark Sells
    Oregon Herald

    If you're in the mood for a well told tale of dysfunction and discovery, seeing this simply doesn't have a downside.

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    04/12/05
    Rick Kisonak
    Rick Kisonak
    Film Threat

    The downside is the slow pace of the movie.

    Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
    04/11/05
    Jackie K. Cooper
    Jackie K. Cooper
    jackiekcooper.com

    The Upside of Anger isn’t as good as any of its actors.

    Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
    04/08/05
    Forrest Hartman
    Forrest Hartman
    Reno Gazette-Journal

    A drama mined with comic moments, the movie's got an Oscar-worthy performance from three-time Oscar nominee Joan Allen.

    Full Review Source: Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) | comment Comment
    04/08/05
    John Wirt
    John Wirt
    Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

    Too much of The Upside of Anger is informed by unquestioned social mores.

    Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
    04/06/05
    Mark Palermo
    Mark Palermo
    Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

    Not a bad movie -- and worth seeing for Costner's and Allen's performances -- but I'm inclined to think that ultimately its intentions are less than honest.

    Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
    04/06/05
    Ken Hanke
    Ken Hanke
    Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

    'The Upside of Anger' demonstrates the downside of moviemaking.

    Full Review Source: Kaplan vs. Kaplan | comment Comment
    04/06/05
    Jeanne Kaplan
    Jeanne Kaplan
    Kaplan vs. Kaplan
     
     
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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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