The movie was written and directed by Mike Binder, who has zero hits in his writing/directing career, and “Upside” will keep that record intact.
The Upside of Anger (2005)
Tomatometer
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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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Reviews for The Upside of Anger
Admit it: You thought Kevin Costner’s best performances were miles behind him.
Joan Allen has been saddled with so many repressed characters that it's a pleasure getting to see her break free. She's brash, she's funny, and she lights up the screen.
Binder ... has an astute ear for dysfunctional family dialect that enriches his complex story.
Don't go into The Upside of Anger expecting the usual convenient and happy Hollywood solution to serious problems. That, to me, is the real upside.
This Film Is Filled With Socialist Propaganda, As Subtle As A Madman Swinging A Sledgehammer.
Finally -- a well-acted, well-written drama for grownups, about grownups, that even contains grownup romance.
By treating his deeply flawed characters with equally deep warmth, Binder manages to tell viewers not to let bitterness consume them without coming off like a hypocrite.
The actors tune in to their individual characters perfectly, but this is Allen's show.
A mature, informed piece of work that sticks in your head, your heart and your throat long after it's over.
Allen rages, fumes, cries, laughs, tosses back vodka and tosses off sharply pointed verbal and physical barbs at everyone around her. And what fun she is!
I'm not convinced there is an upside to anger, but the best thing about this film is that it gives two actors absolutely perfect roles.
Long, slow, boring, movie with a nonsensical plot promoting Hollywood's secular immorality ending with a foolish, sophomoric soliloquy that serves as a fitting epitaph.
Allen may be the stand-out, but the others do hold their own. She and Costner have terrific chemistry, and each of the four actresses playing Terry's daughters are strong (in particular, Wood continues to impress).
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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