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Movies / Upcoming / The Upside of Anger
The Upside of Anger

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The Upside of Anger (2005)

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Reviews Counted:33

Fresh:22

Rotten:11

Average Rating:6.5/10

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

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Genre: Dramas

US 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

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1 - 15 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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N/R

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

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Full Review Source: In Film Australia | comment Comment
05/18/05
Luke Buckmaster
Luke Buckmaster
In Film Australia
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
05/13/05
Sydney Morning Herald
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Showy and door-slamming but very watchable.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
05/04/07
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
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A superior suburban chick flick.

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

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Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
05/21/05
Anthony Lane
Anthony Lane
New Yorker
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/02/05
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
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What's best about Upside is its gonzo-sitcom craziness, a situation that lends itself to enjoyable performances.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
03/18/05
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
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It feels like a retread of several better movies, with a nastier, more bitter edge.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
03/18/05
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
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I liked these characters precisely because they were not designed to be likable -- or, more precisely, because they were likable in spite of being exasperating, unorganized, self-destructive and impervious to good advice.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
03/18/05
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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Allen is one of the most reliable American actresses, and her intelligence and wit raise the quality of a movie that often feels as if it belongs on the Lifetime cable network.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
03/10/05
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today
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A squarely suburban movie with a distinctly bourgeois-shaped window on the world, but it's genuine and exceptionally well observed.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
03/10/05
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
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The upside of Mike Binder's deeply flawed attempt to marry midlife romantic comedy with domestic farce is two nearly perfect performances by Joan Allen and Kevin Costner.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
03/10/05
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
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Costner's funny and sincere in a role that winks at his many previous baseball movies. And Joan Allen brings home the kind of performance that wins awards.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
03/07/05
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
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1 - 15 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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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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