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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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    61 - 80 (sorted by date)
    Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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    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.

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

    Admit it: You thought Kevin Costner’s best performances were miles behind him.

    Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
    04/05/05
    Sara Brady
    Sara Brady
    Premiere Magazine

    part romantic comedy, part melodrama, and all Joan Allen.

    Full Review Source: Sean the Movie Guy | comment Comment
    04/05/05
    Sean McBride
    Sean McBride
    Sean the Movie Guy

    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.

    Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
    04/04/05
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Worcester Telegram & Gazette

    Binder ... has an astute ear for dysfunctional family dialect that enriches his complex story.

    Full Review Source: Charlotte Weekly | comment Comment
    04/04/05
    Sean O'Connell
    Sean O'Connell
    Charlotte Weekly

    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.

    Full Review Source: San Antonio Express-News | comment Comment
    04/04/05
    Larry Ratliff
    Larry Ratliff
    San Antonio Express-News

    Is Mike Binder the new Woody Allen?

    Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
    04/03/05
    Jonathan R. Perry
    Jonathan R. Perry
    Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

    This Film Is Filled With Socialist Propaganda, As Subtle As A Madman Swinging A Sledgehammer.

    Full Review Source: Outtakes With Fiore | comment Comment
    04/03/05
    Fiore Mastracci
    Fiore Mastracci
    Outtakes With Fiore

    Finally -- a well-acted, well-written drama for grownups, about grownups, that even contains grownup romance.

    Full Review Source: KWQC-TV (Iowa) | comment Comment
    04/03/05
    Linda Cook
    Linda Cook
    KWQC-TV (Iowa)

    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.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    04/03/05
    Dan Lybarger
    Dan Lybarger
    eFilmCritic.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
    04/02/05
    Boston Phoenix

    The actors tune in to their individual characters perfectly, but this is Allen's show.

    Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
    04/02/05
    Kirk Honeycutt
    Kirk Honeycutt
    Hollywood Reporter
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A mature, informed piece of work that sticks in your head, your heart and your throat long after it's over.

    Full Review Source: Dallas Observer | comment Comment
    04/02/05
    Robert Wilonsky
    Robert Wilonsky
    Dallas Observer

    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!

    Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
    04/02/05
    Shirley Sealy
    Shirley Sealy
    Film Journal International
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    04/02/05
    Todd McCarthy
    Todd McCarthy
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It’s a film without a sufficient spine.

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    04/02/05
    Bob Westal
    Bob Westal
    Film Threat

    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.

    Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
    04/02/05
    Jean Lowerison
    Jean Lowerison
    San Diego Metropolitan

    Entertainment for grownups, a la James L. Brooks

    Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
    04/02/05
    Marty Mapes
    Marty Mapes
    Movie Habit

    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.

    Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
    04/02/05
    Tony Medley
    Tony Medley
    tonymedley.com

    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).

    Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
    04/01/05
    Jeff Vice
    Jeff Vice
    Deseret News, Salt Lake City
     
     
    61 - 80 (sorted by date)
    Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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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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